Vision & Mission

Who We Are

Friends of Sunnyside Community Center (FoSCC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Sunnyside community members — tenants, clients, participants, neighbors, and partner organizations — and strengthening neighborhood community center spaces as safe, active, and mission-aligned community assets. FoSCC bridges community goals for a clean, safe, and thriving center with building ownership, encouraging stewardship decisions that sustain recovery programs, arts, education, youth sports, outreach to the houseless, and the long-term vision of a vibrant community rooted in service.

Our Goals

• Strengthen recovery, arts, and educational programs and offer critical hygiene services to the houseless members of our community
• Align neighborhood needs and opportunities with building owner priorities
• Lead local fundraising efforts to support building upkeep and improvements
• Promote a vibrant community rooted in service and inclusion

Our Commitment

Friends of Sunnyside Community Center has been formed to manage the Community Center as a clean, well-maintained, and welcoming neighborhood anchor — where visible stewardship reflects shared values of safety, dignity, service, and community.

History & Context

The Sunnyside United Methodist Church was built in 1911 at the corner of SE 35th and Yamhill. In 1922 the church expanded to add the Sunnyside Community House, designed from the start to serve the broader neighborhood, not just its congregation. By 2015, the congregation had grown small and ownership transferred to the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

A coalition of nonprofits and volunteers stepped forward to keep it a community asset. In 2019, The Groves Church PDX moved in and took on building management, undertaking significant repairs and bringing a vision combining faith, art, equity, and service. The Groves relocated at the start of 2025.

The remaining tenants came together to collectively maintain the building and continue serving the neighborhood. Today, in 2026, these include the Sunnyside Shower Project, Portland Reign Basketball, AA, NW Documentary, Nyback Film Archive, local artists, and music teachers.

FoSCC grew out of that effort — a formal organization to carry forward the work of supporting the building and ensuring the neighborhood has affordable spaces that foster art, equity, and community service.

A Sacred Space

Recovery, artistic creation, youth development, service to the houseless, and community gathering are all forms of spiritual transformation. Sunnyside Community Center is a sacred space for that work.