Jill’s Visit and Playworks Open House

Playworks Founder and CEO, Jill Vialet stopped by the Rose City and gave out High-Fives at the Portland Office Open House and gave an inspiring speech at Changemakers’ Night about reviving healthy play and empathy in our communities. Jill also met with various Playworks supporters, educators, businesses and community leaders to talk about the Playworks model and hear about the successful impact of the power of play in the Pacific Northwest. Big thanks to our 50+ attendees at our Open House for coming out to play and mingle with us. We feel very welcomed in our new home and supported by the community we are a part of. Thanks to Columbia Sportswear, Adidas, Sports Authority and The Old Gold for our Open House raffle prizes. At Changemakers’ Night, co-presenters Social Venture Partners Portland and Ashoka in conjunction with Audacious Philanthropy hosted three amazing speakers. Our own Playworks’ CEO/Founder Jill Vialet, KIVA co-founder Matt Flannery & Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free the Children. The downtown Hilton Ballroom filled seats with participants that wanted to make a difference and inspire others by hearing from these speakers about their own journey and steps they took. Jill Vialet gave a riveting speech on how she took an idea and her past experience on the playground to start Playworks. She encouraged the room to have empathy for others and to make time for play in their daily lives.