History

Café au Play
When Kristin Heying moved back to Portland with her 6-month-old daughter, she was in the process of becoming a single mom. Like a lot of parents, Kristin found that having a community of support was a necessity, not a luxury. When her daughter became a toddler, they began participating in parks and recreation classes – their only available option for affordable child-centered activities. Through these classes, Kristin eventually formed a close friendship with two other mothers. They discovered that finding a place to meet outside of class to talk about their parenting challenges and personal goals was difficult because few coffeehouses welcomed a group of moms with a gaggle of kids in tow.

Kristin and her friends began to envision a coffeehouse where caregivers could gather daily to find community and support while their children played together.  Kristin realized that a conventional business wouldn’t attract the level of community investment she envisioned. And a strictly nonprofit resource center would be difficult to fund. But a hybrid coffeehouse and nonprofit would combine these elements to create a sustainable funding stream for operations and family activities. Kristin began to study nonprofit management at Portland State and assembled a board of directors, including her father, who have laid the groundwork for the organization.   In December, 2004, the first Café au Play organizational meeting was held.

 In 2006, Café au Play completed a six-month pilot program called “On the Road with Café au Play” in which it partnered with family resource providers and performers to offer patrons a taste of the Café au Play experience at six local coffeehouses. The response was tremendous, and it served as a catalyst to engage community involvement and solicit financial support.  Two years later, Café au Play is an organization with a strong foundation and a great deal of momentum.  Through a dozen formal fundraisers and participation in countless neighborhood events, it has raised over $24,000 in donations from local families and businesses.

Café au Play / Tabor Commons Partnership
Café au Play will inhabit the former Wake-Up Deli building on the northeast corner of SE 57th and Division across from Atkinson Elementary School. Now called Tabor Commons, this piece of property has a long and checkered history. The one-time gas station has also been a used car dealership, a convenience store and most recently a coffee shop/deli that was seized by the federal government for the owner’s role in selling ingredients to local methamphetamine makers. 

In June 2006, US Marshals transferred the property to Southeast Uplift (SEUL) neighborhood coalition on behalf of the Tabor Commons organizers (Mount Tabor Neighborhood Association, South Tabor Neighborhood Association and Atkinson PTA).  It took three years of hard work by community members and federal, county and local government representatives to obtain the property. In addition to negotiating federal, state and local regulations and paperwork, community members raised nearly $50,000 to cover the costs of acquiring the property and are now starting to get it ready for community use.

 Café au Play is operating as an additional partner of Tabor Commons and as their tenant within the building.  This project is a fine example of how community members and organizations can work together to affect positive change within their neighborhoods.