Portland, OR. College Possible Oregon held a private event at a unique location called the Kann Winter Village. Guests dined in private yurts and in the process raised $26,000. College Possible Oregon is a nonprofit working to make college admission and success possible for students from low-income backgrounds through coaching and support.
Portland chef and James Beard nominee Gregory Gourdet is the mastermind behind the Kann Winter Village. He presented slow-cooked, family-style staples from his native Haiti. The event celebrated the cuisine of Haiti, the world’s first black-led republic. (Portland Chef Gregory Gourdet is pictured above on the left with College Possible Executive Director Emielle Nischik and Jon Loomis, CFO of Baseballism)
College Possible student alumna Herico speaks at Kann Winter Village event, held on April 18th,
The evening began at 4 p.m. with a brief, socially distanced program about College Possible. Guests were escorted into their private yurts to enjoy the multiple-course dinner and drinks.
On other nights, a Kann Winter Village dinners were offered as a perk of being an American Express cardholder. 13 restaurants nationwide, served patrons in winter pop-ups. The Portland yurts were outside of The Redd which is at 831 SE Salmon Street.
The Kann Winter Village is closing up for the season on April 25th
The name Kann (“cane” in Haitian Creole) pays homage to the memory of merchants parading the streets — barrels overflowing with sugarcane — calling out to the delight of anyone who wanted a taste of the sweet, crunchy, freshly-harvested snack.
Only 28% of Oregon students from low-income backgrounds participate in college. We’re working to increase that number. College Possible Oregon was started in 2012 and began serving students the following year. We have gone from serving 130 students in our first year to over 1,500 currently. Ninety percent of our students are the first in their family to attend college and 69% identity as students of color.
Through the generous support of our volunteers, community partners, individuals, foundations and businesses, College Possible will continue to help more students achieve their dream of college graduation.
