When the best beer event in town is a charity event, you know you are doing something right. Created in 2012 as a benefit for nonprofit New Avenues for Youth, Brews for New Avenues has rapidly become the premier beer event in Portland.
It’s a beer fest, it’s an auction, it’s a fundraiser, and it’s a really good time. Fueled by donations from beer geeks and a cadre of both local and international breweries, Brews for New Avenues is nothing like a traditional beer festival. The financial leeway provided by these generous donations has enabled it to forgo the traditional beer fest profit model and transcend expectations, all with the goal of raising funds to help New Avenues for Youth achieve their mission of helping youths exit or avoid life on the street altogether.
Now in its 20th year of operation, New Avenues for Youth has been focused on helping Portland youths exit street life and embark on a road towards productive and healthy lives. From a spacious building on Southwest 9th and Oak, New Avenues for Youth provides the traditional elements of a shelter, such as daily meals and short-term beds to kids in need of assistance—but it’s their programs aimed at helping these youths exit street life that make the non-profit unique. These programs include work placement, internships, GED and continuing education, and services for mental health as well as drug and alcohol counseling. New Avenues takes a comprehensive approach to helping some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens take a step forward during a very difficult time in their lives. It’s pretty admirable stuff.