A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Dear South Eugene High School Alumni,
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South Eugene High School sits in a town shaped by education, curiosity, and community. Growing up here meant Friday night football games under the lights, lunch on the back lawn, and the chaos and fun of toga dances in the cafeteria. Moments that grounded us and shaped who we became.
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Today, that foundation isn't available for all kids in Eugene. The city has one of the highest per capita rates of youth homelessness in the country, and nearly 90 percent of shelters do not accept unaccompanied minors under 18. This is a design problem, not a moral failure, and it has a solution.
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For three and a half years, my team and I have been developing a preventive, integrated model grounded in research and guided by logic. We are ready to launch our pilot and prove it works.
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Thirty years ago, my younger sister was diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar disorder. Decades of fighting for her taught me one critical skill: standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. That is exactly what Scorpion Creek Ranch aims to do.
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Children need three things to thrive: stability, safety, and skills. Our current systems offer them in fragments, downstream, after crisis hits. But what if we offered them upstream, integrated, before the crisis becomes chronic? Youth homelessness becomes solvable. That's what Scorpion Creek Ranch is building.​
$5000 Raised of $100,000 Goal
3 Donations
My team has conducted rigorous research and gathered extensive data. We've received third-party validation from ECOnorthwest, one of the country's leading public policy analyst firms. The research validates the model.
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We are raising $100,000 to build the grassroots infrastructure that proves prevention works and provides the blueprint other communities will follow. Outreach systems. Digital platforms. The operational capacity to mobilize a national movement.
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This movement is already spreading beyond Eugene. The Bend Mayor and high-level community stakeholders in Bend are committed to replicating this model. Marcus Mariota has joined this movement, and this is just the beginning. Professional athletes, actors, and musicians are stepping forward because they see what's possible.
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This isn't charity. It's a movement asking you to stand for solid ground, the ground we had as kids, and that every teen deserves.
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Will you invest in a pioneering, scalable solution?
Your support launches a movement that spreads this model across the country.
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With gratitude and fierce dedication,
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Katie Marcus Brown
Founder, Scorpion Creek Ranch
South Eugene High School, Class of 1988
LEARN MORE
The rest of our site has a lot of information, but here are a few good places to start:
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National Grassroots Campaign Videos
We are staging a national campaign asking influencers to endorse monthly subscription donations.
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Numerous community leaders, organizations, and business representatives have submitted letters to the Oregon State Legislature in support of the capital funding request for Scorpion Creek Ranch (SCR). These stakeholders advocate for SCR as a necessary, transformative model to address youth homelessness.
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Katie Speaks to Lane County Commissioners
11/28/23
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