Updates from Looking Glass
Riverfront School & Career Center
To kick off Pride Month, Riverfront School and Career Center hosted its 2nd annual Pride Fest on Friday, June 5th, an event which brought together students, staff, families, and community members in a welcoming and inclusive environment. The Pride Fest was a celebration of diversity and the resilient LGBTQIA+ community.
At Riverfront School & Career Center, Looking Glass operates a Job Training program that helps prepare youth for success in the workplace. Staff do this by addressing work expectations, promoting higher education, and providing on-the-job skills training. This program is currently seeking youth to enroll and engage in these services.
Since 1990, Looking Glass’ Lane-Metro Youth Corps, which is part of the Riverfront School & Career Center, has operated work crews year-round and provided paid work experience each summer to Lane County youth. Work projects restore local natural resources and natural habitats. As this year’s crew experiences comes to a close, the Army Corps of Engineers are thankful for the impact Looking Glass crew members had on creating fire lines for upcoming prepared burns. These prepared burns are an important part of habitat management and help to reduce fuel loads during critical fire season.
In celebration of national PRIDE month (June), Riverfront School put together an event, dubbed Pride Fest, that was held in the school parking lot on Friday, June 6th.
“The LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan Grant (awarded by the Oregon Department of Education) gave our Looking Glass students and education staff the opportunity to plan and host "PRIDE FEST 2025" at our Riverfront High School, said Director of Inpatient and Homeless Education Ben Molin
With help from private donors and two regional foundation grants (Reser Family Foundation and Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation), Looking Glass’ Riverfront School was able to purchase a brand new van for the Independent Living Program to use in support of youth clients. The new van, purchased in March of 2025, provides staff with a reliable, large vehicle to transport clients and assist with various life tasks including moving youth in and out of homes.
Students from a Community Projects class at Looking Glass’ Riverfront School & Career Center created a fundraiser to support the needs of pets of unhoused youth who access services at Looking Glass homeless youth programs. The students raised almost $300 including donations of in-kind pet supplies. Wags! Dog Emporium matched every dollar raised and donated additional items for a total value of almost $900 in pet supplies gathered and donated to Looking Glass homeless youth programs for their pets.
The 14th Annual Looking Glass Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures breakfast fundraiser event, held Tuesday, October 15th at Venue 252 in Eugene, focused on Education programs with a panel of Looking Glass teachers from the agency’s alternative schools. In addition, Looking Glass recognized and honored this year’s Community Partner of the Year - Jennifer Montgomery, the Secondary Special Education Consultant for the 4J School District.
After constructing a first tiny house for SquareOne in the summer/fall of 2023, the students enrolled in the Skilled Trades program at Looking Glass Riverfront School & Career Center were eager to work on a 2nd project. SquareOne was thrilled with the quality craftsmanship done on the first project and have expressed interest in a longer term partnership. The students did not disappoint with their 2nd effort, completing their next tiny house project in early September of 2024.
About a dozen students and a roomful of family and friends gathered to celebrate the 2024 Riverfront School & Career Center graduation at the Unitarian Universalist Church next to Riverfront on Thursday, June 13th. This year’s keynote speaker was Eve Gray, Director of Lane County Health and Human Services.
Timber Products Company donated $3,000 and toured the shop of the Looking Glass Riverfront School & Career Center’s Skilled Trades Program on April 2nd. Three members of Timber Products local staff came to visit the shop and talk with the program manager, Michael Romano, and a few of the current students.
Students enrolled in the Looking Glass Riverfront School Skilled Trades Program recently completed construction of a Tiny House on behalf of SquareOne Villages. The house is now part of SquareOne’s Opportunity Village. SquareOne provided the materials through donations and grants and students in Riverfront’s Skilled Trades Program constructed the house in just a little over four months. Multiple local media outlets gathered for an unveiling of the tiny house on November 15th.
