Barbie's Village.

She was one of the first

Barbie Jackson Shields (Atwai), a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, was an original Natural Helper with the FGC. She and her husband Ken carried the work into the community.

2017

The circle loses her

Barbie tragically passed away due to a brain aneurysm.

A vision to honor her

Stable housing, early childhood services, access to medical and dental care, and the wraparound support families actually need.

Drawn by volunteers

Hennebery Eddy Architects and Danae Sakuma (Umatilla descendent) volunteered the design, shaped around what community members said they dreamed of.

The former Laurelhurst Presbyterian Church: a low brick building set back behind a lawn and mature trees, under a clear sky.

A church on 33rd

The former Laurelhurst Presbyterian Church, already the FGC's hub for early childhood programming, public health work, and gatherings.

November 2023

The vote

The Presbytery of the Cascades votes to gift the land and the building to the Future Generations Collaborative.

March 15, 2024

The land comes home

The property transfer is signed and completed. #landback

Two crew members wheel a curved wooden bench across the hall, under a red LANDBACK banner.

Now

Renovation

The building is being renovated and the grounds prepared for tiny homes and an early-childhood program.

The renovated hall, its walls lined in new wood, with chairs set in a circle and a red LANDBACK banner high on the wall. One person stands in the middle.

Families move home

Six to ten Native families will find housing, community, and cultural connection at Barbie's Village.

Be part of it

Every hand helps build a home.

Give to the renovation fund, join a volunteer work day, or partner with us on the early-childhood program.

Give to the renovation fund →See all our work