October 2024 marked 20 years of Doernbecher Freestyle.
In our 20 year retrospective video, meet the people who came up with the idea of Doernbecher Freestyle and made it fly. Hear from Michael Doherty and his son Connor about how the concept was born. Doernbecher Freestyle committee members Meg Bishop, Linda Maletis, Debbie Madden, Jane Fisher Graybeal, Geni Director and Carol Ehlen share their story. Hear how Nike legends Jason Mayden, Elliott Hill and many, many more played a role in this outstanding program.
“What they needed was a little refresher on their family fundraiser,” said Michael Doherty. “I thought ‘we’ve got something here’ — but I didn’t think we’d have 20 years of it.”
Linda Maletis shared how exciting that initial year of Freestyle was. “It was such a big thing for kids to design shoes, and then to have them sold in a Nike retail store. I almost fell out of my chair. What an amazing thing they were able to do for the kids.”
Jordan Brand Chief Design Officer Jason Mayden brought his personal experience to the process. “For me being a kid who was in the hospital that had to experience the feelings and emotions of not knowing what tomorrow would look like, I thought it was intentionally special and specific that I spoke up and advocated for how we could leverage creativity to enrich the life of a child who couldn’t do the things that other children can do.”
Community | Giving
Champions of creative giving
Celebrating the creative giving champions who help to build a future of health and well-being at OHSU.
Giving
Loss transformed into lifesaving action
Medical professionals at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital are working to end the youth mental health crisis, with the backing of passionate donors.
Community | Giving | Health Equity
The care of giving
Knight Cancer Institute transplant patients will have better access to life-saving treatments, thanks to an endowed fund from a former patient.
