About
THPF is a nonprofit organization and since 1958 has served as the philanthropic arm of the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD). We partner and collaborate to ensure access to THPRD programs for all residents of the park district.
About Us
THPF was created to ensure that every person living within THPRD boundaries has access to district facilities and programs. It provides help for critical district projects and programs to take flight. For example, THPRD’s Mountain View Champion’s Park was designed to be fully accessible to people experiencing disability and was made possible by capstone funding from THPF.
Although THPRD is a public agency, tax revenue funds only core operations—and almost half of THPRD’s annual budget comes from nongovernmental sources—including grants, service fees and program revenue.
Philanthropy provides flexible, reliable support to go beyond basic services—funding innovation, scholarships, cutting-edge programs, and critical infrastructure. As community needs grow and change and public funding increasingly lags, private support closes the gap, supporting excellence beyond the basics. In short, philanthropy is not a luxury—it’s essential for stability, innovation, and long-term success in fulfilling our shared public mission.
Our History
Founded in 1956 by Elsie Stuhr, the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District was a response to the lack of recreational and sports opportunities for rural youth in what was then a predominantly farming community. Beginning in the 1970s, with the arrival of high-tech industries and growing suburban development, particularly around Beaverton and Hillsboro, the area began a dramatic transformation to become one of the most urbanized and economically dynamic counties in Oregon
Over the intervening decades, THPRD and THPF have continued to meet the challenge of serving an increasingly diverse population that today finds nearly 20% of residents speaking a language other than English at home. THPF has raised funds for a variety of district initiatives including Camp Rivendale, a summer day camp providing recreational opportunities for children and/or young adults who have physical and/or developmental disabilities, serving more than 10,000 campers since 1984.
