Stafford Creek Partners to Raise Money for Aberdeen School Scholarships
August 26, 2020
DOC Communications
A door with a three-dimensional dragon made from recycled materials is one of a series of doors that will be displayed on the Harbor in the coming months as part of a scholarship fundraiser for Aberdeen High School. It’s currently on display at a local brewery in Aberdeen. (Photo Courtesy of Harbor Art Guild)
ABERDEEN – Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) is helping with a fundraiser aimed at beautifying the community, while providing scholarships to Aberdeen High School students. Those involved in the fundraiser include current staff, a group of incarcerated individuals and current and former corrections staff who own a local brewery.
The fundraiser, called The Adoor Project of the PNW, takes doors salvaged from closed buildings and condemned properties, and lets local artists turn them into functional pieces of art. The doors are displayed publicly and eventually sold, with proceeds going to the Aberdeen High School scholarship fund for career/technical education for graduating seniors.
Incarcerated individuals at Stafford Creek created two doors currently on display at local businesses* through October 2020.
A local salvage company donated doors sourced from closed businesses and condemned homes. The salvage company is hosting one of the doors for viewing and the other is housed at a local brewing company owned by current and former Stafford Creek employees and three others.
While the doors are on display, visitors to these local businesses may take pictures of the doors and make donations for the Aberdeen High School scholarship fund. People are not required to purchase anything from the businesses to view the doors or make scholarship donations.
Each display lasts for 90 days and at the end of the period, businesses have the option to purchase the doors with the funds raised to keep them on permanent display. If the business does not purchase their door, others may purchase them. Either way, all of the proceeds from sales go toward the Aberdeen High School scholarship fund.
“Stafford Creek is excited to be a participant in this endeavor in so many different ways,” said Salina Brown, public information officer at the facility. “Corrections’ mission is to improve public safety by positively changing lives. We’re thrilled the staff and incarcerated individuals involved in this project will also be able to have a positive impact in this community.”
Corrections' Connections
The door at the local brewery company* has a second connection to the Department of Corrections. Head Brewer and one of the owners, Orlando Maldonado, is a former corrections officer at Stafford Creek. He worked at Stafford Creek for 11 years before leaving his job in 2018 to pursue his dream of opening a brewery. He’s one of six co-owners, including two current Stafford Creek employees.
The door at the brewery features a red dragon made of toilet paper rolls, scrap paper and other recycled materials with blazing yellow eyes that light up. Maldonado hopes to raise the $1,600 the door is valued at to keep the door on permanent display. He also wants to create a dragon-themed beer inspired by the door.
An effort to bring light to Aberdeen
Debbi Branford Jensen, member of the Harbor Art Guild and chair of the Adoor Project of the PNW, said got the idea after a visit from an out-of-town friend, Carrie Moore. After hearing her friend’s negative first impression of Aberdeen as a “pitch black, tarped buildings with no lights,” Jensen said wanted to work with a team to beautify the city.
Jensen got the idea to approach the correctional facility after attending an art show at the facility last year that featured the work of more than 80 incarcerated individuals.
“I had never been to a correctional facility before and it captured my heart talking to each individual about their medium,” Jensen said. “I was just blown away with the story they made and items they repurposed with such detail. They are so talented.”
The Department of Corrections worked with Jensen to help publicize the project earlier this month. Read the resulting media coverage for more about this partnership and where the doors will be displayed:
- Aberdeen Door Art Project to Raise Money for Aberdeen High School Scholarships – KBKW, August 4, 2020
- Artwork From Stafford Creek Inmates Raising Money For Aberdeen High School Scholarships – KXRO, August 7, 2020
- Adoor Project raising scholarship funds for tech education – The Daily World, August 22, 2020
If your business would like to participate in the Adoor Project of the PNW, send an email to Debbi Jensen (email).
* At the advice of the Washington State Ethics Board, Corrections may not list the names of the businesses supporting this project.