Building Brighter Futures
Guide Dogs for the Blind is embarking upon a bold new chapter on our Oregon campus. The new Client Residence and Community Hub will redefine the landscape of service and connection for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Check out our campaign video below to get an overview of this exciting initiative.
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Surrounded by sprawling farms in a rural, wooded setting, Guide Dogs for the Blind’s Oregon campus is a tranquil 28-acre facility that opened in 1995.
This aerial view of the property shows the campus during the height of Autumn, when the trees are in their full, colorful splendor.
True to its Pacific Northwest location, the campus is set amongst a lush pine forest, complete with a network of walking paths affectionately known as the Oregon Trail.
In addition to an Administration building, the campus includes a Visitor Center that houses an indoor auditorium and gift shop, and a residence that serves as our clients' home away from home during their training.
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The campus also features a vast kennel complex that incorporates a veterinary clinic, covered dog training areas, and play paddocks where our dogs enjoy ample opportunities to frolic and have fun with our professional staff and dedicated volunteers.
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The campus is an integral part of Guide Dogs for the Blind's life-changing mission, and we can't wait to share with you the plans we have in store for it moving forward.
Together, let's build a brighter future!
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Guide Dogs for the Blind is embarking upon a bold new chapter on our Oregon campus.
We are building a world-class, state-of-the art Client Residence and Community Hub complex that will revolutionize how we serve and support more people.
As these architectural renderings show, it will be a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible indoor/outdoor space to foster connection within our community to our life-changing mission.
The new two-story complex at approximately 30,000 square feet will include an additional 20,000 square feet of outdoor green space. The project consists of three integral components:
1. A new Client Residence with private hotel-style suites, more than doubling our current capacity. Amenities include a multipurpose dining room, semi-private courtyards with dog play areas, and more.
2. A Community Hub designed to promote interaction among clients, staff, puppy raisers, and volunteers. The Hub contains reception and interactive educational areas, and a cafe to serve as an informal gathering place.
3. An expansive outdoor green space in the center of campus that includes sensory gardens, areas for dog training, and room for events.
We invite you to play a pivotal role in bringing this groundbreaking project to life. Your generous support will help shape a brighter future for our clients, dogs, and the entire GDB community.
Together, we can build a new era of service, connection, empowerment, and inclusion.
Together, we are unstoppable!
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For more information and to support this important project, please visit guidedogs.com/oregon-campaign
Your Support: Helping Transform Lives Together
With more than $15 million already raised in support of this $28 million project, we invite you to play a pivotal role in bringing this groundbreaking vision to life. Your generous involvement will help shape a brighter future for our clients, dogs, and the entire GDB community. Together, we can build a new era of service, connection, and empowerment.
To learn more about participating in this important campaign, please contact Chief Philanthropic Officer Larry Meisner by email at [email protected] or by calling 415.755.6421.
Together, we are unstoppable!
Learn More
Want more details? See the links below for more information about the new Client Residence and Community Hub.
The Need: A New Era of Service and Connection
Opened in 1995, the Oregon Residence was designed to accommodate guide dog client capacity at that time. Over the last ten years, we’ve expanded our programmatic offerings to include Orientation and Mobility Immersion (OMI) training that teaches individuals essential skills for safe, independent travel—skills required for guide dog mobility. The current configuration limits the number of clients we can serve and restricts our ability to run guide dog training and OMI classes concurrently. This overlap is beneficial as it allows OMI clients to meet and interact with guide dog users to help them assess whether the guide dog lifestyle is right for them.
We have learned that our clients value community and connection—not only with each other, but also with our wider GDB network. Our current residence, while intentional in design 30 years ago, is now outdated and feels disconnected from the rest of the campus. This lack of integrated space limits our ability to foster a truly interconnected environment, hindering collaboration and mutual support among clients, staff, and volunteers.
The Vision: Expanding Our Impact
Our plan is to build a world-class, state-of-the art complex that will revolutionize how we serve, support, and connect more individuals to our life-changing programs. The Client Residence and Community Hub will be a vibrant, inclusive, indoor/outdoor space for our clients, dogs, and the broader GDB community.
The new two-story complex will be approximately 30,000 square feet and include an additional 20,000 square feet of outdoor green space, greatly enhancing our capacity to train more clients. Designed to be accessible and technologically advanced, the complex will bring our constituents together to grow, learn, and thrive.
The project is led by a renowned architecture firm specializing in this area of focus. Notably, the architectural team includes an architect who is blind, providing a unique and inclusive perspective. Additionally, GDB’s clients and volunteers have actively participated in focus groups, making the project truly constituent-driven and informed by lived experiences and needs.
This ambitious project seeks to bridge existing gaps by creating a unified, centralized space where individuals can collaborate and build lasting relationships. This inclusive concept will be the first of its kind within the guide dog industry and will serve as a role model for other guide dog organizations around the world.
Through this vibrant, supportive environment, we will help empower clients to live more independently, with the enhanced skills, confidence, and mobility to navigate the world with greater self-assurance.
The new complex will allow us to:
- Serve More Clients: Substantially expand our capacity to train and support more than twice as many individuals a year in Oregon.
- Foster Stronger Community Bonds: Bring clients, puppy raisers, staff, and volunteers together in an inviting, unified space that promotes connection.
- Elevate Standards in Guide Dog Training: Equip the campus with leading-edge amenities and set a global benchmark in accessible and inclusive training programs within the guide dog industry.
The Details: Our Vision Transformed into Action
The project will include three integral components designed to support our vision and create a lasting impact:
1 - Client Residence: A state-of-the-art environment for clients to live, learn, and thrive.
- Client Suites: Each will be equipped with walk-in showers, closets, sitting areas, TVs, desks with computer connections, and assistive technology.
- Semi-private Courtyards: Spaces adjacent to each suite for outdoor relaxation and room for play between clients and their dogs.
- Common Areas: To enhance clients’ experiences, soothing water features, optimized acoustics, zero-step entrances, and glare-aware surfaces will provide a multitude of benefits including auditory cues and ease of navigation within the Residence.
- Multi-purpose Dining Area: A welcoming space for shared meals, training sessions, and community-building activities.
- Wellness Facility: A dedicated exercise area for fitness, relaxation, and overall well-being.
2 - Community Hub: A dynamic space designed to promote interaction among clients, staff, puppy raisers, and volunteers.
- Reception: A central area to welcome and direct guests and GDB community members.
- Information/Education: An interactive space to learn more about GDB’s life-changing mission and programs.
- Puppy Raising: A dedicated area for puppy raisers to pick up and drop off their young charges and interact with other members of the GDB puppy raising community.
- Café: An informal gathering space for members of our community.
3 - Expansive Green Space: Central outdoor areas for activities, learning, and relaxation.
- Sensory Gardens: Thoughtfully-designed gardens that engage the senses, help with campus orientation, and provide a peaceful retreat for reflection and rejuvenation.
- Training and Play Yards: Safe, accessible spaces for mobility skill practice, dog training, and play.
- Outdoor Event Space: A versatile area for hosting activities.
