We welcome you to join our family….

Volunteering:

If you are interested in volunteering at Chinmaya Mission Portland, please contact us. We recommend you read this inspirational writing of our Gurudev.

Membership:

Annual family membership fee of $400 is requested (2009-2010) as your support for the organization. This donation goes towards the rent for the Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC Auditorium plus 9 classrooms) and other expenses related to the running of the Bala Vihar. There is additional fee ($75 per student) for the optional Sanskrit class which is right after the Bala Vihar class.
You can submit Membership form online through here or print the form from here. We suggest you consult a tax advisor regarding the extent of tax deductibility of the annual registration paid to Chinmaya Mission Portland. We are a registered non-profit organization. The fair market value of the direct benefit you have received is the annual magazine subscription (Bala Vihar magazine is $35, Tapovan Prasad is $25 and Udghosh is $35).
The goal of Chinmaya Mission Portland is to provide service to all people in the community, if anyone has financial difficulty, please let us know to make use of our fee waiver service.

Schedule & Setup:

The Bala Vihar program is for children from pre-school to the 12th grade. Children are assigned to classes based on the grades they attend in school. We follow the Beaverton School district calendar for the fall, winter and spring terms.

Bala Vihar meets on Sundays from 9:15 AM to 10:45 AM. To benefit from the full curriculum, it is important that families attend classes regularly and be seated punctually before 9:15 AM. The curriculum outline can be found here. For additional information, please contact the group teacher(s).
Children are expected to complete their assignments and prepared for the classes. Children must come with their class folder, assigned books, a note book, and pen or pencil. We provide a bag to your child to carry all the material, please label everything and the bag with the child's name.

Three different levels (Pampa, Saraswati and Brahmaputra) Adult "Study Groups" are conducted in parallel with the Bala Vihar classes. This allows parents and extended family members to further their Vedanta learning through Chinmaya published references (text, audio, video) and discuss these in a peer group. Parents are encouraged to make use of this invaluable opportunity to educate themselves and be prepared to help and guide their children. If you are not able to attend the study group, please leave the premise and come back to pick up the child instead of sitting in the MJCC lobby.
All Adults and Children gather in the Common assembly between 9:15 am and 9:25 am. After chanting the starting prayers, reciting the pledge and relaying any announcements, the children are led by their teachers to their respective classrooms. If you happen to come late, please do not disrupt the assembly, and wait for the break in the activity to enter the auditorium hall.

All classes will be dismissed only after the concluding prayers, they will return back to the assembly hall, at which time parents should pick up their children. Library is in session at this time, children can check out the good selection of books we have at our library.
In the best interest of the children, the parents are requested not to remain in the children's classes.
Chinmaya Mission Portland welcomes suggestions for improving the program either by e-mail or discussion in person with our Sevikas or Sevaks.

If you would like to make a donation, you can:

Either make checks payable to "Chinmaya Mission" and mail to:
Chinmaya Mission Portland
16629 NW Avondale Drive
Beaverton, OR 97006

Or, pay securely using papal by clicking this button