Portland's The Loft opens free center for families of children with cancer

Nonprofit Ukandu will open The Loft next month in Southwest Portland, a free community center offering support and safe spaces for families with children battling cancer. The facility provides integrated health services, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor active spaces, a golf simulator, a two-story rock wall, and a climbing tree with a tree fort. Families are treated as participants, not patients, to address isolation and support every family member. Ukandu says The Loft is free thanks to community support across the Pacific Northwest and nationwide. The center aims to help families relax, have fun, and reconnect with hope and joy without focusing on cancer.