Aim High PDX is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization catering to the local Beaverton and Portland Metro communities, offering a variety of resources to youth and families.
Aim High Martial Arts & Events are part of a small 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to provide a variety of resources to families in its community.
The Evolution of Aim High
Though it started in 2005 as a martial arts studio, Aim High began to transform in 2016. For a while, the studio had been working with some youths with disabilities and had realized how good martial arts were for their physical and mental health.
Around the same time, Dana Donaldson, who worked in an autism clinic in Beaverton, was seeing an increasing need for ABA services for older kids with autism. “We realized that not a lot of clinics were working with middle schoolers and high schoolers with high behaviors,” Ownby says.
Aim High Impact and Ascent
And so, in 2017, Aim High Impact was born. The insurance-based clinic now serves more than 40 youths and young adults with autism diagnoses. The clinic has a one-to-one staff ratio with licensed behavioral technicians who work with clients to help them with language, managing emotions, learning life skills and gaining independence.
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“Our staff work one-on-one with our clients,” Ownby says. “A lot of these kids are so impacted by autism that they have not been able to go on a vacation or to a restaurant,” Ownby says. The success of Aim High Impact allowed Aim High to later launch Aim High Ascent, which specializes in early intervention for kids age 2-7 who have been diagnosed with autism.
Like Aim High Impact, Aim High Ascent works closely with kids through ABA therapy to help improve language and social skills and decrease behavioral challenges. An upcoming department focuses on providing early intervention ABA behavior intervention services for children ages 2 through 6.
Core Programs and Values
For starters, the Aim High Academy of Martial Arts is one of the largest nonprofit martial arts schools in the Portland metro region. Ownby says Aim High also has a special black belt program for youngsters who are on track to earn their black belts. “It’s not all about punching and kicking,” Ownby says.
And then there are Aim High’s core values of kindness, integrity and respect. Those permeate the martial arts training programs, but they also course through all of Aim High’s focus areas as well. “There is a lot of crossover between Impact, Ascent and martial arts,” Ownby says.
“We are about community, culture and our core values that spread kindness, integrity and respect. All camps include a theme and themed activities, crafts, take home projects and goodies as well as a martial arts lesson for all ages and abilities!
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| Program | Description | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Aim High Academy of Martial Arts | Nonprofit martial arts school. | Youth of all ages and abilities |
| Aim High Impact | Insurance-based clinic providing ABA therapy. | Youth and young adults with autism diagnoses |
| Aim High Ascent | Early intervention ABA therapy services. | Children ages 2-7 with autism diagnoses |
| Aim High Events | Themed summer camps, birthday parties, and parent's night out events. | Youth of all ages and abilities |
In addition to camps, the Aim High team provides Birthday Parties, Martial Arts Classes, and Parent's Night Out kids events! Aim High Events team provides 11 weeks of themed summer camps each year and hosts themed day camps that cover closures within the Beaverton School District.
Aim High Ink is a mission-based screenprinting shop that strives to provide high-quality, custom screen printed goods to our customers. We take pride in offering a competitive pricing structure conducive to other mission-based organizations like churches, charities, and schools.
Aim High PDX’s ultimate goal is to provide a variety of resources to youth and families in the community. We pride ourselves on providing an integrated camp experience for all kids in our community.
Master Mom talks benefits of martial arts for children with Autism
Want to know about Aim High PDX’s vision?
Doug Ownby first began studying martial arts in 2000. About 10 years ago, Doug Ownby was looking for somewhere for his then-12-year-old daughter, Lindsey, to try out martial arts. But something else happened around then as well: Just two weeks after that introduction, the team at Aim High got Ownby out on the floor doing Taekwondo with his daughter.
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“I really had no intention. It was the charisma, the energy, the involvement the staff had that encouraged me to participate,” says Ownby. Fast-forward a few years, and Ownby started volunteering for Aim High as a way to give back.
Aim High Impact provides services that serve teens and kids diagnosed with Autism that struggle to find help due to severe behaviors. We are looking to fill positions for registered behavior technicians (RBTs) and board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) to work with our clients.