When budget cuts destroyed music education programs in Portland schools, Charles Lewis took action and started Ethos Music Center to make music accessible to every child. Even when he had to sleep on a friend’s sofa and start the music center on his credit card, he never gave up. Today, Ethos reaches over two thousand deserving children, has 78 employees and a budget of over a million dollars. Ethos has after-school music programs established in 120 schools and community centers throughout Portland and has twice been selected as one of the top 50 after-school arts programs in the Country by the President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Charles Lewis knows what it means to live within a budget and knows what it takes to solve tough problems. He grew up in poverty, the son of a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. After graduating from the University of Portland, Charles served as a Peace Corps volunteer and directed fund raising for Oregon’s monument to Martin Luther King Jr. He went on to Harvard, where he earned a Master’s Degree in public policy and was honored with the Robert Kennedy Award for his commitment to social justice. Rather than cash in after graduation, he came back to Portland to give back to the community.
Charles lives in the Cully Neighborhood with his wife, Sarah, daughter Coakley Anna and dog Popcorn.
