About Family Friend
Finding your village should not be the hardest part of parenting.
In the queer community, it is known that family is chosen and built, and not always something that you’re born into. When kids enter the picture, finding that circle of support can feel harder than ever.
What’s a Family Friend?
To us, a Family Friend is the person who you’d trust with a key to your house. It’s the friend whose kids feel like siblings to yours. It’s the partner your partner relies on, and the one who pays no mind to your living room when it’s a mess.
We are creating Portland’s queer centered parenting village. We are building a third space where you don’t have to explain your pronouns, your kiddo, your family structure, or your path to parenthood…. you can just show up and be deeply seen and valued.
What We Do & Why it Matters
While we work toward our long-term goal of building a permanent clubhouse in Portland, Family Friend is active in the community right now:
Public & Members-Only Events: From workshops to jam sessions, we host gatherings that spark bonding in families and across the room.
Caregiver Connections: We are working on a system to connect families with trusted, queer-affirming caregivers and childcare pros.
Founding Members: We are building a circle of parents who are helping shape this space from the ground up.
Whether you’re here for a one time workshop or a lifelong friendship, we’re so glad you’re here.
Stating Our Values & Mission
Our mission at Family Friend is to build a tangible, queer-centered third space where the concept of the queer parenting village is reclaimed as a lived reality. We believe that childcare is a collective public good rather than a private burden, and we are dedicated to dismantling the isolation of modern parenting through radical belonging and systemic equity.
By bridging professional caregiving expertise with creative, intentional community organizing, we empower Portland families to transition from playdate acquaintances to deep, chosen family connections.
Through collaborative creativity and a commitment to accessibility, we are creating a supportive ecosystem where every caregiver and child is deeply seen, heard, and integrated into a resilient, intergenerational network.
Meet the Founder
Bella Bergeron (She / Her), Founder & Operations Lead
Hi, I’m Bella. I’m a Portlander, longtime nanny, and community builder.
My journey to Family Friend started on the playground. After over a decade as a childcare professional, I developed an intuitive understanding of the logistical and emotional needs of a home. I saw firsthand that the families who truly thrived were the ones who had a "Family Friend" to lean on.
Parallel to my life in caregiving, I spent years in creative production and advertising, managing animation campaigns and visual storytelling. Family Friend brings these worlds together. I use my eye for design, strategic project management, and deep understanding of how families work, to build a community that is as thoughtfully organized as it is visually vibrant and genuinely warm.
While I lead the vision and operations, Family Friend is growing! Our village is supported by a rotating cast of helpers, community leads, and queer-affirming practitioners who help keep our community going.
Looking Ahead: Our Future Community Space
While we continue to host events across Portland, we are actively working toward a more permanent home: a physical Clubhouse designed to be the heart of our village.
This space is being designed as a cozy, crafty third space for chosen family to gather, where the goal isn't just productivity, but collective power. It will be a place where:
Space to Connect: A cozy, "living room" environment where parents can share a cup of coffee and conversation while children play nearby.
Radical Belonging in Practice: A space specifically curated for the needs of queer families, allowing them to feel deeply seen and integrated in community.
A Resource Nest: A physical home for our practitioner network, mutual aid systems, and neighborhood solidarity.
