As I sit with everything we experienced at Saturday’s High Tea on December 6th, I feel immense gratitude for this community. Whether you joined us in person or sent your support from afar, I want to share with you some reflections from the afternoon—and a look ahead at where we’re going together.

During the event, I spoke about the impact the Portland Psychedelic Society is making in people’s lives. But it was the voices of our community members—their lived stories—that reminded us all why this work is so urgently needed.

Two testimonials in particular stayed with me.

One community member shared how they arrived at their first PPS integration circle feeling lost and unsure, carrying a psychedelic experience they didn’t know how to process. They described being welcomed with openness and zero judgment, and said that PPS helped them “find a place to breathe again.”

Another spoke about navigating their psychedelic journey entirely alone—until they found PPS. They told us that this community became their anchor, offering grounding, education, and relational support they didn’t know existed outside of clinical settings.

These stories weren’t just touching—they clarified something essential:
This work changes lives. It changes what people believe is possible for themselves and their healing.

And that is only possible because of the community standing behind PPS.

A Beautiful Afternoon of Connection & Purpose

This year’s High Tea was a celebration of what makes Portland Psychedelic Society so special: warmth, curiosity, connection, beautiful food and tea, and a shared sense of responsibility for the future we’re creating.

Throughout the afternoon, we explored transformative questions that will shape our chapter ahead:

Why Portland? Why Now?

Portland is at the leading edge of psychedelic policy, experimentation, and public interest. But as we discussed at the event, policy change alone isn’t enough. Without education, community support, and safe places for integration, the promise of this moment remains hollow.

Right now—in this exact window of cultural emergence—Portland has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to become a model for what a psychedelic-integrated city can look like: grounded, inclusive, compassionate, and community-led.

Why Portland Psychedelic Society?

Because PPS is the only community-centered psychedelic organization in the city doing this work at scale.

We’re not a clinic.
We’re not a company.
We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to education, connection, and integration—the human infrastructure that makes everything else possible.

Over the past year, PPS has:

• Expanded integration circles, gatherings, and community events
  
  
• Built new partnerships across Oregon
  
  
• Grown our Board from 9 to 15 members
  
  
• Launched a membership program
  
  
• Created new branding and a new website
  
  
• Hosted our own Portland Psychedelic Symposium
  
  
• Hired our first full-time Executive Director
  
  
• Engaged deeply with the evolving policy landscape toward the 2026 Portland Psychedelic Health Act
  
  

These milestones are building the foundation for an organization that will serve Portland for decades to come.

A Tremendous Achievement: Over $31,000 Raised at High Tea!

I’m thrilled to share that thanks to the generosity of our attendees, we raised over $31,000 in donations and pledges at the event!

This puts us within reach of our year-end goal of $40,000—a goal that will allow PPS to:

• Expand educational programming
  
  
• Grow and support integration circles
  
  
• Build community-led psychedelic resources
  
  
• Strengthen organizational infrastructure
  
  
• Continue engagement around the 2026 ballot initiative
  
  

This is an extraordinary accomplishment, and a testament to what this community can do when we come together.

But we’re not at the finish line yet.

Help Us Reach Our $40,000 Goal by December 31

To sustain our momentum and step into 2025 with confidence, we need broad support across our community.

If PPS has supported your journey, inspired your learning, or helped you feel more connected—now is the time to give back.

👉 Make a tax-deductible year-end contribution:

DONATE TODAY

Every gift strengthens this movement. Every dollar helps ensure that Portland leads the nation not just in psychedelic policy, but in psychedelic community health, safety, and integration.

Looking Ahead

The High Tea reminded me of something powerful:

We’re building more than an organization. We’re building a culture.

A culture grounded in connection, curiosity, and care.
A culture that honors lived experience and community wisdom.
A culture that can guide Portland—and Oregon—into the future of psychedelic healing with integrity and heart.

Thank you for being part of this community.
Thank you for believing in this work.
And thank you for helping us move into 2025 stronger than ever.

With gratitude,

Max Kelemen
Executive Director
Portland Psychedelic Society