Portland, April 7th, 2015. All Classical 89.9 FM, KQAC, continues a collaboration with Metro Arts Inc. by broadcasting the 21st annual Young Artists Debut! Concert LIVE from the Newmark Theatre. The performance featured the winners of the 2015 Van Buren Concerto Competition who range in age from 12 to 18 years old and consist of three pianists, two violinists, and a cellist. (photo credit, John Rudoff)
Annie Zhang
John Fawcett
Backstage
Metro Arts artistic director Niel DePonte conducts the orchestra whose members are drawn from the ranks of the Oregon Symphony and Oregon Ballet Theatre orchestras. The full media experience and live broadcast, hosted by All Classical radio personalities Christa Wessel and Robert McBride, enjoyed its fourth consecutive year and is an annual highlight for the station. Wessel says, “Over the last six weeks it’s been a joy to profile these artists on our program On Deck with Young Musicians. Their stories serve to inspire music lovers both young and old. All Classical Portland’s live broadcast gives these kids a worldwide stage upon which to share their remarkable talent.”
All Classical Portland is Portland, Oregon’s classical radio station. Established in 1983, our mission is to advance knowledge of and appreciation for classical music; to build and sustain culturally vibrant local and global communities around this art form; to reflect the spirit of the Pacific Northwest; and to foster integrity, quality, and innovation in all that we do. For more information, visit www.allclassical.org<http://www.allclassical.org>.
Portland, April 9th, 2015. More than 240 guests attended Camp Fire Columbia’s 5th Annual Celebrity & Youth Talent Show and raised over $90,000 in support of inspiring youth to achieve their aspirations, graduate on time, and love the outdoors. The event, sponsored by Comcast and Fred Meyer, was hosted by returning MC Dale Johannes and auctioneer Ian Lindsay.
Youth acts included a dance to “Footloose” by students from Gilbert Heights Elementary, an outstanding performance by Menlo Park’s marimba band, “Ubuntu,” and an original spoken word performance by a Cesar Chavez Middle School student.
Supporters of Camp Fire and other local celebrities also supported the event: Camp Fire staff Ramiyah Baker-Blunt and Kate Westfall, Camp Namanu alum Maggie Cech, and KOIN news anchor Jenny Hansson engaged in a Jimmy Fallon-style lip sync contest, with guests donating to vote for their favorite performer.
Special guests at the event included Sarahi Mejia, an alumna of Camp Fire’s high school program, who spoke about Camp Fire’s impact on her life and career, and Alana Eckert, who was given Camp Fire’s Volunteer Award for outstanding dedication to Camp Fire and Camp Namanu over several decades.
Other generous sponsors of the event included The Standard, Think AV, NW Natural, Matisse Funds, Mattecheck & Associates, Wieden + Kennedy, Stoel Rives LLP, and the Boeing Company. The event was produced in partnership with Swaim Strategies.
Supporters of Camp Fire raise their paddles to bid on exciting Camp Namanu rental packages.
Camp Fire alum Sarahi Mejia: “Every gift you make tonight will help more kids like me find their spark.”
KOIN news anchor Jenny Hansson, winner of the lip sync battle, performed “What Does the Fox Say?” in her first round.
Portland, April 11th, 2015. More than 700 guests joined St. Mary’s Academy for A Moment to Sparkle, the school’s 27th Annual Auction held at the Oregon Convention Center’s Portland Ballroom. Cathy Marshall of KGW served as the mistress of ceremonies for the evening, keeping the crowd excited and engaged. The event was a sparkling success as St. Mary’s Academy raised $1,070,000 thanks to the generosity and support of the school’s dedicated community. This extraordinary amount is the largest in the history of the event and $170,000 over last year.
St. Mary’s Academy benefactor Mary Mathews Stevens ’80 raises her paddle for the school
“We are so grateful to our generous community members who attended and participated in our annual auction. The magnitude of the auction’s success is a testament to the strong belief our parents, alumnae and benefactors have in the value of a St. Mary’s Academy education. The funds raised at the auction will allow St. Mary’s to continue to provide a premier college-preparatory Catholic education to young women,” said St. Mary’s Academy President Christina Friedhoff.
Highlights from the event included exciting raffles for the chance to win a $5,000 trip voucher or a 2015 MINI Cooper S Countryman, packages for trips to Italy, Paris and Belize, and the school’s highly anticipated Bids for Kids paddle raise. Bids for Kids is an opportunity for auction guests to contribute to the school’s tuition assistance program. Auction guests showed their support of and belief in St. Mary’s by raising a record-breaking total of more than $300,000.
The success of the auction is attributed, in part, to auction co-chairs, Molly Mathews Bjorklund ’85 and Marilyn Whitaker, both parents of current St. Mary’s students. Sparkling examples of volunteer leadership, these women inspired participation and altruism leading up to and on the night of the event.
The auction is St. Mary’s largest annual fundraising event. Proceeds from the auction benefit the 700 students who attend St. Mary’s Academy.
Portland, March 7th, 2015. The Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc., or PCRI, held its fourth annual Dancing with the Stars Portland Gala at the Hilton. Only one dance couple could be named champion and while Judges Jesse Beason, Karin Edwards and Nancy Hales had a tough decision, they unanimously named Pamela Weatherspoon, Pamela is responsible for Community Relations for Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Legacy Emanuel Medical. (Photo credit, Cameron Browne)
PCRI’s 2015 Dancing with the Stars Gala will feature four prominent Portland community members (clockwise from top left): Pamela Weatherspoon, Gunther Oakey, Jenelle Isaacson, and Ian Parker, each trained by and dancing with professionals from Fred Astaire Dance Studio.
Not only did dancers deliver an amazing show, the event’s sponsors, volunteers and guests raised over $85,000 to support the affordable housing and services PCRI residents depend on to achieve stability and self-sufficiency. Mistress of Ceremonies Margaret Carter delivered a seamless program for the evening. Trained by and paired with professional dancers from Portland’s Fred Astaire Dance Studio, each dancing couple put on a great show.
Resident Jean Paul and his family described how, with the benefit of affordable housing and their own dedication, families can grow roots, dream big, and achieve amazing goals.
Margaret Carter and PCRI Executive Director Maxine Fitzpatrick celebrated the successes achieved by PCRI residents while underscoring the work that is still needed to ensure all families have access to the benefits of stable, affordable housing in Portland’s opportunity-rich close-in neighborhoods. Led by auctioneer Kelly Russell, the gala’s live auction and special appeal were the most successful yet.
About PCRI:
For 20 years, Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives has reinvested in Portland’s neighborhoods, preserved their diversity and provided tools to help low-income Portland families achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
From our original task of helping people who were unknowingly swindled out of their homes, PCRI has come a long way. Still, the challenges are constant—as is our presence as an anchor of stable, diverse and livable Portland neighborhoods.
With over 700 units of affordable housing, PCRI’s unique mix of single-family homes, small multi-plexes and community apartments represents one of the last stable opportunities for low-income households to remain in their vibrant Portland neighborhoods. These homes and apartments are woven into the fabric of their neighborhoods and are a model for eliminating concentrations of poverty.
At the most basic level, PCRI’s affordable rentals help residents achieve family stability. Building on this stability, PCRI’s award winning services give families culturally-specific skills and support necessary to achieve self-sufficiency, begin the process of wealth creation and, in many cases, become—and remain—successful homeowners.
Portland, April 10th, 2015. The gala, themed ‘An Evening for Opportunity, Lunar Landing: A Space Age Gala,’ raised funds for student scholarships and success programs. Portland Community College Foundation Board President Kimberly Cooper, president and CEO of the Fortuna Group, had a chance to catch up with Congressman Earl Blumenauer and the Executive Director of The Oregon Historical Society Kerry Tymchuk at the annual event. (Photo credit, James Hill.) The gala at Pure Space in the Pearl District raised a record $425,000. It featured 1960s space exploration as its theme and attracted more than 500 guests. Junki and Linda Yoshida, founders of locally based Yoshida Foods International, served as the honorary co-chairs.
A highlight of the gala was the celebration of the PCC Patron Award. This year’s recipients (in their Star Trek costumes) were Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin of The Renaissance Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that creates educational opportunities, in part for first-generation, low-income students. (Photo credit, Matt O’Brien)
The Patron Award honors a person or organization that has made a significant contribution to PCC to ensure access to education for students. Through The Renaissance Foundation, Levin and Fowler support PCC’s Future Connect Scholarship Program by providing nearly 30 students with scholarships, mentoring and other supports essential to college success. They have also just launched a new mentoring program, the Cascade African Men’s Scholars Project, at the Cascade Campus in North Portland that matches 10 mentors with 30 students.
About Portland Community College: PCC is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and 19th largest in the nation, serving approximately 90,000 full- and part-time students. PCC, which is roughly the size of Rhode Island, has four comprehensive campuses, eight workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.
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