Portland, OR. The Living Yoga’s Board of Directors announced the nonprofit will stop providing services as of November 12th. Living Yoga began offering trauma-informed yoga to incarcerated in 1998. An announcement noted, “Due to the ongoing pandemic, we have experienced a sustained period of not being able to deliver in-person classes; therefore, We hope you will join us in celebrating our accomplishments over our 24 years of service to our community.”
The nonprofit closure is one of many in the Portland area. Canceled fundraisers and lost donations have left many struggling to stay afloat.
Prior to the pandemic, Living Yoga volunteers provided 34 weekly trauma-informed classes to 24 partner sites including prisons, substance use disorder treatment, and recovery centers, and community health programs.
In response to COVID-19, Living Yoga pivoted in 2020 to provide virtual services, training, and continuing education for the community. Leaders say, “While we have been able to maintain partnerships with select service sites via a virtual model through our dedicated volunteers, our community impact has been greatly limited. The new delta variant has further exacerbated this situation, and we struggle to reach our most vulnerable students.”
Prior to the pandemic, volunteers served more than 600 students per month. Many students in prison were grateful for the opportunity as seen in the message above.
Here’s a video about the nonprofit:
From Living Yoga:
When Living Yoga began offering trauma-informed yoga to those impacted by incarceration in 1998, there were few yoga studios in Portland, let alone free or accessible offerings for our most in-need community members. At this time, there was minimal mainstream knowledge regarding the impact that body-based practices like yoga could be utilized to support healing and resilience in cases of trauma. Living Yoga has increased access to yoga and body-based practices in our community and has inspired students and organizations alike to incorporate these practices into their own lives and service offerings.
Recognizing that there is an ongoing immense community need, we have made the bittersweet decision to dissolve Living Yoga and share our resources with other nonprofits that can have a greater impact at this critical time. We are actively vetting organizations that will be good stewards of our funds and will provide additional information as we make a final decision.
You can continue to access free, trauma-informed, recorded classes from Living Yoga in The Living Room until the end of 2022.
We want to share our deepest gratitude with you for supporting Living Yoga throughout the past 24 years. Thank you for your commitment to fostering healing and resilience through trauma-informed yoga. We appreciate your continued support as we return to our roots as a working board during this unprecedented time.
Portland, OR. Albertina Kerr worked with Durham & Bates Insurance to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit’s work helping children and teens struggling with their mental well-being. The insurance company offered $5,000 with a chance to double it if 500 supporters liked and shared the challenge on social media platforms. Organizers say they surpassed 500 votes and secured the full $10,000 donation for the nonprofit.
Durham & Bates Insurance attended Albertina Kerr’s 24 Hours of Kerr fundraiser to assist in raising funds for the organization in 2019.
The recent donation is just one of many that businesses and community members have to Albertina Kerr. The organization continues its offer short-term, safe, and secure residential placement for children and teens (ages 5-17) who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Services focus on mental health stabilization, psychiatric evaluation, and transitional planning.
Children and teens are provided individual and family therapy, like this group therapy session, intensive skill-building, case management, and medication management.
From Albertina Kerr:
Kerr provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), mental health challenges, and other social barriers by:
Serving over 53% of the youth in IDD group homes in Oregon.
Leading the creation of employment and community living opportunities for adults with IDD.
Operating the only standalone subacute children’s crisis psychiatric facility in Oregon.
Providing leadership in statewide policy discussions related to disability and mental health care.
Leading industry discussion, training, and innovation of best practices in programs for children with dual diagnosis.
Practicing evidence-based and trauma-informed care.
Since 1907, Albertina Kerr has been caring for Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens. Over the decades, our services have evolved to meet the community’s needs. While these needs have changed, the values of our expert caregivers remain constant: compassion, commitment, collaboration, and advocacy.
Today, Kerr empowers people experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), mental health challenges, and other social barriers to lead self-determined lives and reach their full potential. We provide comprehensive crisis and preventive mental health care for children and teens, as well as a full range of services for children and adults experiencing an I/DD.
Portland, OR. Special Olympics Oregon (SOOR) held its ‘Breakfast of Champions’ on October 13th. Money raised will support Special Olympic athletes’ participation in programs such as Unified Champion Schools, athletic events across the state, access to wellness programs, social engagement, and more.
Special Olympics Oregon athletes compete in sports like swimming, soccer, basketball, softball, esports and track.
The online event featured KGW News Anchor, Drew Carney and musical guest, Shawn Hinz, performing an original song.
Special Olympic athletes are looking forward to having things get back to normal after a lot of virtual participation. According to the nonprofit, here’s the plan:
The target date for Phase 2 is January 1, 2022 with a return to statewide sports. The plan is to offer a traditional SOOR Winter Sports Season featuring basketball, power lifting, and snow sports. Our hope is that public health trends allow for gathering and other safety restrictions to be relaxed or eliminated and for competitions to be offered locally as well as regionally. More information about a transition into Phase 2 will be shared toward the end of 2021.
Below is a recording of the program. Donations are still being accepted.
From SOOR:
Covid update: While Oregon has now opened with fewer restrictions, there is still risk associated with Special Olympics Oregon returning to in-person activities at this time. Community spread of COVID-19 continue to occur in several parts of the state. The Delta variant is a growing concern – especially since there are still several counties with vaccine rates lower than 50%. Many of our participants remain at higher risk. It is estimated that as many as one-half to two-thirds of our athletes fall into the high-risk category. For a complete list of the underlying health and other conditions that Special Olympics, Inc. has determined to be high risk, please click here: SOI Fact Sheet: Who Is High Risk. In addition, many of our volunteers may also fall into higher risk categories for infection or negative outcomes due to infection.
COVID-19 VACCINES
Currently, SOOR does NOT require the vaccine to return to in-person participation. Further, we do not collect data on who has and has not been vaccinated or have a reliable means to track this prior to registration for the upcoming season. Special Olympics, Inc (SOI) is currently developing a tracking app that we will consider in the future. In Phase 1, all participants (athletes, Unified partners, coaches, other volunteers) will be held to the same safety and masking protocols regardless of vaccine status.
Everyone age 12 and older are now eligible to get the vaccine in Oregon. Special Olympics encourages everyone who has access to the COVID-19 vaccine, to get vaccinated. The vaccine will help protect you from getting COVID-19. If you still get infected after you get vaccinated, the vaccine works to prevent serious illness. By getting vaccinated, you also help protect people around you. People with intellectual disabilities are almost 6 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population. The vaccine helps to reduce the risk of serious disease and death. This information is not meant to be complete, exhaustive, or a substitute for medical professional advice or OHA and CDC guidance and is being made available in the context of the public health emergency related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
For more vaccine-related resources, please see resources on the right-hand side of this page.
VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING
We are proud of the incredible response we have received from athletes, volunteers, and supporters to our virtual programming during the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19. The health and well-being of our athletes has been our top priority. As we transition back into some in-person experiences, virtual programming options will remain moving forward. Programs currently being offered include:
SOOR Active
Special Olympics Oregon launchedthis at-home wellness communityin April 2020 and it has grown to more than 1,250 members. SOOR Active provides on-going virtual health education, wellness, sport, fitness, and social experiences. SOOR Active will continued in the future but will modify programming as we return to in person experiences moving forward.
Portland, OR. The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation has awarded more than $1,000,000 in grants to eight Oregon and Washington state nonprofits. Those selected, “are celebrating, promoting, advancing, and encouraging women’s participation and leadership in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM)”. ChickTech (seen above at a pre-pandemic event) is one of the grant recipients. The nonprofit works to build a pipeline for girls and women in technology.
‘Oregon Robotics Building’ (seen above at a pre-pandemic event) will receive some of the funds to help build participation of Girls in FIRST STEM programs in Oregon.
The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation was founded by Dave and Sally Bany in 1998, “In honor of what would have been my grandmother’s 125th birthday, we are delighted to award eight $125,000 grants to nonprofits in the area working to promote women in STEM,” said Sally Bany, co-founder of the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation. “These nonprofits are truly inspiring, from serving underprivileged areas and creating bilingual STEM programing to serving minority populations and creating summer programs, every nonprofit is on a mission to better the field of technology for women and girls.”
In April of this year, the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation announced it would receive additional funds after the passing of Marie’s daughter and Sally’s mother, Columbia Sportswear Company Chairman Gert Boyle. As of today, the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation has over $360 million in assets to support its mission and is on track to donate more than $10 million this year.
The sciences have always been an important part of the Lamfrom legacy. “My aunt, Hildegard Lamfrom, daughter of Marie and Paul Lamfrom, would have also celebrated her 99th birthday on June 19th,” continued Bany. Hildegard is remembered for her extraordinary contributions to scientific research as a molecular biologist and biochemist. Her research paved the way for evidence that helped with the mRNA-based breakthroughs used to combat COVID-19.
On October 11th, the finalists were announced. Those receiving a Women in STEM grant from Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation are listed below.
Eureka! is a 5-year STEM program for 8th-12th grade girls and gender-nonbinary youth, the majority of whom are youth of color and youth from underserved families.
The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation was established by Dave and Sally Bany in 1998 to support nonprofit organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Foundation focuses on nonprofit programs that support education and mentorship, arts and creativity, and health and well-being. The Foundation was named for Sally’s grandmother, Marie Lamfrom. For more information, please visit marielamfrom.org.
West Linn, OR. The Thayer Family Foundation held its official launch party and fundraiser on September 11th at Mike and Kristy Thayer’s Pete’s Mountain Vineyard and Winery. At the event, Tommy Thayer (Board President) & Amy Maxwell (Board Member) helped auction off a Billy Gibbons Guitar. The event raised $535,000 to help Oregon veterans who do not have a home.
Thayer Family Foundation was founded in 2020 with the goal of “Serving Those Who Have Served Others.” The organization was established by Thayer family members in honor of their father, the late Brigadier General James B. Thayer. The focus of the foundation is to support the needs of Oregon veterans, military personnel, and first responders; and those dedicated to societal and culturally significant fields such as educators, musicians, and artists.
Kristy Thayer (Board Member) & Tracy Ann Gill (Board Secretary)
A live auction featured a KISS ultimate concert experience, a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle signed by KISS, exclusive wine tastings, and golf outings.
A gourmet farm-to-table dinner by Allium was proceeded by Portland’s Patrick Lamb’s sax instrumental of “America the Beautiful.”
Nicole DeCosta. & John Thayer (Board Treasurer)
The evening was capped by a special musical performance by American Idol winner Caleb Johnson, Chicago founding member and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer Danny Seraphine, Chicago’s Bill Champlin, Patrick Lamb and KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer.
Aimee and Chris Norch
Thayer brothers Mike, John, and Tommy welcomed guests and spoke of their father’s leadership and community advocacy, and the charitable values both their parents (James and Patricia Thayer) taught them.
Chris Aiosa, Executive Director of Do Good Multnomah, an Oregon-based non-profit that provides supportive housing and low-barrier emergency shelter to houseless veterans in Oregon, spoke of houselessness in Portland reaching crisis levels and finding help for vets currently on the streets. The Thayer Family Foundation’s 2021 initiative is to fund veterans’ housing and find solutions to the houselessness issues in Portland.
The Thayer Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation located at 6200 SW Virginia Avenue, Ste 210, Portland, Oregon 97239.
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