Portland, OR. The Portland Japanese Garden held its first in-person event in well over a year on July 10th. Steve Bloom, CEO of Portland Japanese Garden visited with Lani McGregor and Dan Schwoerer at the reception for special donors. The Golden Crane Recognition Society members were honored for their, “support, passion, and dedication to the Garden.” (Photo credit, Jonathan Ley)
Organizers explain that the event was an open house-style evening with guided architectural tours, music, quiet strolls through the garden, and the opportunity to safely reconnect with friends surrounded by nature’s peace and beauty. At the reception, Steve Bloom, CEO of Portland Japanese Garden told guests about the Garden’s future programming.
Janeese Jackson and Ross Lienhart at the reception which took place in the Atsuhiko & Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Cultural Village.
Tiffany and Eric Rosenfeld stroll through the Ellie M. Hill Bonsai Terrace.
Guests taking in the latest art exhibition, Painting Paradise: Art of Daisuke Nakano, at the Pavilion Gallery.
Guests of the Golden Crane Annual Reception admiring the koi through the Zig-Zag Bridge.
From Portland Japanese Garden:
The Garden sits nestled in the hills of Portland, Oregon’s iconic Washington Park, overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis for locals and travelers alike. Designed in 1963, it encompasses 12 acres with eight separate garden styles and includes an authentic Japanese Tea House, meandering streams, intimate walkways, and a spectacular view of Mt. Hood. This is a place to discard worldly thoughts and concerns and see oneself as a small but integral part of the universe.
Born out of a hope that the experience of peace can contribute to long-lasting peace. Born out of a belief in the power of cultural exchange. Born out of a belief in the excellence of craft, evidence in the Garden itself, and the activities that come from it. Born out of a realization that all of these things are made more real and possible if we honor our connection to nature.
Portland, OR. The Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation awarded 120 community grants to local nonprofits across its five-state footprint totaling $423.5K. Dozens were given out in Oregon and Washington. The grants represent the first of three funding cycles in 2021. Clark College Foundation (CCF), seen above, was one recipient. The foundation is an independent, self-funded nonprofit that assists Clark College through philanthropy.
Another Oregon recipient was Free Geek. It’s a nonprofit working to divert technology that would otherwise be recycled or thrown away, refurbish it, and give it back to members of the community at no or low cost.
Girl Scouts is another recipient. Above, Brownie Girl Scouts lead a signature campaign to save a local park.
Nonprofits were selected from hundreds of applicants who demonstrated a strong commitment to serving their communities, particularly those focused on reaching low-to-moderate income or under-resourced populations in one of the following eight categories: family engagement and resiliency; financial competency; housing stability and homeownership; college, career or technical readiness; entrepreneurship and business expansion; vibrant and equitable neighborhoods; technical and digital connectivity; and small business support and financial guidance.
“With local community-focused nonprofits, we are able to work together for better,” shared Randy Choy, vice president of community giving & nonprofit partnerships and managing director of the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation. “Their grassroots efforts are key to post-pandemic recovery, and we’re honored to support their work.”
Umpqua Bank, through the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation, continues to evolve its community giving strategy and community grants program to reflect a deeper commitment to improving economic prosperity, especially for under-resourced individuals, families, and small businesses. The foundation invests in nonprofit organizations, communities, and leaders to support direct-service programming that incorporates a diversity, equity, and inclusion focus.
The community grants are part of an overall foundation and corporate giving program that has invested more than $12 million since the foundation was formed in 2014. The next deadline for community grant applications is Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. Learn more at www.UmpquaBank.com/Community.
A full list of the nonprofit grant recipients by state is below:
Oregon
Adelante Mujeres
Baker County YMCA
Building Blocks to Success Corporation
Casa of Lane County
Central City Concern Inc.
Community Connection of Northeast Oregon
Community Development Corporation of Oregon
Community Vision Inc.
Community Works Inc.
Conference of St Vincent De Paul Society of Myrtle Creek
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern Oregon Inc.
Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services Inc.
Drexel H Foundation
Free Geek
Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington Inc
Habitat for Humanity International Inc.
IRCO
Juliette’s House
Lewis And Clark College
MetroEast Community Media
NeighborImpact
Northwest Housing Alternatives Inc.
Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.
Portland Homeless Family Solutions
Portland Housing Center
Portland Tennis and Education
Portland YouthBuilders
Proud Ground
School Garden Project of Lane County
SE Works Inc.
Society of St Vincent De Paul
Stone Soup PDX
Winston Area Community Partnership
Yamhill Carlton Together Cares Inc.
YWCA of Greater Portland
Washington
Blue Mountain Action Council
Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties
Boys and Girls Club of The Olympic Peninsula
Career Path Services-Employment and Training
Catholic Charities Housing Services
Clark Community College District 14 Foundation
Community Youth Services
El Centro De La Raza
FareStart
Foundation for Private Enterprise Education
Fusion-Friends United to Shelter the Indigent Oppressed and Needy
Girl Scouts of Western Washington
Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County
Homestead Community Land Trust
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Spokane (DBA Family Promise of Spokane)
Junior Achievement of Washington
Mary’s Place Seattle
Northwest Access Fund
Overlake Service League
Parkview Services
Peace Community Center
R Merle Palmer Minority Scholarship Foundation
Seattle Milk Fund
Second Harvest Inland Northwest
South Sound Outreach Services
Sustainable Seattle
Tacoma Farmers Market
The Trail Youth
University District Development Association
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Wayfind
Wing Luke Memorial Foundation
Work Force Development Center A Resource Center for Our Future
Your Money Matters
Youth Eastside Services
California
Accion San Diego
Aim High for High School
APA Family Support Services
Benicia Community Action Council
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County Inc.
California Association for Microenterprise Opportunity
California Community Economic Development Association
California FarmLink
California Restaurant Association Foundation Inc.
Casa El Dorado
College Track
Community Action Partnership of Orange County
Financial Beginnings
FOTC — Los Angeles
Fremont Unified School District
Girls Inc. of the Northern Sacramento Valley
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
Jefferson Economic Development Institute
Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement of San Diego County
Junior Achievement of Southern CA
Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County
New Beginnings Housing Foundation
North Marin Community Services
Opportunity Junction Inc.
Petaluma Ecumenical Properties
Sacramento Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce
Saint John’s Program for Real Change
San Diego Center for Children
Score San Diego
Southeast Asian Community Center
Standup for Kids
Sunday Friends Foundation
United Way of Northern California
UpValley Family Centers
Workshops for Warriors Inc.
Yuba-Sutter Economic Development Corporation
Idaho
Boys and Girls Clubs of The Lewis Clark Valley Inc.
Jannus, Inc.
Kids Klub Inc.
Moscow Affordable Housing Trust
The Jesse Tree of Idaho
The Momentum Group
Wyakin Warrior Foundation
Nevada
Andson Inc.
Arts for All Nevada
Clark County Public Education Foundation Inc.
Junior Achievement of Northern Nevada Inc.
Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth
Opportunity Alliance Nevada
About Umpqua Bank Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, and has locations across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine’s list of the country’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the sixteenth consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank also owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to businesses.
Portland, OR. Families are working through the African Library Project to get books into the hands of children in Sierra Leon, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Malawi, and Lesotho. With the help of volunteers, the nonprofit establishes anywhere from 30-60 libraries per year, even during the pandemic throughout 2020. The process to launch a library is simple as the graphic below suggests, it involves gathering 1,000 gently used or new children’s books and making a $500 donation.
African Library Project establishes partnerships with African-based organizations that specialize in education, library, or community development. The partners must be capable of supporting the development of 30-60 libraries per year.
African Library Project works in English-speaking African countries that meet the organization’s criteria for sustainable library development. The nonprofit looks for countries that have a significant need for books and feature political stability, reliable transport of books to destinations, and a network of local organizations capable of organizing books into real, working libraries.
Partners and librarians in Africa unloading donated books. The African Library Project pays close attention to a recipient’s ability to sustain a working library.
Giving children access to books has become urgent because, according to a recent study, separation from the classroom as a part of global attempts to curb the spread of COVID-19 is negatively affecting their developing reading skills. The UN reports a significant decline in literacy and reading ability across the globe.
While all non-profit organizations have dedicated staff that work hard to affect change, most non-profits rely on volunteers. The months of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic have taken their toll on all of us. Many remember all the canceled activities and suspended obligations from March of 2020; the wondering in April and May of how long it was all going to last. Volunteer programs were not immune to the confusion of constantly shifting guidelines, nor the concerns for safe and healthy conditions. A report released by VolunteerMatch found that during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, greater than 50% of non-profit organizations were experiencing heavy cancellations from their volunteers. Now that many states are re-opening and attempting to return to a semblance of normalcy, a lot of us still feel trepidation at the idea of entering back into public life. Here‘s a little “How To” courtesy of the African Library Project on how you can volunteer to support children’s literacy, re-engage with your local community, and stay safe while doing it. The African Library Project’s online Resource Center features everything you need to help build a library in Africa. It includes fundraising ideas, book drive guidelines, marketing, and outreach tips, quality standards for donated books, and how to pack and ship your completed library.
Below is an example of a poster:
African Library Project advertisement for the 2021 Summer Book Drive volunteer event.
About The African Library Project:
The African Library Project was founded in 2005 by Chris Bradshaw and her family from Portola Valley, California. While visiting remote villages in Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom in Southern Africa, Chris was inspired to work toward ending the cycle of poverty and illiteracy when she found out that there was only one public library in the country. She realized the simple act of establishing libraries within schools would have a profound effect on communities as a whole.
We are proud to partner with capable and hardworking organizations and individuals who are dedicated to promoting literacy and library development in Africa. In the United States, volunteers organize book drives and raise funds to ship the books overseas. Once those books are gathered and mailed, the African Library Project relies on a network of dedicated partners within Africa to get them to each community – no matter how far. In addition to selecting and vetting each library recipient, our trusted partners provide training on how to set up and run a library in a rural community. They also follow up to evaluate the use of our libraries and encourage good library practices. The African Library Project’s goal is to make sure our libraries remain active and continue to enrich those who need them the most.
Portland, OR. The American Red Cross is on the ground where thousands of people are impacted by wildfires. Trained Red Cross disaster workers are working around the clock to open or support shelters and evacuation centers. They’re helping out with the nation’s largest fire, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire which started on July 6th and is still burning 28 miles northeast of Klamath Falls. The wildfire is approximately 42% contained as of July 25th and has burned over 401,000 acres. Click here for a link to the current information about the Bootleg Fire.
The National Preparedness Level has been raised to 5, the highest level of wildfire activity. This is the earliest to reach that level in 10 years.
Several weeks ago, experts predicted 2021’s wildfire season could be extremely dangerous due to the severe drought occurring over much of the western half of the country following back-to-back years of record-breaking wildfire seasons.
According to the Oregon State Fire Marshal, over 2,224 people have been deployed to fight the Bootleg Fire including these firefighters from the Sisters area.
The National Interagency Fire Center reports 68 large fires have scorched more than a million acres in 12 states this fire season, including the Bootleg Fire seen above.
The Red Cross urges everyone in wildfire-prone areas to get ready now.
States reporting large wildfires include Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Minnesota.
Here’s the information from the American Red Cross about staying up to date as wildfire season progresses:
IF YOU NEED TO GO TO A SHELTER Follow any evacuation orders from officials. To find an open shelter, visit redcross.org or download the free Red Cross app “Emergency” and view open facilities. If you don’t have access to a computer or smartphone, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).
We encourage anyone coming to a Red Cross emergency shelter to bring personal items for each member of their family, including prescription and emergency medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other comfort items. It’s also important to bring special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, and other items for family members who have unique needs.
In addition to the free Red Cross app “Emergency”, the Red Cross First Aid app gives you instant access to information on handling common first aid scenarios, including heat emergencies. Download for free here or search for ‘American Red Cross’ in your app store.
HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help people affected by disasters like wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Call, click, or text to give: visit redcross.org, call 1-800 RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS Keep track of the weather, fires near you and listen to instructions from local authorities. Be ready to leave quickly with your emergency kit. You might not get an official notice to evacuate. Be ready to leave if local authorities tell you to evacuate, or if you feel you are in danger
Shut all windows and doors. Remove flammable window shades, curtains, and close metal shutters.
Move flammable furniture to the center of the room, away from windows and doors.
Shut off gas at the meter; turn off pilot lights. Shut off the air conditioning.
Gather up flammable items from the exterior of the house and bring them inside (patio furniture, toys, trash cans).
Turn off propane tanks. Move propane BBQ appliances away from structures.
Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, they can affect critical water pressure.
Back your loaded car into the driveway and keep all doors and windows closed.
Ensure your emergency supplies kit is in your vehicle.
Locate your pets and take them with you.
RED CROSS WILL PROVIDE SAFE SHELTER The Red Cross will continue to make sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat, and resources to help them recover after a disaster, a critical part of the Red Cross mission, but how we support sheltering efforts may be different in each community, depending on local emergency plans and the scale of the disaster. In most cases this year, we will open group shelters. However, in some communities, hotels may still be more appropriate if the risk of COVID-19 is particularly high. The Red Cross will also keep many of the safety precautions implemented in 2020. These include masks, health screenings, enhanced cleaning procedures, and encouraging social distancing.
From the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS HELPThe generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur, and help families during the recovery process.
ADGP $1 Million members are: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; The Home Depot Foundation; Latter-day Saint Charities; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Truist Foundation; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and Wells Fargo.
ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; Aon; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; HCA Healthcare; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; LHC Group; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Lowe’s Companies, Inc.; Mastercard; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stanley Black & Decker; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda Pharmaceutical; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and The Wawa Foundation.
Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; Alliance Data; American Express; Ameriprise Financial, Inc.; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; Big 5 Sporting Goods; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Company; CSX; Darden Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Equitable; FirstEnergy Foundation; Grainger; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Humble Bundle; Kaiser Permanente; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Lenovo; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; Procter & Gamble; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Technologies; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southwest Airlines; U-Haul International; and U.S. Bank Foundation.
Portland, OR. The Home Builders Foundation (HBF) raised a record amount to help build and renovate shelters for those experiencing homelessness throughout the Portland metro area. The Building Hope Gala & Auction presented by California Closets was held on June 19th at Tumwater Vineyard in West Linn. Led by Honorary Chairs Gordon Root (seen above with his wife Tracy) and Rick Waible of Stafford Land Company, the benefit raised a record $510,000. (Photo credit, Andrea Lonas Photography) Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in Clackamas County just a week before the scheduled gala, so organizers were able to host 230 attendees outside for an evening of fundraising.
A group of attendees & volunteers pose at the photo booth during the Building Hope Gala & Auction.
Guests mingle during the Directors Mortgage VIP Reception.
The group from Ridge Crest Custom Cabinetry is all smiles during dinner.
Attendees Mike Rowe, Liz Rowe, & Ed Becker take in the beauty of Tumwater Vineyard on a warm summer evening.
HBF Board Vice President Ryan Boatsman of Delap LLP supports the nonprofit with a donation during the special appeal.
During the planning process, HBF event organizers decided to develop both an in-person event that was outdoors, as well as a virtual event as a backup plan and an option for those not comfortable attending events yet. The HBF staff and committee got to work and eventually held one of Portland’s first large hybrid fundraising events of the season.
In-person attendees had the opportunity to bid on live auction packages that included home renovation packages donated by industry members. These packages included a kitchen renovation from Macadam Floor & Design and Standard TV & Appliance, which sold as the Golden Ticket raffle prize and was donated again for the live auction, and a package to beautify the exterior of the home from Oregon Outdoor Lighting & The Wall. Other live auction packages included unique experiences such as a bird hunt with Nate Bond & Brian Boggs of Ridge Crest Custom Cabinetry, a stay in the heart of wine country (which sold twice!), a whiskey collection put together by HBF’s Board of Directors, and the extremely popular Bucket List Trip, which sold 34 times and allowed each purchaser to travel to Iceland, Costa Rica or Tuscany.
While the in-person guests raised their paddles in support of Home Builders Foundation, virtual guests were treated to a special red carpet presentation with interviews from key sponsors and HBF’s non-profit shelter partners, as well as exclusive performances by Aaron Meyer, concert rock violinist formerly of Pink Martini.
After the conclusion of the live auction and the red carpet presentation, both in-person and virtual attendees learned about a life-changing shelter Home Builders Foundation helped build for the non-profit A Village For One, which dreamed of a healing home for young women escaping sexual exploitation. HBF partnered with Jim Standring of Westland Industries as Builder Captain to construct Anisa’s Place, a six-bedroom home for these young women. Cassie Trahan of A Village For One shared with the audience the importance of shelters like theirs and the impact Home Builders Foundation and its partners in the home building industry.
The audience responded by raising their paddles high. Right in the middle of the special appeal, to the audiences’ surprise, Gordon Root took the stage and announced a $50,000 match from the Jack & Wilma Root Trust. Both in-person and virtual attendees answered by giving $58,000 in a matter of minutes, after which Gordon grabbed the mic and announced yet another surprise gift of $15,000 from Chad E. Davis Construction. In total, the special appeal garnered $181,000 in donations.
Funds raised at the Building Hope Gala & Auction benefit Home Builders Foundation, a Portland-based nonprofit that builds and remodels shelters for those experiencing homelessness in the Portland metro area. Home Builders Foundation focuses on building and renovating shelters for those who are most vulnerable when homeless, including families with children, youth, and domestic violence survivors. Home Builders Foundation completes shelter builds and renovations by leveraging donations from companies in the home building industry and providing cash grants to shelter providers to complete projects.
Home Builders Foundation would like to say a special thank you to Gordon Root and Rick Waible for the incredible leadership and support provided to the event. Home Builders Foundation would also like to thank all of the attendees, donors, volunteers, and the 2021 Auction Committee for their contributions to the event.
Home Builders Foundation would like to recognize all of the companies that sponsored this year’s Building Hope Gala & Auction: California Closets, Standard TV & Appliance, Builders FirstSource, Performance Insulation, Directors Mortgage, Milgard Windows & Doors, OrePac, NW Natural, Berkshire Hathaway, Metropolitan Land Group, Pacific Crest Building Supply, Lakeside Lumber, Adair Homes, Banner Bank, Eastbank Mortgage, First American Title, Holt Homes, IWP, Lennar, The Oregonian, Pamplin Media Group, PayneWest Insurance, Richmond American Homes, Royal Restrooms, and Tiffany Home Design.
The Home Builders Foundation, established in 1997, is the charity of choice for the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland. Their mission is to build transitional shelter for families and individuals experiencing homelessness in our community and provide construction related educational opportunities for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the home building industry. Visit www.BuildHopePDX.org for more info.
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