Portland, OR. The 17th annual Jesuit High School Financial Aid Luncheon was held on campus in the Knight Center. A record-breaking crowd of over 625 guests included alumni, current parents, grandparents, and friends of the school. The October 16th luncheon raised $540,000, and since its launch in 2003 the annual event has raised over 6 million for student financial aid. Speakers included alumni parent Gladys Lalic, keynote speaker Tim Boyle who is the President and CEO of Columbia Sportswear and graduated from Jesuit in 1967, and Jesuit senior Yosan Tewelde. Each shared stories of their journey with guests. This academic year 27% (or 332 students) are receiving over 3 million dollars in financial aid. The school relies on fundraising events like the luncheon to reach its budgeted goal each year. (Photo credit, Bob Kerns)
Financial Aid Luncheon Chairs and JHS current parents Marni Goodman and Desiree Baldocchi celebrate a successful event.
Guests pack the Knight Center on Jesuit’s campus to support the Financial Aid program.
Student Emcees Danny Murphy ’20 and Ria Debnath ’20 entertain guests with stories about life as Jesuit students.
Guests enjoy visiting with student volunteer Eva Grunkemeier ’20 at the luncheon.
Jesuit President Tom Arndorfer and Principal Paul Hogan
Here’s a video about the event:
From Jesuit High School:
We are incredibly grateful for Tim and Mary Boyle’s tremendous commitment to the education of Jesuit students through their generous matching gift of all funds raised at the event! Special thanks to Financial Aid Luncheon Chairs Desiree Baldocchi and Marni Goodman, the Financial Aid Luncheon Committee, sponsors and volunteers who spent countless hours ensuring the success of this critical event. We are especially grateful for our additional matching gift sponsors The Bernice Heffernan Family Foundation with support of Pat & Tricia Heffernan and an Anonymous donor. Thanks to their commitment to Jesuit education, all new and increased gifts to the Financial Aid Luncheon were matched up to $20,000. We are humbled by their support and the support of our generous school community.
Portland, OR. Did you know that 43% of Oregonians volunteered in 2018? Many volunteered at Human Solutions to help ensure that homeless and low-income families can build pathways out of poverty. Oregon ranks third in the nation, behind Utah and Minnesota for the percentage of the population that volunteers. In city rankings, Portland ranks fifth of all cities with 44% of citizens volunteering. (The full list of rankings is included in this story, near the end. In last place: Florida.)
We’d like to tip our hats to those who give of their time for others! Thank you!
We’ve got some idea for volunteering this holiday season if you’d like to join the crew, there are hundreds of opportunities. Hands-on Greater Portland is a great place to start. You can sort by date, interest, location, etc.
We have a list of over 150 local nonprofit partners with live links on our Partners Page. All your favorites are there! Like Meals on Wheels. Here’s a video about their program:
You can check out organizations that offer special holiday volunteer opportunities by interest, like the following:
Portland Animal Welfare Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) hosts monthly clinics that offer free veterinary services to the homeless and impoverished. Medical, creative and logistical volunteers are always needed. Volunteers are always welcome at rescue shelter Animal Aid and the Oregon Humane Society.
Helping the Homeless Bridgetown Inc. helps Portland’s homeless population. You can volunteer at its weekly Night Strike event that brings food, clothing, haircuts, and supplies to people under the Burnside Bridge. There are also opportunities to help at Portland Homeless Family Solutions shelters and with local service-providing organization Outside In.
Oregon Food Bank Keeping the pantry stocked at the Oregon Food Bank is a big job that typically falls to volunteers. Sign up as an individual or as a group.
Friends of Trees Keep Portland and the surrounding area green with Friends of Trees, which is always looking for volunteers to plant trees in local soil.
Meals on Wheels People Volunteer to deliver hot meals to the homebound elderly for the holidays with Meals on Wheels People, which is looking for volunteers now. You can also use your car to give rides to the elderly or disabled with Ride Connection.
Helping a Home A home can be a meaningful thing – it can also be pretty costly. You can help by volunteering at the ReBuilding Center, a Portland organization that reclaims and recycles rebuilding and remodeling materials, selling them at a low cost. For the home decor side of things, there’s Community Warehouse, which provides basic household furnishings to Portland’s more vulnerable populations.
Here’s a list of the national volunteer statistics from the Corporation for National and Community Service:
Beaverton, OR. Groundbreaking for The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts launched construction of the first of its kind facility to be built in the Portland-metro area in more than 30 years. On November 13th, Chris Ayzoukian of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle, lead donor Pat Reser and Lani Faith of the Beaverton Arts Foundation used their ceremonial shovels to dig in.
Thomas Lauderdale and 180-voice choir celebrate the new regional performing arts center.
A crowd of about 400 attend the ceremony at the site of the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. It’s adjacent to the Beaverton Round which is near Hall Boulevard and SW Millikan Way.
Lead donor, Pat Reser, addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center for the Arts. It’s set to open in the fall of 2021.
“As we approach the realization of this performing arts facility, we have been provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity within our community to broaden exposure to the arts, including artists and arts education,” said Pat Reser, chair of the capital campaign for the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.“This center will provide a place to celebrate artistic expression in all of its forms and it is my strong conviction that both the arts and our community will continue to flourish, impacting residents for decades to come.”
“I’m thrilled that this long-held personal dream and our community vision of a vibrant downtown with culture and arts at our heart is becoming a reality,” said Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle. “This center is a benefit to our city, the region and beyond. I’m counting down the days to opening and the opportunity to share this wonderful asset for many to enjoy.”
Together with emcee and Eye on the NW host Natali Marmion, Mayor Doyle, the Beaverton City Council and Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency Board welcomed lead donor Patricia Reser, as well as Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford, among others. To highlight the center’s mission of bringing a diverse range of artists and audiences together, a nearly 200-voice choir – especially assembled for the occasion – performed “True Colors” and “All You Need is Love,” including an audience singalong led by Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini. The choir included members from iSing Choir, Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, Portland Lesbian Choir, Arts & Communication Magnet Academy Choir, Southridge High School Choir and others, along with singers Marilyn Keller, Maddie Green and members of Big Horn Brass.
Nestled near to The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard, the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will include a 550-seat theater, art gallery, rehearsal, workshop and meeting space, lobby, outdoor plaza and adjacent parking structure. With innovative offerings in the performing arts – theater, music and dance – the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will be a beacon for civic engagement, creative learning and greater social cohesion.
“I’m excited about the many possibilities at the center to bring regional and national artists and attractions to Beaverton in a professional and intimate setting,” said Chris Ayzoukian, general manager for Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. “It will be a welcoming regional destination for many kinds of events and arts education programs that will highlight the cultural diversity of Beaverton and create more access to the arts for all.”
On July 17, 2018, the Beaverton Arts Foundation announced a gift of $13 million to the project. This transformative pledge made possible by Patricia Reser is an investment that provides nearly one-third of the $51 million in project costs needed to build the Center. Another $21.9 million is coming from public sources, including a land donation and a new City Transient Lodging Tax (TLT). In total, 96 percent of the construction costs have already been identified through public and private philanthropic investment.
“It has truly been inspiring to see how the community has stepped up in support of the vision for the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts,” said Lani Faith, executive director for the Beaverton Arts Foundation, the fundraising partner for the new center for the arts. “The dream of a vibrant stage and central gathering place has been in the hearts and minds of residents for many years, and it’s an incredible privilege to watch it come to life.”
The project’s design and construction team includes Skanska USA Building Inc., Gerding Edlen and OPSIS Architecture.
From the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts:
The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will be the first performing arts center of its kind to be built in the Portland-metro area in more than 30 years. Nestled near to The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard, the facility will include a 550-seat theater, art gallery, rehearsal, workshop and meeting space, lobby, outdoor plaza and adjacent parking structure. With innovative offerings in the performing arts – theater, music and dance – the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts will be a beacon for civic engagement, creative learning and greater social cohesion. For more information, please visit: centerfortheartscampaign.org and beavertonoregon.gov/prca.
Portland, OR. ‘Ohana Oasis hosted its 3rd annual “Giving for Joy Gala” at the Multnomah Athletic Club on November 9th. The goal of the event is to create an evening of joy while raising funds to send parents grieving the loss of a child on a healing retreat in Hawaii. The retreats are a revitalizing experience for parents, and a safe space to be with others who have gone through the painful death of a child. At the benefit, featured speakers Kristi Kimball, the nonprofit’s founder Heidi Low, and Quinn Kimball posed for a photo. The benefit also included some crowd-pleasers such as the Wine Wall and Dessert Dash. (Photo credit, Blaine + Bethany Photography)
Meryl Riddle dashes for her dessert. Organizers offered a champagne welcome with live music, a silent auction, and live auction.
125 supporters listen to Kristi Kimball share about her daughter Lila, her experiences at the ‘Ohana Oasis retreat, and the way she’s been impacted by Lila’s life.
Gala Chair, Becka Carter shares why she works to put on this gala every year.
From Ohana Oasis:
Ohana means family and an oasis is a refuge. Ohana Oasis is a safe and peaceful space for bereaved parents to spend a week beginning a new way of life. Retreats create a revitalizing personal experience for each parent, as well as a safe space to be with others who have gone through the painful death of a child. Through Ohana Oasis they can hear and share their own fears, struggles, questions, joys and hopes echoed by others. Next year’s event will be held on Saturday, November 14th at the Multnomah Athletic Club.
Portland, OR. It’s still over a month until Christmas, but Local Mud Bay pet stores have some special visitors. Eight Portland-area stores are offering pet owners keepsake pictures of dogs, cats, hamsters or other pets with Santa. All family members are also welcome. The photos benefit The Oregon Humane Society.
Here are the details of the event:
When: Nov. 9-10 and Nov. 16-17, 11 AM – 3 PM
Where: 8 Mud Bay stores in the Portland metro (see below for full list)
What: For $20, you get two prints of a professional 5×7 portrait and a digital copy of your photo.
Why: All proceeds go to help pets at OHS.
Photos will be ready for pick-up at Mud Bay within five days of your photo session.
NONPROFIT BENEFIT TICKET GIVEAWAYS!
Sign up for our free weekly highlights for the chance to win two tickets terrific nonprofit events! If you "like" us on facebook, or sign up for our weekly news highlights, you'll be entered to win! Sign up today!
Look for another ticket giveaway soon! Are you a nonprofit looking to bolster your publicity with facebook and tweets? Email us and we'll run a contest with tickets to your event! [email protected]
