Portland, OR. The Street Trust’s annual fundraiser, Love In Motion, will look different this year from years past. The February 4th benefit will feature four local leaders sharing stories about what gets them moving. This event will be held virtually for the first time after being held at the Alberta Abbey for several years (as seen above).
Since 1990, The Street Trust has worked to promote and improve public transit, walking, and bicycling conditions in Oregon. The organization works in classrooms, on the streets, in city hall, and the state legislature encouraging and advocating for safe and convenient transportation options.
Erin Haley, Director of Communications, feels hopeful that the community will show up to support the nonprofit, buy raffle tickets, and contribute to the cause despite the event being virtual.
Love In Motion audience members listen to one of the speakers from the 2019 event
The Street Trust, like many other small organizations, has had to make some hard financial decisions this year according to Haley. Unlike previous years, Love In Motion is free to attend virtually and each story will have a mobility spin to it. American Sign Language will also be provided.
“The proceeds from this fundraiser will support the work of Street Trust to make streets safe, accessible, and equitable for all,” said Haley, “We hope to inspire people to consider a more environmentally friendly way of moving to their destinations but also to engage with the Street Trust in our advocacy work!”
Each year, Love In Motion features four different speakers alongside an emcee. Ayleen Crotty, producer and moderator of Film By Bikes will be the emcee of this year’s event. This year’s featured storytellers can be found below.
2021 Love In Motion Storytellers Pam Slaughter, Augusto Carneiro, Paul Buchanan, and Candace Avalos.
Here’s some information about the speakers:
Pam Slaughter is the Founder of People of Color Outdoors
Augusto Carneiro is the Founder and fearless leader of Nossa Familia Coffee
Paul Buchanan is the Former Vice President of West Seattle Bike connections
Candace Avalos is a Board member for Portland: Neighbors Welcome, and a newly appointed Chapter Review Commissioner for the City of Portland
According to Haley, the organization is thrilled to have this diverse group of storytellers. “All involved have been very generous with their time and energy and we expect it to be a wonderfully informative and fun experience.”
Although Love In Motion will be held on a different platform the event’s annual bike raffle is still happening. This year’s prize is a BMC Alpenchallenge E-Bike donated to the organization from Clever Cycles.
This year’s Love In Motion raffle prize is a BMC Alpenchallenge E-Bike
Haley encourages people to register for the event, “It is sure to be an evening of community and connection, hopefully, some laughter and maybe even some tears. Raffle tickets are also on sale now and are limited so don’t wait! Visit us at www.thestreettrust.org for more information.”
Raffle tickets can be bought through this link or text “BIKERAFFLE” to 44-321.
From The Street Trust website: The Street Trust staff and board are committed to creating communities where people can meet their daily transportation needs through active transportation.
Portland, OR. The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was one of the most destructive on record in the state of Oregon; more than one million acres of forestry burned taking homes as well. In response to the fires, Oregon Parks Forever set a goal of raising funds to plant one million trees. Currently, funding and planning are in the early stages with a goal of beginning to replant trees this Fall at the earliest.
Seth Miller, Executive Director of Oregon Parks Forever, touches on the benefits of replanting trees, “Why should we replant after a fire? Trees provide the very necessities of life. They clear our air, protect our drinking water, create healthy communities and feed our souls. Our forests provide critical wildlife habitat, natural beauty, and recreational opportunities. They sequester carbon and help reduce soil erosion by stabilizing slopes and preventing landslides.”
According to Miller, Oregon fires this past summer was more than twice the amount of damage the state has experienced in recent years.
Depending on how much money is raised and after determining the greatest need and potential impact, Oregon Parks Forever will work with the following agencies and county departments:
Public land managers from the US Forest Service
Oregon Department of Forestry
Bureau of Land Management
Oregon Parks & Recreation
County park departments in Clackamas, Marion, Lane, and Jackson counties
More than 1 million acres of forest in Oregon burned this past summer.
By planting these trees, Oregon Parks Forever aims to have the highest impact of visual benefits as well as recreational. According to Miller, U.S. Route 22 between Salem to Bend has one of the highest burn areas and will be a high priority area.
This comes at a time where budgets of public land managers are already stressed due to ongoing funding challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic according to Miller. There are a number of promotional events going on currently, including a promotion for Oregon Parks Forever with KGW TV for the next couple of months.
Promotions with other TV stations will also occur later this Spring along with a co-branding deal with a winery, brewery, and cidery in the summertime. To help raise the funds needed in order to complete the goal of one million trees the organization is in need of donations.
From the Oregon Parks Forever website:
There are currently three ways to help donate:
Use this link to the Oregon Parks Forever website to make a donation
Send a TEXT to 41444 with the message REPLANT
Use your Smartphone camera at this QR code below
Currently, there are no volunteer opportunities available at this early stage but keep an eye out for Oregon Parks Forever monthly newsletter with the most current updates on the project. Use this link to access the Wildfire Impact Panel video recording that Oregon Parks Forever held on Nov. 17, 2020, about the fires. The passcode for the recording is: trees4parks!
Our mission is to raise funds to enhance and preserve special places and experiences in Oregon’s parks, now and for generations to come, and to encourage and promote an outdoor lifestyle.
Portland, OR. Portland Rose Festival Foundation has elected Dave Todd (pictured with his grandson, Henry) as the new president for a two-year term. Todd is a retired Navy Captain (Reserve) and recently retired from a 33-year career as a university-level teacher. Todd plans on leading a group of board members into the new year of 2021 with the theme “Hope Reigns” for the Portland Rose Festival.
Todd shared his thoughts on the transition into the new year, “All of us feel a sense of loss as we look back on the year that spun out of control and changed our Festival so dramatically. Even so, those of us who work and volunteer for the Festival remain grateful that we are privileged to be a part of the world’s best Festival. The pay-forward for that privilege is we must do everything we can to make sure that the Festival does what it needs to do whenever people are able to return to it. We want the Festival always to be an escape, a celebration, and not a reminder of what was lost.”
“Hope Reigns” 2021 Portland Rose Festival Theme
Todd also served as a Rose Festival Director for 31 years where he worked on a wide variety of committees, held all but one of the Foundation’s elective offices, and chaired multiple committees including seven terms as Chair of the Fleet Committee.
Secretary Dr. Thompson Faller – University of Portland (Retired)
Treasurer Bill Poppino – Corporate Airline Pilot
Assistant Treasurer Dayna Kirk – The Standard
The Festival board has also elected three new directors for 2021 including Steve Welch, a Senior Mortgage Banker with Guild Mortgage Company and member of the Rose Festival Clowns. Tragically on Jan. 3, 2021, Welch passed away due to a non- COVID illness.
Welch was well respected by the Rose Festival staff and volunteers not only for his wonderful antics as a member of the Festival’s clown family but as an incredibly warm and compassionate person.
The elected 2021 Directors include:
Tamara (Tam) Allison – Associate Financial Analyst at Portland General Electric
Steven Welch – Senior Mortgage Banker with Guild Mortgage Company (deceased)
Mary Abbott Young – Realtor with Coldwell Banker
Looking forward, Todd speaks on health and continuing the tradition of the Portland Rose Festival, “The health of our community and our friends around the world remains the most important thing. The Portland Rose Festival is here to stay. We continue to plan for a Rose Festival celebration when conditions allow.”
From Portland Rose Festival website: The Portland Rose Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves families and individuals with programs and events that promote the arts, education, and volunteerism. We value environmental responsibility, diversity, patriotism, and our historic & floral heritage.
Portland, OR. The season of giving doesn’t have to end with Christmas; it can continue through AmazonSmile, a program that automatically donates to a nonprofit organization of your choice. The program offers all of the same items, prices, and benefits of online shopping while donating 0.5% of your purchases to the charity of your choice. Some even use AmazonSmile while shopping on their phones, as seen above.
A recent quarterly AmazonSmile notification informed shoppers that the Oregon Food Bank (seen above before the pandemic) recently received a donation of $1,752.15, at no cost to them.
AmazonSmile launched in 2013 and for the past seven years, it has provided a way for customers to support organizations they care about every time they shop. This program comes at no cost to the organizations or customers, and donations could help a wide range of organizations from global humanitarian efforts to local hospitals to school PTA’s.
“Donations from AmazonSmile have resulted in hundreds of thousands of charities expanding their meaningful work across global communities making a difference in people’s lives,” said Llew Mason, Vice President of Consumer Engagement at Amazon. “We are thrilled to have given over $215 million on behalf of customers to the causes they care about most.”
AmazonSmile can be accessed through a web browser and also through the app for iPhones and Android phones. Another way to directly donate items is through the AmazonSmile Charity Lists where the organization will have a list of items of what is needed most.
For first time users, to access the program first visit smile.amazon.com. Then follow the steps below.
Sign in with your Amazon credentials
Choose a charitable organization to receive donations or search the charity of your choice
Then just select the organization and start shopping
Current spotlight organizations include UNCF (United Negro College Fund), Equal Justice Initiative, Feeding America, Save the Children, and Meals On Wheels America. In addition, there are also thousands of organizations to browse and choose from which are sorted into categories such as international or even by state.
When beginning to give back and donate there will be a choice between spotlight charities and searching for an organization.
Organizations can also register for AmazonSmile by visiting: org.amazon.com/signout and follow the steps below.
Click the yellow “Register Now” button
Search for your organization by name or EIN
Click the yellow “Register” button next to your organization’s name
Follow the instructions to complete registration
Tanya Ramos, CEO for Pencils of Promise, explains how the donations with AmazonSmile have helped the organization, “Education is the most powerful tool we can use to change the world. Thanks to the generosity of AmazonSmile customers, Pencils of Promise has helped provide access to quality education for over 100,000 children around the globe.”
From the AmazonSmile Foundation website: The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile program. All donation amounts generated by the AmazonSmile program are remitted by a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. to the AmazonSmile Foundation. In turn, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates those amounts to the charitable organizations selected by our customers. Amazon pays all expenses of the AmazonSmile Foundation; they are not deducted from the donation amounts generated by purchases on AmazonSmile.
Portland, OR. The Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board approved a $2.9 million investment in emergency food assistance through the Oregon Food Bank Network — a critical allocation at a time when nearly one in five state residents face hunger. The measure will increase the amount of nutritious food available at Oregon pantries and meal sites over the course of the next three months, as the ongoing pandemic continues to impact area communities. The Legislative Emergency Board funds allocated earlier this month will help to address rising food insecurity across Oregon in the wake of COVID-19.
Oregon Food Bank officials say they still need donations to meet the growing need of local families.
CEO Susannah Morgan reacted to the legislative action: “The Emergency Board’s investment comes at a critical time for our communities, as our neighbors experience food insecurity at the highest rate in a century. The pandemic has brought hunger and poverty to the doorsteps of thousands of Oregon families for the first time, and the situation is even worse in communities that have faced disproportionate challenges for generations. Long-standing structural inequities have ensured that the pandemic’s public health and economic impacts fall more heavily on people of color, immigrants and refugees, single parents and caregivers, and our trans and gender non-conforming neighbors — many of whom serve in essential, front-line roles within our healthcare and food systems.”
She continues, “Throughout the pandemic, our network of 21 regional food banks and 1,400 local partners has moved mountains to ensure that nutritious food is available to everyone who needs it. But the economic fallout of COVID-19 has been compounded by devastating wildfires, and significant support is needed to continue to meet these crises head-on. With today’s action, the Emergency Board has made a significant and critical investment in the food security of millions of Oregonians whose lives have been destabilized in one of the most challenging years in recent memory.”
Representatives from Tyson Foods and Smart Foodservice teamed up to provide a donation of protein in November.
Food Bank officials say Federal action on COVID relief is desperately needed to shore up safety net programs that provide vital support for struggling families, from Unemployment Insurance to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. And thousands of our neighbors face homelessness at year’s end if the full state legislature does not convene to extend Oregon’s eviction and foreclosure moratorium. Our communities are facing one of the worst public health and economic crises in generations, and we need bold action from elected leaders at all levels to help ensure we all emerge stronger.
It’s not too late to give back this season and many organizations are currently donating a portion of their sales to the Oregon Food Bank through December. Currently, food donations have been put on pause for Oregon Food Bank’s as well as having to reduce the number of volunteers from about 100 to 10 due to COVID-19.
The Oregon Food Bank has also canceled its food drives right now, but these organizations below are offering another way to help those experiencing food insecurity. For more information on each of the different organizations and to help donate to the Oregon Food Bank click on the links below.
Ashley Mumm, Public Relations Manager, explains that there are also other fundraisers throughout the year to help the Oregon Food Bank, “In addition to those that are on the calendar, there’s a lot of activity going on in the community, which is amazing.”
People also have the option to create a peer-to-peer fundraiser to help combat hunger and rally friends, family, and/or co-workers to help out. This option is open all year long and just $1 helps the Oregon Food Bank distribute three meals in the community.
Over 1 million people will experience food insecurity for the first time this year according to Mumm. This has increased from last year where about 860,000 people were experiencing food insecurity. Despite this increase, Mumm reminds people, “That we’re here, food is available; please get food.”
An additional way to look for opportunities to give back is by using #OregonFoodBank on Instagram that usually has other activities happening around the state from small businesses/individuals. The online app, OregonFoodFinder.org, allows people to search by zip code, days and times of operations, and what each partner offers (groceries/food/meals, etc.).
Giving back can mean more than just donating, Mumm explains, “For those that are safe and feel comfortable, volunteers are always welcome. We have over 400 partners in the metro area that are also potentially welcoming volunteers.”
From the Oregon Food Bank Website: Our mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes because no one should be hungry.
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