Portland, April, 25th, 2015. More than 2,000 local Comcast NBC Universal employees and their families, friends and community partnered across Oregon and SW Washington joined forces to “make change happen.” There were several projects including the region’s flagship effort at Glenfair Elementary School in NE Portland with more than 315 volunteers. Other Portland projects were held with Binky Patrol, Friends of Zenger Farm, Children’s Book Bank, Hacienda CDC, Oregon Food Bank, and Native American Youth and Family Center.
More than 315 volunteers help Glenfair Elementary on Comcast Cares Day. Projects included outdoor gardening and landscaping.
Meaghan Heupel, among more than 90 volunteers, gardens at Native American Youth and Family Center on Comcast Cares Day. (Photo by Kim Hansen.)
Comcast Cares Day volunteers Leo Harbo, Tiana Sablan, and Louanne Mendiola garden at Glenfair Elementary. Photo by Aaron Hockley.
Comcast Cares Day, which takes place each April during National Volunteer Month, is Comcast NBCUniversal’s companywide celebration of its year-round commitment to service and the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort in the country. This year, more than 90,000 Comcast and NBCUniversal volunteers participated in more than 750 projects across the country and around the globe. To date, volunteers have contributed more than 3.7 million service hours to improve nearly 6,000 projects in the U.S. and around the world since Comcast Cares Day started in 2001.
“Comcast Cares Day was a huge success with more than 2,000 volunteers in Oregon & SW Washington. I am grateful for everyone who made change happen in our schools and communities,” said Rodrigo Lopez, regional senior vice president for Comcast. “Not only did our employees come out, but so did volunteers from the project sites and community partner groups such as United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, Hands On Greater Portland, SOLVE, Urban League of Portland, Adelante Mujeres, Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, Friends of Trees, and Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon. It is heartwarming to see the significant impact we can make together in just one day, and it is inspiring to see and hear how volunteers make a difference all year long.”
The Comcast Foundation will also provide grants to local community partner organizations across the country on behalf of everyone who volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. The grants will help Comcast’s community partners continue their mission of serving the community throughout the year. To date, the Comcast Foundation has awarded more than $16 million in grants to local non-profit organizations who have partnered with us on Comcast Cares Day. Comcast has been committed to serving local communities since our founding more than 50 years ago. For more information on Comcast’s volunteer and community investment initiatives, visit www.comcast.com/community.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About the Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified nonprofit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—promoting community service, expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow’s leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated nearly $158 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.
Portland, April 18th, 2015. The fifth annual Swing into Spring Fundraiser was held at Riverside Golf and Country Club. 175 guests gathered to support The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center’s mission to provide mental health services to all regardless of faith or finances. Over $50,00 was raised to provide these services. At the event, Barbara and Richard Katz received the Compassionate Heart Award for their many years of support to the Center. They are pictured with their family members: Barbara Katz, Ben Katz, Betsy Kat, and Richard Katz (Photo credit, Soulayvanh Beisel)
Michelle Meyer, Cyndy Smith-English, Beth Sorensen, and Colby Westhead
The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center supports and strengthens our community by providing professional mental health services to all, regardless of faith or finances.
All people, regardless of social, economic or religious circumstances, have access to professional mental health counseling. The community recognizes the importance of good mental health and value of accessible mental health care, understanding that appropriate counseling and medication management leads to positive social outcomes: healthier relationships, more stable families, more effective parenting, decreased domestic violence, more productive employees, decreased criminal activity, and wiser use of financial resources.
The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center commits its professional, creative, and fiscal resources to the compassionate care of each person it encounters. The non-profit agency serves a wide variety of people and has a special commitment to women and children, who bear the greatest weight of the dual burdens of poverty and mental health issues. Staff members employ a broad range of therapeutic models and tools, all focused on the healing and well-being of clients. The organization draws support from a broad cross-section of community partners, including clients, care-providers, organizations, and individual supporters. While always keeping client care at the forefront, the organization utilizes a successful business model and sound fiscal policies, ensuring its ability to always provide mental health care for those requesting it.
We believe in:
Justice – receiving health care as a basic right Compassion – nurturing hope and healing Collaboration – partnering with clients, the community and our staff Excellence – assuring the highest level of care for all
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.
Beaverton, April 15th, 2015. NIKE, Inc. has announced that grants totaling $250,000 are being distributed to 24 local nonprofits and schools through the Nike Employee Grant Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation’slatest funding cycle. The Nike Employee Grant Fund supports projects that encourage physical activity in meaningful ways, especially those that get kids active and enjoying physical education, sports and play. One of the grants went to Human Solutions. Each year, Human Solutions provides shelter and/or housing to over 1000 families, including over 400 homeless children.
This marks the Fund’s fifth year of supporting organizations that contribute to making Oregon and Southwest Washington great places to live and work. Since its launch in 2010, the Fund has provided nearly 250 grants toareaorganizations and schools, totaling over $2.7 million and serving almost 570,000 community members.
Special Olympics Oregon athletes and volunteers smile at the winter games.
“There are so many innovative organizations doing exemplary and courageous things here in our own backyard, and we’re proud to have partnered with many of them over the past five years through the Nike Employee Grant Fund,” said Kathy Webb, Nike’s Community Impact Manager. “This cycle’s award recipients represent 24 more shining examples of local organizations that are improving the health and vitality of our kids and communities.”
This cycle’s award recipients feature a wide variety of organizations in the greater Portland area, including Tualatin Riverkeepers, for a program that engages Native American youth in culturally relevant outdoor exercise, and Victory Academy, to build an innovative outdoor exercise and fitness space specifically designed for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“We are truly grateful to the Nike Employee Grant Fund for supporting the addition of an outdoor exercise and fitness space at the new Victory Academy campus, and helping us promote health, sport, play and wellness with our students, ” said Tricia Hasbrook, Founder and Director of Victory Academy. “Because of the generosity of NEGF, Victory will be the first school in Oregon with an outdoor area created especially for this population of learners and athletes.”
Nike Employees Involved from Start to Finish
Nike employees are directly involved with the Nike Employee Grant Fund, both in the grant-making process and the resulting projects. With Oregon Community Foundation oversight, a committee of 12 Nike employees — all of whom care deeply about helping these communities thrive — review the applications and develop grant recommendations. Employees at Nike World Headquarters continue their involvement by volunteering their time and professional experience to help the selected nonprofits achieve their objectives.
“Each time I read through the applications, I feel a strong sense of commitment to these organizations and their communities. There is so much great work being done in Nike’s backyard,” said Shyla Spicer, 2014/2015 Nike Employee Grant Fund committee member and Portfolio & Program Manager in Nike’s Sustainable Business and Innovation group.
Next Funding Cycle Now Open
Applications are due June 1, 2015, for the next round of Nike awards, with $300,000 in cash grants being offered to nonprofits and schools in the greater Portland area (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, and Columbia counties in Oregon and Clark county in southwest Washington).
Grants are one-year awards totaling between $5,000 and $20,000 each. Seventy-five percent of grant awards support organizations and projects that are creating a world where physical activity, play and sports are highly valued, and twenty-five percent support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative community-based solutions.
The online grant application process is streamlined and straightforward. A preview of the required information is available here.
Nike Employee Grant Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Awardees
The following 24 organizations received grants with the 2014/-2015 funding cycle:
Organization
Project Description
Adelante Mujeres (Forest Grove)
Help Latina girls in grades 3-12 learn ways to improve their fitness, self-esteem and overall health, and build leadership skills while working together as a team.
Beaverton Arts & Culture Foundation (Beaverton)
Foster community connections with Beaverton’s homeless youth population through photography and storytelling opportunities.
Bethel Neighborhood Youth Drop-In Center (Portland)
Remove barriers to physical activity by offering swimming lessons to neighborhood kids during the summer.
Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) (Portland)
Work with community partners by expanding access to bicycling to low-income youth and families through positive, on-street riding experiences.
Chelsea Hicks Foundation (Tualatin)
Bring hope and healing through active therapeutic play to seriously ill children and their families at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.
Chess for Success (Portland)
Help economically disadvantaged and minority youth develop skills to improve behavior and academic performance.
City of Clatskanie
Develop and expand fitness trails to improve access to safe and active modes of transportation for students, families and the larger Clatskanie community.
Community Cycling Center (Portland)
Offer Bike Camp scholarships to address inequities in access to physical activity for disadvantaged children from low-income families.
Five Oaks Middle School (Beaverton)
Develop a fitness lab in the PE Department for the entire student body of both Five Oaks and Rachel Carson Environmental Middle Schools.
FosterClub, Inc. (Seaside)
Capture the stories and perspectives of foster youth and communicate their insights to inspire other youth and inform the future of foster care.
Human Solutions (Portland)
Nurture the intellectual and emotional wellbeing of low-income youth to help them break the cycle of generational poverty and reach their full potential.
Impact Northwest (Portland)
Enhance student access to physical activity and positive experiences by developing running clubs at three Beaverton elementary schools.
Lot Whitcomb Elementary School PALs Group (Milwaukie)
Create a surfaced track where students and community members can continue to develop a love of running and movement during their school day and after-school activities.
Meals on Wheels People (Portland)
Support EnhanceFitness, an evidence-based exercise
program for seniors that emphasizes strength, flexibility,
improving balance and fall prevention.Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies (Oregon City)Install an adaptive traverse climbing wall to allow youth with special needs and disadvantaged youth to participate in physical activities.NW Kidney Kids, Inc. (Portland)Provide support, recreation and opportunities for teens and children with chronic kidney disease (living with transplant or on dialysis) and their immediate families.Oregon Child Development Coalition (Wilsonville)Improve a physical play space for approximately 400 preschoolers at OCDC’s Enterprise Circle center in Hillsboro, adding a shade canopy, tricycle path, plants and trees.Oregon Food Bank (Portland)Expand OFB’s Learning Gardens educational program and make additional fresh produce available to children and families throughout the Portland Metropolitan area.Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (Portland)Provide young women with work experience to learn the value of on-the-job training and trades careers within an all-female learning environment.Reading Results (Portland)To expand the innovative, proven tutoring program for low-income students in grades 1-3 in six Portland schools.Special Olympics Oregon (Portland)Expand SOOR’s Unified Sports program, which partners athletes with and without intellectual disabilities.Tender Loving Care Think-N-Try (Portland)Support an active day camp for kids living in Portland’s inner city, helping the campers learn how to have healthy bodies and gain self-esteem.Tualatin Riverkeepers (Tualatin)Engage Native American youth in culturally relevant outdoor exercise such as hiking, kayaking, tree planting and exotic plant removal on public lands.Victory Academy (Wilsonville)Build an innovative outdoor exercise and fitness space specifically designed for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, Nike’s earnings releases and other financial information are available at http://investors.nike.com. Individuals can also visit http://news.nike.com/ and follow @Nike.
The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awards more than $70 million annually in grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit oregoncf.org
Portland, April 4th, 2015. The Portland Children’s Museum is presenting Hannah Viano, Author of S is for Salmon: A Northwest Alphabet, and the upcoming book Arrow to Alaska: A Northwest Adventure, as Artist in Residence for its 2015 Artist in Residence Season.
Hannah Viano, Author of S is for Salmon: A Northwest Alphabet.
S is for Salmon: A Northwest Alphabet book.
Visitors to Portland Children’s Museum can now create artwork with talented professional artists through the museum’s Artist in Residence Program, an ongoing artist series. Funded through Summer 2017 by generous donations from Arlene Schnitzer and The Collins Foundation—with additional funding this year from Regional Arts & Culture Council and Juliet Ashby Hillman Foundation—the program provides museum guests opportunities to explore high quality art materials and the artistic process at the Museum.
As part of the 2015 Artist in Residence season, Hannah Viano will be onsite for a number of days through April 30th, 2015. She will be working with children and families to complete an illustrated guide of the plants and animals found in Outdoor Adventure, the Museum’s outdoor play space which opened on Earth Day of 2014. Hannah’s process involves observation of nature through painting, drawing, paper cutting, and screen printing.
Join the Portland Children’s Museum and Hannah Viano for some creative play and learning on various week and weekend days, including Earth Day, April 22nd; and for a Gallery Showing of completed final works in the Portland Children’s Museum’s Art Gallery from May 1st through July 25th. For more information about specific dates and times the artist will be in studio please visit www.portlandcm.org/hannah-viano. To view images of Hannah Viano’s work visit hannahviano.com/.
For more information about Artist in Residence Programs or to apply for residency please contact [email protected].
ABOUT PORTLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
We’re a museum that doesn’t act like a museum because our audience—children and the adults who care for them—is more important to us than anything we collect. Instead of investing in precious objects, we create priceless opportunities for our visitors to learn through play.
LOCATION In Washington Park across from Oregon Zoo; 4015 SW Canyon Road, Portland, 97221
HOURS Open Daily, 9am-5pm • Target Free First Friday (first Friday every month) 4-8pm
ADMISSION Members: Free • Under age 1: Free; Ages 1-54: $10 • Over 55 & military: $9
Portland, March 14, 2015. A Night On The Town raises more than $115,000 for Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington. Auctioneer John Glines kicked off the live auction with a dessert package of 3 bottles of Veuve Cliquot and a chocolate cake prepared by Carrie Merrill, the pastry chef at Toro Bravo. The
Portland-based nonprofit provides arts in education to more than 80,000 K-12 students each year.
Emcee Adam Bjaranson, the TV studio host of the Portland Trail Blazers, followed a welcome by Isabella Trinchero, a 12-year-old who has participated in Young Audiences programming for years. Bjaranson talked about how becoming a father was a turning point for his understanding of the importance of art in the lives of young people.
Keith Daly celebrates upon winning the Golden Ticket — which raised $10,000 and secured Keith a venue for his upcoming wedding reception.
The Patrick Lamb Band provided the soundtrack to a festive, successful evening.
City Commissioner Nick Fish also took to the stage with Executive Director Cary Clarke, reprising a reading of a proclamation by Mayor Charlie Hales the preceding Wednesday declaring March 15 to 21 to be Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week.
Commissioner Nick Fish thanked Cary Clarke for championing the arts first at City Hall, and now as Young Audiences’ Executive Director.
Throughout the evening, guests gave generously through live and silent auctions, and during a rousing paddle raise. Cheers rang out when Isabella drew the winning Golden Ticket (which helped raise $10,000 for youth arts!) Golden Ticket winners Keith Daly and new fiancé Jake Goage, selected a private party at Holocene as their auction prize – for just $200, and just three weeks after their engagement, they’ve secured a venue and party planner for their upcoming wedding reception!
The reception featured music by the Patrick Lamb Band, who kicked up their energy levels to close the program and extend the evening with dancing.
Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington inspires young people and expands their learning through the arts.
Portland, March 27th, 2015. A new sustainable savings coupon book is helping non-profit Trash For Peace expand their visibility and programs. Trash For Peace, which teaches urban kids about recycling and healthy eating, was featured at coupon book launch party and fundraiser at Slide Inn Restaurant.
Publisher, Raymond F. Quinton said, “I love what Trash For Peace does and what they stand for. They give urban kids a chance to have some hands on involvement with recycling and sustainability, and they get to see how to grow that involvement into business opportunities.”
Here’s an the website address with more information about the sustainable savings coupon booklet: www.globalmarketingconcepts.info
Organizers say sustainability should be a lifelong pursuit and should touch everyone in the community, regardless of race, color, gender or economic status. Global Marketing Concepts is committed to doing its part to make a difference, in part by publishing an exclusive coupon book that supports impacting sustainability everyday.
As a 501(c)3 organization, our mission is to turn “trash” into “peace”. To educate and spread awareness about the capacity we have as human beings to use our creativity and innovation to replace the concept of trash with resourcefulness and giving back. We strive to encourage people to reduce, reuse, and then recycle for a healthier and more peaceful planet.
Vision: Empowered, healthy communities living in a world without waste.
The event, sponsored by LoanStar Home Lending and Global Marketing Concepts had door prizes, from local sustainability focused businesses.
Trash For Peace, founded by Executive Director Laura Kuchner, works with schools to teach kids how to build recycling bins from recycled materials, teaches kids zero waste, healthy cooking techniques, and has plans to expand their coffee roasting project with a solar roaster to teach youths how to run a sustainable business.
Presenting Sponsor LoanStar Home Lending SVP of Marketing and Business Development, Kenn Bartley said, “We want to do our part and support the businesses and community who care about our future. We are demonstrating that sustainability can be fun, too! Everyone will also have an opportunity to learn more about energy conservation, indoor air quality, available remodeling and rehabilitation loans, loan incentive programs and discover the advantages of purchasing new energy efficient homes.”
From Trash For Peace:
As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, our founder, Laura Kutner, helped create the youth development program that focused on integrating a life skills curriculum into rural schools. One of the schools she worked in also happened to need new classrooms. One day during recess she realized that a technique she had heard about through the organization Pura Vida Atitlan could be modified to build these exact classrooms using plastic bottles and trash! After proposing the idea to the community, that is exactly what they did!
Soon the streets of Granados were much cleaner, as the entire community worked together to stuff more than 6,000 bottles full of trash to build the walls of their new classrooms. Towards the end of the project, the Non-governmental organization Hug it Forward stepped in to help finance the rest of the cement, doors, and windows that were necessary. As a result, a wonderful partnership was born. Hug it Forward is now working on their 16th bottle school in Guatemala!
Not long after the bottle school was complete, Tropical Storm Agatha surprised Guatemala with its strength and endurance. Many villages flooded, homes were destroyed, and worst of all, some lives were lost. In San Miguel Duenas, the second village where Laura lived, the flooding was made demonstrably worse because thousands of plastic bottles were dragged by the river to the foot of the bridge that led into the town, creating a giant plug. The community was shocked to see that trash had created such a disaster.
The storm was a reminder to Laura that – although much great work had been done with the bottle classrooms, there was much work still to be done. When she returned to the United States, she wanted to continue sharing this story and teaching the lessons learned from it, by finding creative and innovate ways of encouraging people to incorporate the values of reducing and reusing into their lives, and to see waste as a resource for positive change. She loves working with communities to teach them how to turn their trash into peace, sharing these ideas and experiences through creative construction. It was in this way that Trash for Peace was born, and the incredible people and communities that become involved and volunteer their time and energy are what make this organization flourish.
Portland, March 6th, 2015. Power of the Purse 2015 featured 15 local celebrities (“Purse-o-nalities”) who were matched with 15 hand-picked local designers to create one-of-a-kind purses that were auctioned off during the event. The unique designs helped to tell the stories of each strong, smart and bold Purse-o-nality and how their purse-everance lead them to where they are today. Presented by LifeMap, the Power of the Purse benefit for Girl’s Inc. took place on at the Portland Hilton. Girls Council member, Salma, walked the runway with Nike Bags Team purse for Vanessa Garcia-Brito, Senior Director, Partnerships & Strategic Communications for the Nike Foundation and 2015 Purse-o-nality. (Photo credit: Jennifer Alyse Photography)
Each year, Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest invites local women and men to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Power of the Purse, a fundraiser to benefit Girls Inc. programs created from research-based curricula that equip girls with the confidence and self-esteem to drive toward a bright and economically-independent future.
The gala included both a live auction and silent auction, boutique shopping, a fashion show featuring Girls Inc. girls modeling specially-designed purses, and dinner and drinks.
Some of the Purse-o-nalities included: the von Trapps, musical group; Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon’s 1st Congressional District; Chris McGowan, President and CEO of Portland Trail Blazers; Mike Golub and his wife Sam Shelhorse, President of Portland Timbers and Thorns; Tracy Curtis, Regional Vice President of Wells Fargo; and Heather Killough, philanthropist and owner of Lucky Limousine, along with 9 other inspiring women and men.
Girls Inc. girl, Alexis, shows off the purse designed by Christina Castillo Designs for Purse-o-nality Aneshka Dickson.
Tracy Curtis, Regional VP for Wells Fargo and one of the 2015 Purse-o-nalities, poses with Timber Joey.
Rukaiyah Adams, Chief Investment Officer at Meyer Memorial Trust and 2015 Purse-o-nality, poses with her guests.
The 2015 Power of the Purse designers tasked with representing the remarkable Purse-o-nalities included the Ellington Handbags, Spooltown, the Nike Bags team, Christina Castillo Designs, E. Jerome Piece, Minou-Minou, and others.
Ellington Handbags designed for Helen Raptis, co-host of AM Northwest on KATU and 2015 Purse-o-nality.
Girls Council members take the runway to the delight of the crowd.
Beth Andersen, President & CEO of LifeMap, stops for applause with designer Ahmed Abidine of Elkarti and Girls Inc. girl Litea.
Girls Council member, Salma, walks the runway with Nike Bags Team purse for Vanessa Garcia-Brito, Senior Director, Partnerships & Strategic Communications for the Nike Foundation and 2015 Purse-o-nality.
Girls Inc. girl, Rowan, sings with the von Trapps (2015 Purse-o-nalities).
The Purse-o-nalities were each matched with one Girls Council girl, providing a unique opportunity to expand her world, learn about various careers, and develop relationships with successful women and men in the community. This mentor relationship allows the Girls Council girl to further develop her leadership skills and build confidence in her bright future.
Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest would like to thank its 2015 Power of the Purse sponsors: LifeMap, Wells Fargo, The Standard, Heather Killough, Knowledge Universe, Comcast, Ernst & Young, Hanna Andersson, Kaiser, Walsh Construction, Trail Blazers, Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, TBIB Creative, Cindy Thompson Event Productions and Portland Monthly.
Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest offers programs for girls 6-18 around the greater Portland area. Girls Inc. programs focus on developing healthy behaviors, adopting new life skills, and encouraging girls to reach higher. Our proven curriculum provides age-appropriate, research-based, and culturally relevant content for girls to explore. Girls have the opportunity to develop the following skills:
Create meaningful, supportive peer groups that encourage female solidarity
Grow self-esteem that carries over to home, school, and the community
Develop sound decision-making and communication skills
Assert themselves as confident individuals throughout their lives
Build key leadership skills and strong work ethics
Portland, February 27th, 2015. More than 300 guests attended The Freshwater Trust’s 32nd Annual Gala and Auction. Held at the Portland Art Museum, the event raised $325,000. The Freshwater Trust, an Oregon-based water conservation non-profit, will use these funds to increase the pace and scale of river restoration throughout the state and region. The Freshwater Trust president Joe Whitworth caught up with with World Resource Institute senior associate Todd Gartner and Equilibrium Capital founder and president David Chen during cocktail hour.
Guests raised their paddles to raise more than $325,000, a single-night record for the event.
Pacific Power CEO and president Pat Reiten and his wife Randi served as the event’s co-chairs.
Guests bid on packages during the silent auction held in the Sunken Ballroom of the Portland Art Museum.
“Because of our guests’ generosity, we reached our fundraising goal for this event and increased our net income significantly over previous years,” said Joe Whitworth, president of The Freshwater Trust. “We want to thank our donors and sponsors for making this incredible night of fundraising possible.”
After dinner, guests enjoyed after-dinner drinks, desserts and dancing at the after-party in the Sunken Ballroom.
The Freshwater Trust is a501(c)(3) not-for-profit that restores rivers and streams throughout the Pacific Northwest using technology, data, and cooperative, market-based solutions that benefit rivers, working lands and local communities. The organization is dedicated to accelerating the pace and scale of quantified environmental restoration in order to achieve environmental gains on a timeline that matters. For more information visit www.thefreshwatertrust.org.
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