Portland, OR. Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest (BBBS) raised $475,000 at its “Impact of a Connection” gala. After a two-year Covid-prompted hiatus, the benefit was held at The Redd on Salmon Street on September 22nd. It raised funds to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that supporters say help to ignite the power and promise of youth. At the event, Nick Kristof, New York Times Columnist, and Artis Stevens, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters America posed for a photo together. (Photo credit, Adam Levy)
Artis Stevens, President, and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters America
Beach Pace, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest
Lindsey Murphy, event emcee, and Alumni Little Sister
Owa Odighizuwa, Former NFL Player and Alumni of Little Brother, and Artis Stevens, President, and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters America
From Big Brothers Big Sisters:
The sun shined bright as guests arrived to enjoy the cocktail hour, packed with entertainment featuring saxophonist Eldon “T” Jones, Finn the Magician, a 360 photo booth, and delicious cocktails from Tito’s Handmade Vodka. We were joined by a special guest speaker, Artis Stevens, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, who gave a moving speech about the importance of mentorship in the lives of youth. Alumni Little, Lindsey Murphy, celebrated her 30th year in contact with her Big Sister, Melissa, a science teacher that inspired her to start her wildly popular Youtube show, the FabLab.
The night concluded with a celebration of the 2022 Bigs and Littles of the year highlighting the matches of Big Brother Gus and Little Brother Jason and Big Sister Monica and Little Sister Jeni who took the stage to accept their awards. As a community, we were able to raise a record-breaking $475,000 in support of our one-to-one mentoring programs here in Portland and SW Washington. One of the best parts of the night happened among all the staff and event volunteers after the event when, Beach Pace, BBBSCNW CEO, rallied everyone together to take a moment to take pride in all the work we had all put into this event.
A sincere thank you to everyone who made this event a beautiful success. It takes a village, and we are so glad you are a member of our village. Our sincerest appreciation goes out to our 2022 Gala Committee led by co-chairs Suzy Alexander, and Lee Lenker. A BIG thank you to our Presenting Sponsors Twenty Four 7 and Concentrix Catalyst, our Ignite Sponsors The Standard, OnPoint Community Credit Union, Nike, M Financial Group, Cambia Health Solutions, Anderson Construction, our Inspire Sponsors KPMG, Moss Adams, Comcast, Baird, General Sheet Metal, Hillsboro Hops, M Science, Sheldon Warmington & Janel Warmington and Table Sponsors @ACME, Advantis Credit Union, Brown & Brown Insurance. Barran Liebman LLP, Natasha Elhaj-Hedinger, Kaiser Permanente, Moda Health, North Highland, owamagbe odighizuwa, Pacific West Bank, Parker, Smith & Feek, TM Rippey Consulting Engineers and Xenium HR!
Portland, OR. Advantis Credit Union is teaming up with Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) to help students with online learning. The $20,000 grant to SEI represents the first of many funded projects that are part of its new Advantis Allies for Good community giving program, an ongoing commitment to allocating one-third of its annual community giving budget to programs supporting underrepresented and marginalized communities. Partnering with SEI to support those who need it most – in this case, disenfranchised students seeking an education and their families – is a part of Advantis’ renewed community giving commitment. Jason Werts, Advantis President and CEO, explains how the credit union is making an effort to lift up, “people of color, LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented communities.”
Like millions of students across the country, many Oregon students are still struggling with distance learning due to problematic and spotty Internet connections at home.
While districts evaluate in-person classroom time, distance learning will continue for most students. Advantis’ $20,000 SEI grant will directly help local economically disadvantaged students who are impacted the most by online access and connectivity issues. It will provide greater bandwidth to increase internet accessibility for 66 households throughout the metro area, making it easier for students to attend and participate in online classes and other learning activities.
“The kindness and generosity of Advantis Credit Union will play a powerful role in connecting disenfranchised students and their families to education,” said Tony Hopson, SEI President, and CEO. “By providing access to the resources of the internet, as well as receiving technical and educational support, families will have new opportunities to grow their skills and successfully increase their access to information.”
“As a co-op, we are committed to our founding principle of ‘people helping people’ and we’re reshaping our community giving to drive positive change,” said Werts. “Our SEI grant to help students and families access critical education programs online is simply the beginning for us as we support addressing the inequality gap among Black, Brown, Indigenous.”
Advantis Aims to Drive Positive Change by Introducing New Giving Program to supporting communities that have faced historical and ongoing exclusion and underrepresentation. Through the financial support of nonprofits dedicated to helping these communities, education and resource initiatives, new products and services, and volunteer service, the program aims to create greater opportunity and representation within marginalized communities. Advantis’ grant to SEI is the first investment that the credit union has made through its Allies for Good program.
About Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI)
Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) is dedicated to guiding underserved youth to realize their full potential. Working with schools, families, and partner community organizations, SEI provides support, guidance, and opportunities to achieve personal and academic success. SEI brings hope to individual young people and enhances the quality of community life. For more information, visit selfenhancement.org.
About Advantis Credit Union
With $1.8 billion in assets, Advantis Credit Union is Oregon’s sixth-largest not-for-profit financial cooperative. Advantis returns earnings to its members in the form of better rates, low fees, and more free services. Advantis is locally owned by over 79,000 members and has nine branches in the Portland metro area. For more information, visit advantiscu.org.
Portland, August 4th. Volunteers from Advantis Credit Union rolled up their sleeves to help paint an elderly woman’s house in North Portland. They were among 250 community volunteers providing critical plumbing, electrical and carpentry repairs, as well as painting of exterior of homes for senior and disabled individuals. This is the sixth year Advantis employees have participated in the REACH Paint & Repair-a-Thon, pictured are: Caitlin Kellogg, Stephanie Woody, Maria Thorpe, Alisha Friedrich, Sheri Cameron-Mendes, and David San Pedro. The Paint & Repair-a-Thon revitalized 20 homes for REACH Community Development.
REACH – Siemens Workday 2012
“REACH is committed to helping Portland’s seniors be able to live safely in their homes,” says Dee Walsh, REACH Executive Director. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the local business community, who are dedicating a very generous amount of their time, resources, and employees to help our senior citizens stay safe in their homes.”
Support for this year’s Paint & Repair-a-thon event comes from local business and civic partners, including major underwriting provided by: Almar Contracting, Miller Paint, Walsh Construction, Lifetime Windows, Bank of America, Bank of the West, LMC Construction, NW Natural, Advantis Credit Union, Affordable Home Remodeling, Interstate Flooring Company, NW Painting Specialist, Portland Housing Bureau, Milgard Windows, IBEW and the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, Portland Chapter.
In 1982, REACH began revitalizing neighborhoods in southeast Portland. Today, REACH owns 1,400 units of affordable, safe housing and has changed thousands of lives. We couldn’t do this work without you. Your support and dedication has helped REACH in our efforts to provide quality, affordable housing and opportunities for individuals, families and communities to thrive.
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