Portland, OR. Community members gathered at the Oregon Convention Center for The ALS Association‘s Together for ALS Gala. Over 450 attendees joined the organization’s first “in-person” gala event since 2019. ‘Together for ALS’ raised $360,000 to support families living with ALS in Oregon and SW Washington. Stuart and Michelle Faris, seen above, attended the September 24th benefit to honor Malcolm Fylan. (Photo credit, Randy Boverman)
Keynote speaker Mary Porter from Parkdale, Oregon was welcomed by the emcee for the evening Valerie Hurst, a reporter, and anchor for KATU-TV.
ALS Association Executive Lance Christian with State Treasurer Tobias Read and his wife Heidi Read
Jeff and Natalie Newgard of Peak Consulting sponsored the event and welcomed guests.
DeeAnn Little and Barb Deeming enjoyed the night in memory of Randy Cadonau
There’s a video from Oregon and SW Washington Chapter of The ALS Association. (Editor’s note: the video features my unfailingly positive uncle, David Judd. He’s still going strong!)
From the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter:
The Oregon and SW Washington Chapter of The ALS Association provides support and resources for people living with ALS, their families, and caregivers living in the State of Oregon and the six counties of Southwest Washington.
Portland, OR. The fourth annual Tennis Ball to benefit Portland Tennis & Education (PT&E) was a “smashing” success. On November 2nd over 365 education advocates, philanthropists, business leaders, tennis players, and other supporters packed the Melody Event Center in Southeast Portland. They raised $250,000 which is a record for PT&E and will be earmarked for afterschool programs that feature academic support and tennis coaching for low-income students. (Photo credit, Matt Banner)
Scholar athlete Leilani shares the story of her 10 years in the PT&E program.
At the event, board members Susie Hunt Moran, Executive Director Jorge Fuenmayor and board member Harry Aldrich pose for a photo.
Guests gathered around tables decorated with vintage wooden tennis racquets for cocktails, dinner, and live and silent auctions and had the opportunity to hear from two longtime PT&E students who shared their stories and the impact the program has made in their lives.
From Portland Tennis & Education:
Portland Tennis & Education (PT&E) is dedicated to the academic success and lifelong health of Portland’s underserved youth and their families. PT&E students, known within the organization as scholar-athletes, participate in a year-round, tuition-free program that includes academic tutoring, project-based learning, fitness, outdoor education, science and music clubs, and tennis. Students enter the program as young as kindergarten and often stay until they graduate high school, meaning they receive consistent, ongoing support to help them succeed. Life skills are taught at every stage of the program, ranging from eye contact and a firm handshake to writing a resume and preparing for a job interview. 100% of PT&E Scholar Athletes have graduated high school on-time and continued on to college or professional careers.
Portland, OR. Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) held its annual fundraising luncheon event, Caps and Tails, on June 1st at the Downtown Hilton. At the event, a GDB litter of puppies met their volunteer puppy raisers for the first time. Caps and Tails featured a luncheon and graduation ceremony for guests to enjoy. With dogs, GDB staff and clients, guests were able to experience first-hand some of the services that Guide Dogs for the Blind provides its clients. All of GDB’s services are funded by donations and community support. (Photo credit, Morry Angell)
GDB Vice President of Marketing Karen Woon, Project Runway Season 11 winner Michelle Lesniak, and Guide Dogs for the Blind’s Chairman of the Board Tom Kowalski, with his guide dog Dynamo, at the event.
A new GDB graduate and his guide dog being honored during the graduation ceremony.
GDB’s annual fundraiser, Caps and Tails, featured a graduation ceremony of GDB teams.
Guests bidding during the fundraising portion of Caps and Tails.
The first portion of Caps and Tails featured a graduation of guide dog teams. GDB “teams” refer to the pairing of GDB clients who are blind or visually impaired along with their new guide dog. After being accepted to receive a GDB guide dog, each client comes to GDB’s campus for two weeks. During this time they learn to work with their new guide dog, and adjust to the guide dog lifestyle. This training ends with a GDB graduation ceremony. After years of work, dedication and training spent on each dog by numerous GDB employees, community members and volunteers, it’s a very emotional ceremony. Members of the GDB training staff, puppy raisers and the clients themselves, shared stories about their experience with Guide Dogs for the Blind. Guests were able to learn more about the background of graduates and their experiences with the organization.
After the graduation ceremony Chris Benninger, President and CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind, shared more about the life-changing mission and services that GDB offers. Guide Dogs for the Blind’s Chairman of the Board, Tom Kowalski, also shared his powerful story as a GDB graduate, and the impact that having a GDB guide dog has had on his life. Guests and event sponsors helped raise over $225,000 for the organization, with each donation directly supporting GDB’s important work.
Caps and Tails concluded with a puppy delivery, featuring Project Runway Season 11 winner, Michelle Lesniak, presenting a litter of GDB puppies to their volunteer puppy raisers. Volunteer puppy raisers are responsible for socializing and taking care of GDB puppies for about the first year of their lives. Caps and Tails concluded with each puppy heading off with their new puppy raiser to begin their journey of becoming a GDB guide dog.
From Guide Dogs for the Blind:
As a nonprofit that receives no government funding, Guide Dogs for the Blind’s mission is made possible entirely by the support of donors. Caps and Tails is one of the many ways to support Guide Dogs for the Blind. To learn more about ways to support Guide Dogs for the Blind, please visit guidedogs.com. GDB graduation ceremonies also take place every two weeks at the nonprofit’s Boring, Oregon campus, and are open to the public. You can learn more about those ceremonies by visiting guidedogs.com/meet-gdb/campus-tours-graduations.
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]
