Portland, December 7th. More than 800 supporters crowded the Left Bank Annex for Levé’s Ninth Annual Charity Ball. The grass-root charity created by young women in Portland selects a nonprofit each year and “I Have a Dream” Oregon was the fortunate recipient for 2012. Levé board, committee and advisory members posed for a photo before the ball. The group is close to reaching its $50,000 fundraising goal. The Levé’s auction alone raised a ground-breaking $12,000 with items like a tasting wine excursion and a wedding package.
Nonprofits Levé has supported in the past include: p:ear, Mercy Corps, YWCA Yolanda House, Friends of the Children—Portland, Schoolhouse Supplies, Growing Gardens, Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) and Loaves & Fishes Centers.
Advisory board members Hilary Colton and Lisa Wynn
Dave Murphy and past board member Vanessa Authier
Board member Courtney Francis Campbell and committee member Ali Murphy check in guests at Levé’s Ninth Annual Charity Ball.
Ashley Thomas-Pate, Tyler Colville, Gretchen Bennett & Craig Francis
Anne Lawrence
Megan Dobson
Denis O’Neill, Karen Sheppard, Bobbi O’Neill, Event Chair Maddie Andrews and Ian Smethurst
Board member Kiernan Doherty, Erin Russo Thompson and Dave Thompson
A group of girlfriends founded Levé out of a desire to actively make a difference in our local community. Portland has been our home for the majority of our lives, providing us with a deep connection and passion for keeping the Pacific Northwest’s most vital resources and programming vibrant and successful. For this reason, and the desire to bring together family, friends and the community for a celebration in support of a local nonprofit, Levé hosted its first Charity Ball in 2004.
After our first event, it became quickly apparent that we are in a unique position to catalyze support from a wider network. We feel fortunate to have enjoyed a supportive community in Portland and the consistent encouragement of family and friends in all of our endeavors. For that reason, we share the sentiment that it is our responsibility to give back to the community that has provided us with so much. As young girls, we watched our parents engage with and support the services of local nonprofits. Our action is modeled on their example.
Levé is a completely volunteer-run organization. Our board is made up of young, professional women who are sharing our time, resources and expertise with causes we value. We believe the work we do for Levé is not only making us better individuals and members of our community, but also better employees and students—mastering skills, building leadership and inspiring creativity.
“I Have a Dream” Foundation – Oregon was founded in 1990 to help low income children reach success in school and college.
We deliver a proven combination of core services to students: long-term relationships with caring adults, academic and personal/social support services, and creating a “culture of college” within schools and the students’ families.
Since 1990, ten entire 3rd grade classes have been “adopted” with supportive services to help student
dreamers succeed through college. Our organization has been able to more than double graduation rates for these students and impact the community through reduced discipline problems and juvenile delinquency. Nearly 900 students have benefited from “I Have a Dream” Foundation programs in Oregon through this model.
In 2010, we established the first “Dreamer School” in the nation. This bold new initiative will expand the impact from 300 to 3,000 kids per year, all within this decade. Our first Dreamer School, Alder Elementary, is one of the most poverty-stricken schools in the state and serves as a beacon of light for the community with its programs and services. “I Have a Dream” is partnering with over a dozen other non-profit organizations to transform the lives of every student in this school. Within the next several years, additional Dreamer Schools will be added throughout Oregon.
How can Assistance League be listed as one of your Human Service organizations? I have provided information below about this organization.
Assistance League® Portland established in 1965, is a chapter of a national nonprofit organization that puts caring and commitment in to action through community based philanthropic programs. All of our members are volunteers. In the fiscal year ending May 31, 2012, our Portland chapter volunteers donated over 41,000 hours with an estimated value of $902,677.
The Portland chapter, located in Beaverton, Oregon, works closely with the Beaverton School District by providing students in grades K – 4 with clothes to wear to class. These are children who are identified by their school counselors as living below the National Poverty Level and receiving free or reduced lunches.
Through our major philanthropic program, Operation School Bell®, Assistance League members provide these children a warm winter jacket, two pairs of jeans and two tops, six sets of underwear and socks. They receive a shoe voucher from PayLess Shoes, for which the chapter pays, a dental hygiene kit and an age appropriate book. The cost for each child is $75.00. All clothing is new. Our members shop at wholesale shows and find bargains locally to provide the clothing. We clothed 772 children on ten Saturdays this fall in Beaverton and an additional 840 in the Hillsboro School district (grades K – 6). We will do one more dressing in January to account for those who were unable to make it to their original appointments.
Assistance League Portland also assists the Beaverton School District by providing clothing to a class of children from ages 14 – 21 who are classified as Unaccompanied Youth. They have no address and no parental assistance in financial matters. They live in shelters, in vehicles, in abandoned buildings, or on the street. Through the Operation School Bell – Unaccompanied Youth – Assistance League provides an opportunity to go shopping at a local store to purchase clothing items they need to attend school. We currently work closely with the Beaverton Fred Meyer store. The chapter provides $150.00 per child. The need in the community is great and increasing. Beaverton School District identified 1,840 homeless students in 2011 – 2012. Assistance League provided a shopping experience for 338 of those students.
Operation School Bell is only one of our programs, but it requires the most funding. As the needs grow, we want to increase our ability to help clothe the most vulnerable of children. Students who have clean, warm, and appropriate clothing have improved attendance records. Assistance League Portland hopes to reach even more of these at risk students.
Assistance League provides Assault Survivor Kits for eight area hospitals in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties. Victims of assault are provided clothing to return home rather than paper hospital scrubs.
Children leaving foster care in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties and going to permanent homes through adoption receive an album cover which has been created by Assistance League member volunteers with: pictures, school and health records, notes, and cards provided by their case worker.