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, March 19th, 2015. For hundreds of endangered butterflies raised at the Oregon Zoo during the past year, naptime is over. In an effort to to reestablish dwindling checkerspot populations in central Washington, in February, zoo conservationists roused more than 500 Taylor’s checkerspot larvae from their winter dormancy, transferring these very hungry caterpillars into rearing cups at the zoo’s Imperiled Butterfly Conservation Lab, where they munched on narrowleaf plantain following a 7-month snooze.
Newly awakened Taylor’s checkerspot caterpillars munch on narrowleaf plantain in the Oregon Zoo’s butterfly lab. Zoo conservationists recently woke hundreds of the caterpillars from their winter dormancy in preparation for release into the wild. Photo by Melinda Holland, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.
Last week, zoo staffers joined biologists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to release the growing caterpillars on prairies in central Washington, where some of the region’s best checkerspot habitat remains.
“Releasing caterpillars reared at the zoo is part of our ongoing effort to reestablish this imperiled species at sites where it was once abundant,” explained Mary Linders, a species recovery biologist with WDFW. “Without large, connected populations, the butterflies struggle to survive.”
The zoo-reared caterpillars will complete their development in the wild, first turning into chrysalides and then emerging as adult butterflies, helping to stabilize declining populations of this species.
Though once abundant across the inland prairies of the Pacific Northwest, the Taylor’s checkerspot has now lost 99 percent of its grassland habitat to agriculture and urban development. The species is listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and, according to Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, is in imminent danger of extinction.
The Oregon Zoo has raised nearly 19,000 checkerspots for release since joining the recovery effort in 2004. After more than a decade of working to increase the endangered butterfly’s numbers, Linders says the effects are becoming noticeable.
“We’ve started seeing Taylor’s checkerspots at locations where they haven’t been documented in years,” Linders said. “It gives us hope for a species that is very close to disappearing completely.”
Committed to butterfly conservation, the Oregon Zoo is a charter member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Butterfly Conservation Initiative, a collaborative effort among nearly 50 zoos and aquariums. The zoo works in partnership with and receives funding from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Joint Base Lewis-McChord and its Army Compatible Use Buffer program to rear checkerspots and release them into the wild. Additional project partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Xerces Society and the Sustainability in Prisons Project administered through The Evergreen State College and Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women.
The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is also working to save endangered California condors, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas.
Support from the Oregon Zoo Foundation enhances and expands the zoo’s efforts in conservation, education and animal welfare. Members, donors and corporate and foundation partners help the zoo make a difference across the region and around the world.
The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.
General zoo admission is $11.50 (ages 12-64), $10 for seniors (65 and up), $8.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
Portland, March 16th, 2015. For the first time Exceed Enterprises, a nonprofit that invests in the success of persons with disabilities through the creation of service and business ventures, is working with Impact NW. Impact NW works with schools, businesses, faith communities, other community-based organizations and governmental agencies to help community members improve their quality of life and achieve independence. Exceed Enterprises consumers worked at Impact NW this week to help elementary age students learn about science. Volunteers counted, sorted and bundled supplies for the AKA Science (All Kids Are Scientists) “Cool Chemistry” classes this spring. The supplies will be compiled into kits. The kits are used to facilitate a variety of inquiry-based science activities with elementary-aged students.
Ashley works with Kathy
“The AKA Science package we provide to each site includes field-tested curriculum, a full kit of supplies, and hands-on training of the site’s chosen instructor,” said Jill Morrow Impact NW marketing and communications manager. “We offer AKA Science classes at 50+ sites per school term.”
Ashley works with Michael Faust
It is a great fit for the volunteers who are used to this type of work. Impact NW builds kits three times a year so Exceed Enterprises might have other opportunities in the future.
“My goal is to get our folks more involved in these types of opportunities,” said Ashley Lunsford vocational skills coordinator with Exceed. “These valuable experiences not only get individuals out into the community but they help build confidence and self esteem.”
Volunteers are key in helping to sort, count and bundle items for the science kits and Impact NW appreciates the assistance.
“We look forward to inviting Exceed to return for the next round of volunteer opportunities,” said Morrow. “We can’t thank them enough for the help they provided us today.”
Established in 1968, Exceed Enterprises is a non-profit organization that excels in providing vocational and personal development services for people with disabilities. Exceed serves the Portland metropolitan area offering a variety of options and opportunities through rehabilitation services, community-based & on-site business environments, personal services and community activities.
Our community and business partnerships enable people with disabilities to contribute to society through meaningful employment and increased independence, self-confidence, and dignity.
Impact NW is a private non-profit organization that began in 1966 as Portland Action Committees Together, Inc. (PACT). Four neighborhoods came together and created the agency to address the growing problems associated with poverty in the area.
Since 1966, Impact NW has been a leader in providing individuals of all ages with the skills and resources necessary to achieve success and to advocate for themselves and their communities. Annually, over 36,000 low-income children, youth, families, seniors, and adults with disabilities participate in Impact NW’s comprehensive anti-poverty programs.
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.
Portland, March 13th, 2015. A “costumes mandatory” benefit for Portland Police Sunshine Division drew hundreds. Organizers say for the 4th annual Stumptown LepreCon, “Costumes are required! Anything St. Paddy’s Day will get you in! Wear something Blinky and Illuminated. It has to be more than just a green shirt or a button. Your Costume is your ticket to get you in with no cover.”
Organizers warned, “This is a participatory event. Do not expect us to entertain you, though we will. Bring something LepreCons will enjoy: toys, games, stickers, buttons, signs, or a kickass costume.”
Mark Hashizume gets into the spirit with his Shamrock Run tee-shirt. The Run is scheduled for March 15th.
Billed as the largest St. Patrick’s Day festival in Portland, Kells is the launching point for the LepreCon Pub Crawl.
The event started at Kells.
The venue line up included the following stops:
2:00 pm – Kells Irish Pub and Tent
3:15 pm – Photo Opp in Kells Tent
3:30 pm – Barrel Room w/DJ – Erick Cloward
5:00 pm – Jones Bar ,Dixie Tavern, Old Town Pizza
6:30 pm – Dixie Tavern, Fifth Ave Lounge, Splash Bar, Mi Mero Mole
8:00 pm – Park Block “LepreCon Gold Hunt” (BRING A FLASH LIGHT)
8:30 pm – Splash Bar, Fat Head’s Brewery.
The Portland Police Sunshine Division History:
It was 1922, the economy had taken a dip, and the City of Portland had to lay off some 40police officers. To compensate for this loss, then mayor George Baker gathered volunteer civilians to serve in emergency situations-a group eventually called the Portland Police Reserve.
The Reserves found themselves responding to widespread poverty in Portland by collecting food to fill Christmas baskets that were delivered to Portlanders in need. They were quickly dubbed “George Baker’s Sunshine Boys,” as they spread sunshine to the households they visited.
The early KGW radio variety show “Hoot Owls” took up the cause, devoting a segment-or division-of the program to soliciting donations of food and funds from listeners for the Sunshine Boys. And so was born the “Sunshine Division.” By the time Christmas of 1923 rolled around, the uniformed police, as well as the Police Reserve volunteers were collecting food and delivering it to hungry families. Soon the charity found a home on the second floor of the East Precinct station at SE 7th & Alder. In 1938 it moved into a recently vacated police precinct station at 38 NE Russell Street, then to our current location in 1975.
More than eight decades after those early humanitarian efforts by uniformed and volunteer police-and still in a vital partnership with Portland Police Bureau-Sunshine Division continues its fundamental mission: to provide emergency food and clothing relief year-round to Portland families and individuals in need.
During the life of Sunshine Division, we’ve grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that relies solely on donations to fund the collection and distribution of food and clothes-some 750 tons a year, in fact. Through our front doors we serve 13,000+ households a year with “shopping” experiences in our clothing store as well as with food (including nonperishable, frozen, fresh produce, and dairy products). We also make bulk donations of food to 17 other food-relief agencies in five counties, thus extending our reach beyond the City of Portland.
For a detailed look at Sunshine Division’s early years-including many old photographs we invite you to read Lori S. Kuechler’s book The Portland Police Sunshine Division: An Early History (Sunshine Division, 2003). To receive a copy please call 503-823-2116 or email [email protected]. Retail price is $10 per copy.
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]
