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Impact NW Celebrates 50th Anniversary at Annual Garden Party

Dennis Peck and Marcia Westcott Peck (left), garden columnists for The Oregonian visit with Liz Burns and Andy Nelson of Impact NW. Marcia, an acclaimed garden designer was a judge for the Garden Container contest at the event. Local gardeners and nurseries submit garden containers for this contest. The winning container is auctioned in the live auction, all containers submitted are sold at the event to raise money for Impact NW.

Portland, OR. Over 300 supporters enjoyed the ambience of the The Portland Nursery for the Impact NW Garden Party. The benefit on September 24th celebrated the nonprofit’s 50th Anniversary and was an opportunity for community leaders to strengthen Impact NW’s mission of helping people prosper through a community of support. The event raised $111,000. Dennis Peck and Marcia Westcott Peck, garden columnists for The Oregonian visited with Liz Burns and Andy Nelson of Impact NW. Marcia, an acclaimed garden designer was a judge for a Garden Container contest. Local gardeners and nurseries submitted garden containers and the winning container was auctioned off to raise money for Impact NW.

Here’s a video about the event:

Al Dobbins, Susan Stoltenberg, (Impact NW’s former Executive Director), Oregon State Representative, Alissa Keny-Guyer (a former Impact NW board member) and Diane Linn, former Multnomah County Chair. Diane’s mother was one of the founders of Impact NW.

Impact NW’s Annual Garden Party was hosted by The Portland Nursery on SE Division St. The Portland Nursery staff joined in the celebration.

Kate Koehler Lefco, an Impact NW Therapeutic Services Specialist, read a beautiful poem titled “Between Worlds: An Ode to Survivors” at our Annual Garden Party event. She’s pictured with Daniel Lefco and Amanda Keller.

Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman spoke in support of Impact NW at the Annual Garden Party, celebrating 50 years of service to our Portland community.

Presenting Sponsor JPMorgan Chase was joined by: Boeing, Philadelphia Insurance, Heffernan Insurance, Fred Meyer, PCC Structurals, Perkins & Co, Perkins Coie, Bridge Housing, AMR and Klarquist to celebrate Impact NW’s 50 years of serving people in the Portland area to help them overcome the impact of poverty in their lives.

From Impact NW:

Impact NW is a premier provider of educational and social services in the greater Portland metro area. Our mission is to help people prosper through a community of support.

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 our inception, 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.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.