Portland, OR. The numbers are in and the 2017 Safeway/Providence Festival of Trees, public show and Gala dinner raised a record $1.4 million for Providence Children’s Health and family support services. Bob and Sharon Miller join friends and family at the November 31st gala which drew over 900 people. The public viewing of the trees took place December 1st and 2nd at Oregon Convention Center. Organizers say miles of twinkling lights, thousands of ornaments and even the fragrance of Christmas itself made the 35th anniversary of the festival a magical event.
13-year-old Bobbi MacKenzie opens the Gala dinner by singing “Oh Holy Night” a cappela.
Providence Oregon chief executive Dave Underriner and Providence Foundations of Oregon president and chief development officer Laurie Kelley welcome more than 900 guests to the Gala.
Nancy Lematta, center, leads a group of friends in celebrating the festival of trees.
Joey Harrington poses for a photograph with an Oregon Ducks fan in the midst of the Gala.
Organizers report that the holiday tradition dazzled people of all ages with its exquisite trees, mini-trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, Lego displays and more. Over the last 34 years, the festival has raised more than $16 million. Those funds support Providence Children’s Health programs including Child Life Specialists, NICU Parent Liaisons, Swindells Resource Center and My Little Waiting Room.
Here are some photos of the those famous trees:
Letters to Santa – Sponsor: iHeart Media. Designers: Sandy Miller, Shelly Hamann, Mark Johnson, family and friends
Take Me Back in Time – Sponsor: Providence Hospice Designers: Jacquelyn Dunn, Kate Gober, Shawn Dunn and Judy Mimnaugh
A Coastal Christmas – Sponsor: Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty Company Designers: Sarah Kennison, Danielle Smeraglio, Sue Jarmin and Kim Jarmin
Rose All the Way Sponsor: Providence Health Plan. Designers: Ronni Nichuals, Stacy Ryback, Velma Rodriguez, Tiah Kershaw, Erica Brill and Mary Nichols
Christmas in Rip City – Sponsor: Portland Trail Blazers Designers: Sandy Miller, Leslie Radke, Carol Nielson and Judy Han
Through a Child’s Eyes – Sponsor: Providence Portland Medical Center professional staff Designers: Leilani Wilson, Raji Chandrasekaran, Christine Riley, Karen Thiel, Nicholetta Vlandis and Elizabeth Wakeman
Have a Merry Elfin’ Christmas – Sponsor: Providence Medical Group Designers: Dominique Buhl, Damala Badon, Robin Birge, Amy Brittan and Min Stearns
This is a year-long, volunteer-driven project with nearly 75 professional and amateur designers volunteering thousands of hours to turn a corner of the Oregon Convention Center into a winter wonderland and holiday village. Nearly 20,000 people were expected to experience the 2017 festive gathering with 75 trees of all sizes decorated with nearly 100,000 twinkling lights. More than 600,000 people have attended the festival since it began in 1983. Safeway was the sponsor this year.
Here’s a time lapse video of the setup of the
The Festival of the Trees benefits these Family Support Services:
Providence cares for more than 100,000 Oregon children each year, and 1 in 5 children have a special health care need. These critical programs help keep the whole family healthy.
Our Family Support Services
Child Life Program
Imagine a hospital visit through the eyes of a child. Unfamiliar faces and equipment, examinations or tests for them or for a loved one, and scary conversations that they may not understand. Our certified child life specialists at Providence St. Vincent help children of all ages cope with their own or a family member’s illness, injury, treatment, or hospitalization through play, child-friendly explanations, and of course, a teddy bear.
My Little Waiting Room
Founded by mother and cancer survivor Amy Patterson, My Little Waiting Room provides free, fun, and safe drop-in child care for families on the campuses of Providence St. Vincent and Providence Portland Medical Center. Staffed by specially trained care providers and secure, parents can attend appointments or visit a loved one in the hospital knowing their children are in good hands.
NICU Parent Liaison
Spending time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with your baby is rarely a part of a family’s birth plan. Our NICU Parent Liaison provides peer-to-peer informational, emotional, and inspirational support to new parents of premature babies during their stay in the NICU at Providence St. Vincent.
Swindells Resource Center
Learning that your child has special needs, developmental delays or disabilities is life-changing, isolating and scary. Where do I go from here? What do I do next? Swindells Resource Center supports parents and caregivers of these children by providing free resources, information and education to communities throughout Oregon and southwest Washington – last year alone we helped tens of thousands of families throughout the region.
Portland, OR. Pacific University held its annual Celebration of Giving extravaganza on November 30th at the Portland Golf Club to recognize and thank the university’s most generous and loyal supporters.
Pacific University alumni Cathy Tran ’74 and Tim Tran ’74 were among those on hand. Earlier this fall, Pacific renamed the library on its Forest Grove Campus in honor of the Trans, who helped establish a scholarship fund for Pacific University Libraries. Tim Tran is also a member of Pacific’s Board of Trustees. (Photo credit, Robbie Bourland – Pacific University)
Pacific University trustee Kim Ledbetter (ret., The Standard) was among those honored at Pacific’s annual Celebration of Giving event. Earlier this year, a new playing surface at the university’s Hanson Stadium was installed and named Ledbetter Field in honor of Kim and his wife Barb, whose generosity helped finance the facility upgrade.
Pacific University alumni Lee Garboden ’77 and Sheri Garboden ’76 joined others at the university’s annual Celebration of Giving event.
Pacific University trustee Mark Frandsen (Grove Properties) was among the attendees at the university’s annual Celebration of Giving event at Portland Golf Club.
Earlier in the week, the university announced the public phase of Lead On, an $80 million comprehensive campaign to increase the university’s endowment and invest in educational facilities and resources and innovation.
The announcement of Lead On kicked off Pacific’s “Boxer Excellence Week,” which resulted in 720 donors giving or pledging more than $265,400. Lead On has already raised more than $44 million of the $80 million goal during the campaign’s silent phase, bolstered by a 112 percent increase in philanthropic giving to the university over the past five years.
Among those in attendance were current Pacific Board of Trustees members Mark Frandsen (Grove Properties), Sheri Garboden ’76 (ret., Flir Systems), Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose), former OHSU president Dr. Peter Kohler, Kim Ledbetter (ret., The Standard), Martin Moll, JD (Aldrich Group), Cam Perry ’65 (ret., Cam’s Coffee Co.), Tim Schauermann ’66 (ret., Schauermann Insurance Associates), Tim Tran ’74 (ret., Johnstone Supply Co.) and Mike Wright (ret., Wellpartner, Inc.).
Portland, OR. Attendees at the Portland Jewish Academy auction dressed up in their totally tubular 80’s best. The academy raised $825,000 at its 56th Annual Auction on December 10th with 350 people in attendance. Organizers say this annual celebration and fundraiser ensures that PJA has the resources to provide an outstanding Jewish education to a diverse student body.
The Zidell Family pictured. PJA thanks the Zidell Family and Steve “Rosy” Rosenberg and Ellen Lippman for their generosity and commitment to Portland Jewish Academy.
PJA Auction Co-Chairs – Carol Richmond and Stacey Oller
From Portland Jewish Academy:
Portland Jewish Academy shares a building and campus with the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. As a result, PJA has access to spaces many schools may not have.
Portland Jewish Academy was established on the premise that the community needed a Jewish community day school with a truly superior academic education, built on years of Jewish tradition and values, but representative of the whole Jewish community. More than ever this holds true today. Academically, PJA is a power house. Our graduates are proof of this, from their performance in the areas best high schools to their acceptance at prestigious colleges and universities from across the country. Our students, parents and staff represent the diversity of Portland’s Jewish and non-Jewish community and are inclusive of all family types.
We are all proud to be part of the PJA community.
Please come tour the school and see for yourself why we are so excited about PJA. Call Inge Hoogerhuis, Admission Director, at 503.535.3599. She will happily assist you in setting up a personal tour.
Portland, OR. OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital had some holiday excitement when the Blazers came for a visit. A 15-year-old patient named Joshua got to meet Damian Lillard and Maurice “Moe” Harkless as team members visited the hospital on December 7th.
Faith and her brother Devin visit with members of the Portland Trail Blazers, including Jusuf Nurkic at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
Jovante cheers as he wins a basketball game against Portland Trail Blazers player Caleb Swanigan, while Maurice “Moe” Harkless and assistant coach Dale Osbourne look on.
Cooper, 12, fist-bumps Portland Trail Blazers player Damian Lillard, while Maurice “Moe” Harkless and assistant coach Dale Osbourne look on.
Also at the hospital, this is the 6th year in a row that the Healing Hunter Foundation has “Decked the Halls” transforming the entire Oncology Unit into a magical Winter Wonderland. The Foundation was started on behalf of Hunter Zen Thawley, who was a, “Courageous and charismatic lil’ 3 yr. old who lost his battle to AML Leukemia in 2010.” Portland Fire & Rescue also graces the halls with the foundation on a yearly basis providing holiday cheer with an abundance of glitter, sparkle and shine. Here’s a look at their decorations:
Lieutenant Todd Thawley, (Hunter’s dad and Co-Founder of the Healing Hunter Foundation) helps decorate OHSU Doernbechers on his day off from fighting fires.
The decorated halls at OHSU Doernbecher Chidren’s Hospital.
The entire volunteer crew of the Healing Hunter Foundation that Decks the Halls for the holidays at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
Bellagios Pizza, (Goose Hollow location) donated lunch to feed the entire volunteer crew. This is the 2nd year in a row that they’ve donated pizza and salad.
A Winter Wonderland has been created at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital by the Healing Hunter Foundation. This is the 6th year in a row that the foundation has transformed the entire Oncology Unit adding much needed sparkle and shine to lots of families staying at the hospital through the holidays.
Portland Firefighters, along with the Healing Hunter Foundation, help create the holiday magic at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for the holidays.
Educating pediatric specialists throughout the region
• More than half of Oregon’s practicing pediatricians were trained at Doernbecher • Doernbecher offers the only pediatric residency program in Oregon – and each year more than 600 medical students from around the country vie for the program’s 16 spots • More than a quarter of all physicians in the U.S. pursuing pediatrics apply to Doernbecher each year as interns and residents • Doernbecher provides a wide range of professional development
Pediatric research
Finding cures and treatments, changing the face of pediatric medical science
• Part of OHSU, a nationally ranked research institution where more than 4,000 research studies are currently under way
• Testing the newest potential cancer therapies as one of only 21 National Cancer Institute-designated pediatric Phase 1 cancer centers in the nation; world’s first hospital to test the effectiveness of Gleevec, the revolutionary cancer pill* on kids
• Breakthrough research in the genetic and cellular causes of childhood diseases
Community outreach
Doernbecher experts collaborate to improve the health of children
• Doernbecher experts travel the region to provide specialty care at more than 150 outreach clinics in 13 locations so kids can receive care in their own communities
• Doernbecher’s telemedicine network includes sites in Eugene, Medford, Roseburg, Silverton, Astoria, Coos Bay and McMinnville – allowing Doernbecher specialists to partner with regional providers via state-of-the-art technology
Sponsored: Portland, OR. It was a standing ovation at the Old Church Concert Hall, for storytellers and hosts Lynne Duddy and Lawrence Howard. Their December 1st event was one of the many that Portland Story Theater hosts each year. (Photo credit, Kelly Nissl)
The founders of the organization explain what makes Portland Story Theater so meaningful to the community:
“Portland Story Theater is an investment in opening minds, challenging assumptions, and finding common ground. In these volatile times, learning to listen to one another is crucial so we can learn to trust each other. David Bowie once told his daughter, “Trust nothing but your own experience.” And that’s exactly what Portland Story Theater focuses on: trusting your own experience, trusting your story. Now, more than ever, we need to trust — ourselves, our stories, each other — to battle the fears that are manifesting in the world around us as expressions of hatred. Our call to action is to step up, provide safe space for each other and engage in meaningful ways; ways that matter. The challenges we face to make this kind of art are only going to intensify. We need your help now more than ever. We ask that you make a donation to support the kind of intimate theater that Portland Story Theater creates. Theater that takes the kind of risks needed to be vulnerable and to engage each other in eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart, face-to-face conversations. Souls keep us deeply human in profoundly inhumane times.”
Here’s a video about the nonprofit:
The Portland Story Theater event in December had a whole variety of storytellers.
Leah Carey told a story entitled, “Good Girl Breaking Free.”
Steve Eggerts told a story entitled, “989 Days.”
Sabina Haque told a story entitled, “Every Moment Counts.”
Kathy Gillis told a story entitled, “Slipped Right In.”
Luis Garcia told a story entitled,“Peace and Pizza.”
Gigi Rosenberg told a story entitled,“The Only Rule I Broke.”
Our vision is to advance, inspire and expand our community narrative, one story at a time – and in doing so, preserve and promote the ancient art of storytelling in a way that enriches modern life, allowing and encouraging people to be vulnerable and present in ways that are crucial to the full expression of our humanity.
Our Mission Portland Story Theater builds community, promotes understanding, and fosters radical empathy by giving voice to the real, true stories of ordinary people.
501(c)3 Nonprofit Arts Organization Portland Story Theater is a passionate advocate for diverse narrative and our loyal listeners. We are a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Contributions and sponsorships facilitate outreach and keep ticket prices affordable. As an advocate for the narrative art of storytelling, Portland Story Theater strives to broaden audiences, develop new approaches, and support existing and new storytelling programs.[EIN #27-0670834] Your kind Donations are appreciated.
What We Do
Portland Story Theater builds community through story. Our work gives voice to the true stories of ordinary people. We break down barriers and stereotypes by bringing people together to hear real, true stories. We teach people that telling their personal story is a process that ignites self-discovery and nourishes our capacity for empathy for ourselves and each other. Our work at Portland Story Theater fosters a deep awareness around the idea that the more personal a story, the more universal it becomes. This art form is the spontaneous unfolding of a story that is celebrated onstage; in the moment, in the shared space between the listener and the teller. We work with other like-minded people to co-create live storytelling shows. We are low-tech, no-frills theater. We tell our stories directly, never asking the audience to suspend disbelief. This is a return to the ancient roots of theater. This is theater at its most basic, essential, elemental core: performer, audience and words. Telling our stories face to face, eye to eye, and heart to heart. Portland Story Theater makes stories provocative, inspiring, and accessible to everyone, young and old, of all social backgrounds, and ethnicities.
What We Believe
Everyone has a story to tell. Be heard. Honor your emotional truth. Discover your self through story. Discover your history.Listening builds connection. Be open. People are transformed by being heard. Listen openheartedly. Story breaks down barriers. Be vulnerable. Tell your story. Authentically. Honestly. Sincerely. We are in a revolution. Be a part of the change. Story illuminates the universal through the personal. Story awakens our consciousness. Story helps us recognize that we are one race, the human race. Believe. Act. Transform.
We believe that personal story breaks down barriers and reveals the commonality of the human experience. We believe that story is the glue that holds us together and sustains us as a community, that story awakens our consciousness and helps us recognize that we are one race, the human race. We do not do “slams” because we believe that each personal narrative is sacred. We do not seek out celebrities to perform in our shows because we believe that everyone has a story to tell. No need to bring the focus on sensational, titillating or embarrassing stories. We encourage people to dig deep to discover the heartfelt humor and emotional truth of their stories.
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