Portland, October 25th. An up-and-coming professional and two masterminds of communications craft received the coveted PRSA Portland Metro Chapter’s Awards of Distinction at this year’s Spotlight Awards ceremony. Honorees were nominated by their peers and selected via a juried process. Award recipient, Michael J. Riley, APR, PRC, principal of Riley Research Associates, enjoyed the evening at Castaway with his wife, Linda Osborn Riley. (Photo Credit, Taraneh Fultz)
A ranking research and communications professional in the Northwest region, Michael J. Riley, APR, PRC, principal of Riley Research Associates, received the chapter’s highest honor, the William W. Marsh Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors lifetime achievement from an outstanding leader in the field of public relations. It is given to a PRSA Portland Metro Chapter member who has performed significantly in one or more of the following areas: developing public relations as a credible profession, accomplishing landmark professional achievements and furthering the goals of PRSA.
“Mike Riley’s contributions to the profession of public relations, and to our community and state, are outstanding,” said longtime colleague and PRSA associate, Dianne Danowski Smith, APR, Fellow PRSA. “Many of his clients, staff, peers and friends note his more than two decades of leadership and professionalism in the discipline of market research. We are fortunate to have Mike in our field, guiding us in research, trends, surveys and his applied knowledge, and we at PRSA congratulate him on this high honor.”
Julie Williams, digital producer at We the Media was honored.
Considered an indicator of people to watch in the PR industry, the New Professional Award of Excellence was given to Julie Williams, digital producer at We the Media. This award honors a PRSA Portland Metro Chapter member who has entered the field of public relations within the past five years. This award is given to a person who has demonstrated his or her commitment to the public relations profession through career achievements, volunteerism and dedication to improving the credibility of public relations as a whole.
“In her short time with the chapter, Julie has made a significant impact on the quality of member communications, as well as on the opportunities for new professionals to engage with the chapter. She is a rising star in our PR community, and I look forward to watching her continue to grow and develop,” said Taraneh Fultz, APR, marketing and communications specialist, Swagelok Northwest.
Katlin Smith, APR, principal at UrbanWords Group was honored for her leadership in the Vancouver, Wash., Chapter of Dining for Women.
The Ron Schmidt Community Involvement Award was presented to Katlin Smith, APR, principal at UrbanWords Group for her leadership in the Vancouver, Wash., Chapter of Dining for Women. This award is given to an individual or organization for outstanding use of public relations to support community improvement and important causes. It honors a leader or organization that has helped improve their community through public relations efforts and achievements.
“Over the years that I’ve known Katlin through PRSA and as gardening buddies, I’ve heard her talk with excitement and enthusiasm about all of her interesting service projects. Katlin’s good deeds range from supporting or managing nonprofit projects and fund-raisers in her own community of Vancouver, as well as those that help women in countries far away. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the Ron Schmidt Community Service Award than Katlin,” said Olga Haley, APR, Leopold Ketel & Partners.
Information provided by Jenna Cooper-Gross, PRSA Chapter President.
The Portland Metro Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is one of 111 PRSA chapters located across the country. It serves about 200 members from Oregon and Southwest Washington, with the mission of offering public relations professionals a forum for idea sharing, professional development and networking.www.prsa-portland.org
Portland, October 9th. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, but hundreds of American Hearth Association supporters joined forces at the annual Go Red for Women luncheon to raise money and learn how it can be prevented. At The Nines Hotel, they heard from Julie O’Leary, a heart attack survivor who had her husband, Chris by her side. The $142,599 raised at the event is earmarked for life-saving research, education, advocacy and more in Oregon & SW Washington.
Local firefighters handed out “blinky hearts” to guests who made donations.
Julie O’Leary told supporters the story of her heart attack .
Go Red Heart Health Panelists: Dr. Laurie Armsby with OHSU; Sandra McDonough with the Portland Business Alliance; Susan Sokol Blosser of Sokol Blosser Winery and DJ Wilson with KGW NewsChannel 8 (Moderated by Susan Mullaney with Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center)
Shauna Parsons was the emcee.
Chairwoman Susan Mullaney with Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center
About the event:
Cardiovascular disease, which claims the lives of 460,000 annually, is the No. 1 cause ofdeath among women. The annual Go Red for Women Luncheon is aimed at raising funds and public awareness to fight the disease.
Overview More women die of cardiovascular disease than from the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. But 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking. Make it your mission to learn all you can about heart attacks and stroke — don’t become a statistic. CALL 9-1-1
Heart Attack A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die.
Signs of a Heart Attack:
Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1…Get to a hospital right away.
Stroke Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death in America. It’s also a major cause of severe, long-term disability. Stroke and TIA (transient ischemic attack) happen when a blood vessel feeding the brain gets clogged or bursts. The signs of a TIA are like a stroke, but usually last only a few minutes. If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help.
Call 9-1-1 to get help fast if you have any of these, but remember that not all of these warning signs occur in every stroke.
Signs of Stroke and TIAs
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Also, check the time so you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared. It’s very important to take immediate action. Research from the American Heart Association has shown that if given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.
Portland, October 31st. A report, written and researched by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and released by Bank of Americashows the following:
In 2011, high net worth households were most likely to give to education (79.6 percent), basic needs (79.3 percent), and arts and culture (68.8 percent). By comparison, the nonprofit categories receiving the largest proportion of all high net worth dollars included education (27.6 percent), giving vehicles (23.4 percent), and religion (12.6 percent). In addition, in 2011, high net worth donors focused their largest gifts on religious organizations (35.9 percent) and organizations involved in education (25.0 percent), followed by organizations focused on health (8.2 percent).
According to the research, as in previous years, high net worth households revealed a strong commitment to charitable causes in 2011. That year, 95 percent of high net worth households donated to at least one charity. This figure is in contrast to the approximately 65 percent of the general population who give.1 The percentage of all high net worth households that gave in 2011, however, decreased from its peak of 98 percent in 2009.
The rate of volunteering by high net worth individuals continues to grow. In 2011, 89 percent of high net worth individuals volunteered, up 10 percentage points from 2009. Over one-third (35.1 percent) of these individuals volunteered more than 200 hours in 2011.
High net worth individuals were most likely to volunteer on their own (78.5 percent), rather than with family, friends, or coworkers in 2011. In addition, these individuals were most likely to have served on a nonprofit board (60.6 percent) or to have spent time on board-serving activities (an average of 144.6 hours) compared with other volunteer activities.
In general, high net worth individuals who volunteer tend to give to charity more often than those who do not, and high net worth individuals who volunteer more tend to give more. However, there are exceptions. In 2011, high net worth individuals who volunteered 101 to 200 hours gave the highest average amount at $95,868, while those who volunteered more than 200 hours gave the second-highest average amount at $68,619.
High net worth donors gave the highest average amount in contributions to organizations both where they volunteered and believed their gift would have the largest impact ($102,642). By comparison, in 2009, high net worth donors gave the highest average amount to organizations where they served on the board or had an oversight role ($84,551, adjusted to 2011 dollars).
In 2011, the majority of high net worth donors had a giving strategy (70.9 percent) and had a budget for their giving (60.5 percent). Just 5 percent of high net worth donors reported having a mission statement for their charitable activity. Correspondingly, a smaller percentage of high net worth donors gave spontaneously in response to a need in 2011 compared with 2009, at 40 percent and 47 percent, respectively.
About the study:
The 2012 Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy examines the giving patterns, priorities, and attitudes of America’s wealthiest households for the year 2011. This study, the fourth in a series written and researched by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in partnership with Bank of America (in particular, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management), builds on previous studies issued in 2006, 2008, and 2010. In addition, this partnership has produced two other reports — the 2011 Study of High Net Worth Women’s Philanthropy and the Impact of Women’s Giving Networks and the 2006 Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy: Portraits of Donors. Together, all of these studies provide valuable information about high net worth giving across multiple dimensions to be used by nonprofit professionals, charitable advisors, donors, and others interested in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.
Portland, September 20th. This fall, Portland Saturday Market hosted its first ever charity fashion show with a DJ dance party feel. The stylish event at the Bossanova Ballroom was an eclectic showcase of the original work created by market’s independent designers. It was a benefit for Portland Old Town Arts & Cultural Foundation.
Here’s a video of the fashion show:
The show concentrated on fourteen local designers: Mugwump, Bella Sisters, Orox Leathers, Yed Omi Jewelry, Amy Dotts, Rythmatix, Cygnet Silks & Red Wizard Arts, Amy Wing, Maru Silks, Shabby Knapsack, Perfekt Tension, Hat People and Flood Clothing. Fashionista’s, Hipsters, and everybody in-between viewed the fashion forward trends that make up the Portland Saturday Market.
Amy Dotts
Cygnet Silks
Flood Clothing
“Hustle & Bustle is an opportunity to experience the modern styles coming out of the Portland Saturday Market in a traditional fashion show setting. The boutique qualities of these designers aren’t muddled down by the distractions of the weekend Market. Portland is quickly conquering the nations fashion scene and Portland Saturday Market is an ideal venue to find local fashion artists,” explained Reid Decker, Marketing Manager.
Guests meandered through installations of other Market artists, listening to the cool tunes of Mr. Wu (http://soundcloud.com/mr_wu) and sampling chocolates, and other fine desserts from the Market. The event continued with a runway show of contemporary PSM designers showcasing their latest creations. At the end of the fashion show the audience enjoyed a “Transitional Groove Performance by: inLOVE”: leading directly into a late night high energy dance party featuring GlobalRukus (http://soundcloud.com/globalruckus) and Icarus.
All net proceeds were donated to Portland Old Town Arts & Cultural Foundation.
About the Beneficiary:
Portland Old Town Arts & Cultural Foundation: supports the creation and presentation of significant works of art, as well as activities that preserve and promote the cultural identity of Portland neighborhoods and peoples. We believe an important contribution to the cultural life of our area lies in empowering independent local artists to bring important works before the public.
Portland, October 29th. The city of Portland is recognizing individuals and organizations who help make Portland thrive. University of Portland Women’s Soccer Team was one group honored. They helped Harper’s Playground, a new, inclusive and accessible playground in Arbor Lodge Park (located less than two miles from the UP campus). Inspired by six-year-old Harper Goldberg, who was born with Emanuel Syndrome, the Pilots launched a season-long silent auction in 2011 and raised $5,000 for the playground. This season, the team is donating tickets and other items to raise additional funds. Commissioner Nick Fish was proud to nominate two groups of outstanding young community leaders this year.
“The Spirit of Portland awards are a wonderful tribute to the many amazing community and neighborhood leaders who contribute to our thriving civic life in the City of Portland,” says Commissioner Amanda Fritz, commissioner-in-charge of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. These young leaders will be recognized at the Spirit of Portland award ceremony at 7pm on October 29 at the Doubletree Hotel.
Grant High School students secured all of the funding for the Grant Garden through a $50,000 State Farm grant, and developed the garden vision themselves.
Last year, a team of young visionaries in Grant High School’s Environmental Club set out to build a community garden. After meeting with City officials and community partners, the students decided to build a City-owned community garden as well as a Learning Garden for use by classrooms.
The team quickly gained community support and in October 2011, the students were thrilled to be awarded a State Farm Youth Advisory Board Grant in the amount of $50,300 to develop the garden. In June, the team welcomed neighbors and students to the grand opening of the Learning Garden and the Grant High School Community Garden. The gardens contributed 43 plots to our 1,000 Gardens initiative, including 2 ADA accessible beds at each garden.
The Learning Garden will be used to advance student’s learning in botany, biology, foreign languages, sustainable agriculture, math, and more. Produce grown by the different classes will be used in the school’s cafeteria and donated to the Oregon Food Bank.
Other recipients of the Spirit of Portland Awards are listed below, they were included were nominated by specific officials:
Mayor Sam Adams
Gwyneth Gamble Booth
Dr. Preston Pulliams
Commissioner Nick Fish
Grant High School Community Garden Team
University of Portland Women’s Soccer Team
Commissioner Amanda Fritz
Northeast Broadway Business Association
Commissioner Randy Leonard
Rodney Haven
Commissioner Dan Saltzman
Oregon College of Oriental Medicine
Miriam Green, Oregon DHS, Child Welfare Program Manager
THE SPIRIT OF PORTLAND WINNERS (CHOSEN BY COMMITTEE) ARE:
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