Portland, March 7th, 2015. The Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc., or PCRI, held its fourth annual Dancing with the Stars Portland Gala at the Hilton. Only one dance couple could be named champion and while Judges Jesse Beason, Karin Edwards and Nancy Hales had a tough decision, they unanimously named Pamela Weatherspoon, Pamela is responsible for Community Relations for Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Legacy Emanuel Medical. (Photo credit, Cameron Browne)
PCRI’s 2015 Dancing with the Stars Gala will feature four prominent Portland community members (clockwise from top left): Pamela Weatherspoon, Gunther Oakey, Jenelle Isaacson, and Ian Parker, each trained by and dancing with professionals from Fred Astaire Dance Studio.
Not only did dancers deliver an amazing show, the event’s sponsors, volunteers and guests raised over $85,000 to support the affordable housing and services PCRI residents depend on to achieve stability and self-sufficiency. Mistress of Ceremonies Margaret Carter delivered a seamless program for the evening. Trained by and paired with professional dancers from Portland’s Fred Astaire Dance Studio, each dancing couple put on a great show.
Resident Jean Paul and his family described how, with the benefit of affordable housing and their own dedication, families can grow roots, dream big, and achieve amazing goals.
Margaret Carter and PCRI Executive Director Maxine Fitzpatrick celebrated the successes achieved by PCRI residents while underscoring the work that is still needed to ensure all families have access to the benefits of stable, affordable housing in Portland’s opportunity-rich close-in neighborhoods. Led by auctioneer Kelly Russell, the gala’s live auction and special appeal were the most successful yet.
About PCRI:
For 20 years, Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives has reinvested in Portland’s neighborhoods, preserved their diversity and provided tools to help low-income Portland families achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
From our original task of helping people who were unknowingly swindled out of their homes, PCRI has come a long way. Still, the challenges are constant—as is our presence as an anchor of stable, diverse and livable Portland neighborhoods.
With over 700 units of affordable housing, PCRI’s unique mix of single-family homes, small multi-plexes and community apartments represents one of the last stable opportunities for low-income households to remain in their vibrant Portland neighborhoods. These homes and apartments are woven into the fabric of their neighborhoods and are a model for eliminating concentrations of poverty.
At the most basic level, PCRI’s affordable rentals help residents achieve family stability. Building on this stability, PCRI’s award winning services give families culturally-specific skills and support necessary to achieve self-sufficiency, begin the process of wealth creation and, in many cases, become—and remain—successful homeowners.
Portland, April 10th, 2015. The gala, themed ‘An Evening for Opportunity, Lunar Landing: A Space Age Gala,’ raised funds for student scholarships and success programs. Portland Community College Foundation Board President Kimberly Cooper, president and CEO of the Fortuna Group, had a chance to catch up with Congressman Earl Blumenauer and the Executive Director of The Oregon Historical Society Kerry Tymchuk at the annual event. (Photo credit, James Hill.) The gala at Pure Space in the Pearl District raised a record $425,000. It featured 1960s space exploration as its theme and attracted more than 500 guests. Junki and Linda Yoshida, founders of locally based Yoshida Foods International, served as the honorary co-chairs.
A highlight of the gala was the celebration of the PCC Patron Award. This year’s recipients (in their Star Trek costumes) were Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin of The Renaissance Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that creates educational opportunities, in part for first-generation, low-income students. (Photo credit, Matt O’Brien)
The Patron Award honors a person or organization that has made a significant contribution to PCC to ensure access to education for students. Through The Renaissance Foundation, Levin and Fowler support PCC’s Future Connect Scholarship Program by providing nearly 30 students with scholarships, mentoring and other supports essential to college success. They have also just launched a new mentoring program, the Cascade African Men’s Scholars Project, at the Cascade Campus in North Portland that matches 10 mentors with 30 students.
About Portland Community College: PCC is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and 19th largest in the nation, serving approximately 90,000 full- and part-time students. PCC, which is roughly the size of Rhode Island, has four comprehensive campuses, eight workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.
Beaverton, April 15th, 2015. NIKE, Inc. has announced that grants totaling $250,000 are being distributed to 24 local nonprofits and schools through the Nike Employee Grant Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation’slatest funding cycle. The Nike Employee Grant Fund supports projects that encourage physical activity in meaningful ways, especially those that get kids active and enjoying physical education, sports and play. One of the grants went to Human Solutions. Each year, Human Solutions provides shelter and/or housing to over 1000 families, including over 400 homeless children.
This marks the Fund’s fifth year of supporting organizations that contribute to making Oregon and Southwest Washington great places to live and work. Since its launch in 2010, the Fund has provided nearly 250 grants toareaorganizations and schools, totaling over $2.7 million and serving almost 570,000 community members.
Special Olympics Oregon athletes and volunteers smile at the winter games.
“There are so many innovative organizations doing exemplary and courageous things here in our own backyard, and we’re proud to have partnered with many of them over the past five years through the Nike Employee Grant Fund,” said Kathy Webb, Nike’s Community Impact Manager. “This cycle’s award recipients represent 24 more shining examples of local organizations that are improving the health and vitality of our kids and communities.”
This cycle’s award recipients feature a wide variety of organizations in the greater Portland area, including Tualatin Riverkeepers, for a program that engages Native American youth in culturally relevant outdoor exercise, and Victory Academy, to build an innovative outdoor exercise and fitness space specifically designed for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“We are truly grateful to the Nike Employee Grant Fund for supporting the addition of an outdoor exercise and fitness space at the new Victory Academy campus, and helping us promote health, sport, play and wellness with our students, ” said Tricia Hasbrook, Founder and Director of Victory Academy. “Because of the generosity of NEGF, Victory will be the first school in Oregon with an outdoor area created especially for this population of learners and athletes.”
Nike Employees Involved from Start to Finish
Nike employees are directly involved with the Nike Employee Grant Fund, both in the grant-making process and the resulting projects. With Oregon Community Foundation oversight, a committee of 12 Nike employees — all of whom care deeply about helping these communities thrive — review the applications and develop grant recommendations. Employees at Nike World Headquarters continue their involvement by volunteering their time and professional experience to help the selected nonprofits achieve their objectives.
“Each time I read through the applications, I feel a strong sense of commitment to these organizations and their communities. There is so much great work being done in Nike’s backyard,” said Shyla Spicer, 2014/2015 Nike Employee Grant Fund committee member and Portfolio & Program Manager in Nike’s Sustainable Business and Innovation group.
Next Funding Cycle Now Open
Applications are due June 1, 2015, for the next round of Nike awards, with $300,000 in cash grants being offered to nonprofits and schools in the greater Portland area (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, and Columbia counties in Oregon and Clark county in southwest Washington).
Grants are one-year awards totaling between $5,000 and $20,000 each. Seventy-five percent of grant awards support organizations and projects that are creating a world where physical activity, play and sports are highly valued, and twenty-five percent support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative community-based solutions.
The online grant application process is streamlined and straightforward. A preview of the required information is available here.
Nike Employee Grant Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Awardees
The following 24 organizations received grants with the 2014/-2015 funding cycle:
Organization
Project Description
Adelante Mujeres (Forest Grove)
Help Latina girls in grades 3-12 learn ways to improve their fitness, self-esteem and overall health, and build leadership skills while working together as a team.
Beaverton Arts & Culture Foundation (Beaverton)
Foster community connections with Beaverton’s homeless youth population through photography and storytelling opportunities.
Bethel Neighborhood Youth Drop-In Center (Portland)
Remove barriers to physical activity by offering swimming lessons to neighborhood kids during the summer.
Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) (Portland)
Work with community partners by expanding access to bicycling to low-income youth and families through positive, on-street riding experiences.
Chelsea Hicks Foundation (Tualatin)
Bring hope and healing through active therapeutic play to seriously ill children and their families at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.
Chess for Success (Portland)
Help economically disadvantaged and minority youth develop skills to improve behavior and academic performance.
City of Clatskanie
Develop and expand fitness trails to improve access to safe and active modes of transportation for students, families and the larger Clatskanie community.
Community Cycling Center (Portland)
Offer Bike Camp scholarships to address inequities in access to physical activity for disadvantaged children from low-income families.
Five Oaks Middle School (Beaverton)
Develop a fitness lab in the PE Department for the entire student body of both Five Oaks and Rachel Carson Environmental Middle Schools.
FosterClub, Inc. (Seaside)
Capture the stories and perspectives of foster youth and communicate their insights to inspire other youth and inform the future of foster care.
Human Solutions (Portland)
Nurture the intellectual and emotional wellbeing of low-income youth to help them break the cycle of generational poverty and reach their full potential.
Impact Northwest (Portland)
Enhance student access to physical activity and positive experiences by developing running clubs at three Beaverton elementary schools.
Lot Whitcomb Elementary School PALs Group (Milwaukie)
Create a surfaced track where students and community members can continue to develop a love of running and movement during their school day and after-school activities.
Meals on Wheels People (Portland)
Support EnhanceFitness, an evidence-based exercise
program for seniors that emphasizes strength, flexibility,
improving balance and fall prevention.Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies (Oregon City)Install an adaptive traverse climbing wall to allow youth with special needs and disadvantaged youth to participate in physical activities.NW Kidney Kids, Inc. (Portland)Provide support, recreation and opportunities for teens and children with chronic kidney disease (living with transplant or on dialysis) and their immediate families.Oregon Child Development Coalition (Wilsonville)Improve a physical play space for approximately 400 preschoolers at OCDC’s Enterprise Circle center in Hillsboro, adding a shade canopy, tricycle path, plants and trees.Oregon Food Bank (Portland)Expand OFB’s Learning Gardens educational program and make additional fresh produce available to children and families throughout the Portland Metropolitan area.Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (Portland)Provide young women with work experience to learn the value of on-the-job training and trades careers within an all-female learning environment.Reading Results (Portland)To expand the innovative, proven tutoring program for low-income students in grades 1-3 in six Portland schools.Special Olympics Oregon (Portland)Expand SOOR’s Unified Sports program, which partners athletes with and without intellectual disabilities.Tender Loving Care Think-N-Try (Portland)Support an active day camp for kids living in Portland’s inner city, helping the campers learn how to have healthy bodies and gain self-esteem.Tualatin Riverkeepers (Tualatin)Engage Native American youth in culturally relevant outdoor exercise such as hiking, kayaking, tree planting and exotic plant removal on public lands.Victory Academy (Wilsonville)Build an innovative outdoor exercise and fitness space specifically designed for children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, Nike’s earnings releases and other financial information are available at http://investors.nike.com. Individuals can also visit http://news.nike.com/ and follow @Nike.
The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awards more than $70 million annually in grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit oregoncf.org
Portland, April 4th, 2015. The Portland Children’s Museum is presenting Hannah Viano, Author of S is for Salmon: A Northwest Alphabet, and the upcoming book Arrow to Alaska: A Northwest Adventure, as Artist in Residence for its 2015 Artist in Residence Season.
Hannah Viano, Author of S is for Salmon: A Northwest Alphabet.
S is for Salmon: A Northwest Alphabet book.
Visitors to Portland Children’s Museum can now create artwork with talented professional artists through the museum’s Artist in Residence Program, an ongoing artist series. Funded through Summer 2017 by generous donations from Arlene Schnitzer and The Collins Foundation—with additional funding this year from Regional Arts & Culture Council and Juliet Ashby Hillman Foundation—the program provides museum guests opportunities to explore high quality art materials and the artistic process at the Museum.
As part of the 2015 Artist in Residence season, Hannah Viano will be onsite for a number of days through April 30th, 2015. She will be working with children and families to complete an illustrated guide of the plants and animals found in Outdoor Adventure, the Museum’s outdoor play space which opened on Earth Day of 2014. Hannah’s process involves observation of nature through painting, drawing, paper cutting, and screen printing.
Join the Portland Children’s Museum and Hannah Viano for some creative play and learning on various week and weekend days, including Earth Day, April 22nd; and for a Gallery Showing of completed final works in the Portland Children’s Museum’s Art Gallery from May 1st through July 25th. For more information about specific dates and times the artist will be in studio please visit www.portlandcm.org/hannah-viano. To view images of Hannah Viano’s work visit hannahviano.com/.
For more information about Artist in Residence Programs or to apply for residency please contact jgraff@portlandcm.org.
ABOUT PORTLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
We’re a museum that doesn’t act like a museum because our audience—children and the adults who care for them—is more important to us than anything we collect. Instead of investing in precious objects, we create priceless opportunities for our visitors to learn through play.
LOCATION In Washington Park across from Oregon Zoo; 4015 SW Canyon Road, Portland, 97221
HOURS Open Daily, 9am-5pm • Target Free First Friday (first Friday every month) 4-8pm
ADMISSION Members: Free • Under age 1: Free; Ages 1-54: $10 • Over 55 & military: $9
Portland, March 7th, 2015. The 31st Annual Classic Wines Auction (CWA) raised almost $3.2 million for charities in Portland and southwest Washington. Former New England Patriots Quarterback and Proprietor of Doubleback Winery, Drew Bledsoe, was bidding during the live auction. More than 875 people attended the event at the Oregon Convention Center. Fundraising from this year’s auction, and related events, benefit five charity partners dedicated to helping youth and families in the metro area: Metropolitan Family Service, New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children-Portland, YWCA Clark County and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.
Roger Hinshaw with Classic Wines Auction Main Sponsor, Bank of America, enjoys the evening with his wife Margaret and fellow Auction guest, Starla Goff
Speakers representing Classic Wines Auction charity partners, Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children, YWCA Clark County and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel pose in front of the BMW i8 before taking the stage
Chris Hermann, Classic Wines Auction Board Chair, is congratulated after placing the top bid for the highly coveted 2015 BMW i8 hybrid sports car
Auction guest Joe Aholt celebrates after an exhilarating live auction battle to win the second BMW i8. Thanks to presenting sponsor Kuni Automotive, two BMW i8 cars were auctioned off
Classic Wines Auction Executive Director Heather Martin (far left), poses with the 2015 Auction Co-Chairs (left to right) DJ Wilson, Peggy Maguire and Greg Goodwin
Auction guests toasted to another successful year and helped raise nearly $3.2 million to benefit children and families
The 2015 Classic Wines Auction Honorary Wine Ambassadors (left to right), Tony LeBlanc from Silver Oak (Calif.), Chris Mazepink from Archery Summit (Ore.), Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta from Sassicaia (Italy), and Drew Bledsoe from Doubleback Winery (Wash.)
Auction guests enjoyed wine tastings from more than 50 producers during the tasting reception, as well as chef presentations from six guest chefs representing some of Portland’s top restaurants
“With support from our incredible sponsors, donors, charity partners, winemakers and volunteers, we are able to significantly impact the lives of over 82,000 children and families in our community who are in need,” said CWA Executive Director Heather Martin.
Auction fundraising totals were announced on the heels of Wine Spectator releasing its annual list of the Top 10 Charity Wine Auctions in the country. The prestigious list is made up of major auctions from around the country, including events in Napa Valley and Sonoma.
“We are delighted to be recognized by Wine Spectator as one of the top ten charity wine auctions in the country. It’s a tribute to the generosity of our supporters and the importance of our fundraising efforts,” Martin added.
A wide range of packages, vintage wines and international excursions were auctioned off during the course of the evening. Following in the footsteps of the previous year, Kuni Automotive and Kuni BMW again donated two BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports cars. Two bidders in Portland each paid $160,000 for the cars, raising $320,000.
Other auction items included a luxury trip to Tuscany; wine tasting tours in France and Germany; trips to Pebble Beach, Calif., Whitefish, Mo., and the U.S. Open; and a heli-skiing vacation in the Canadian Rockies, among other packages.
Next year’s auction is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, 2016.
About Classic Wines Auction:
Consistently recognized as one of the top ten charity wine auctions in the country by Wine Spectator, the Classic Wines Auction has raised more than $36 million for Portland-area charities since its inception in 1982. Based in Portland, Ore., First Growth Children and Family Charities is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing the Classic Wines Auction and related food and wine events to raise funds for local charities benefiting children and families, including: Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), New Avenues for Youth, Friends of the Children-Portland, YWCA Clark County and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. For more information about the Classic Wines Auction and each of its annual fundraising events, visit www.classicwinesauction.com.
Portland, March 14, 2015. A Night On The Town raises more than $115,000 for Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington. Auctioneer John Glines kicked off the live auction with a dessert package of 3 bottles of Veuve Cliquot and a chocolate cake prepared by Carrie Merrill, the pastry chef at Toro Bravo. The
Portland-based nonprofit provides arts in education to more than 80,000 K-12 students each year.
Emcee Adam Bjaranson, the TV studio host of the Portland Trail Blazers, followed a welcome by Isabella Trinchero, a 12-year-old who has participated in Young Audiences programming for years. Bjaranson talked about how becoming a father was a turning point for his understanding of the importance of art in the lives of young people.
Keith Daly celebrates upon winning the Golden Ticket — which raised $10,000 and secured Keith a venue for his upcoming wedding reception.
The Patrick Lamb Band provided the soundtrack to a festive, successful evening.
City Commissioner Nick Fish also took to the stage with Executive Director Cary Clarke, reprising a reading of a proclamation by Mayor Charlie Hales the preceding Wednesday declaring March 15 to 21 to be Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week.
Commissioner Nick Fish thanked Cary Clarke for championing the arts first at City Hall, and now as Young Audiences’ Executive Director.
Throughout the evening, guests gave generously through live and silent auctions, and during a rousing paddle raise. Cheers rang out when Isabella drew the winning Golden Ticket (which helped raise $10,000 for youth arts!) Golden Ticket winners Keith Daly and new fiancé Jake Goage, selected a private party at Holocene as their auction prize – for just $200, and just three weeks after their engagement, they’ve secured a venue and party planner for their upcoming wedding reception!
The reception featured music by the Patrick Lamb Band, who kicked up their energy levels to close the program and extend the evening with dancing.
Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington inspires young people and expands their learning through the arts.
Portland, February 27th, 2015. Ride Connection held its annual fundraiser and auction, Going Places, at the Oregon Zoo, raising $52,000 for accessible transportation in the area. Sabine Wild and Leslie Foren celebrated a win during the ‘Heads and Tails’ competition.
Elaine Wells (Ride Connection Executive Director), Eileen Concannon, Kevin Concannon (USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services), Claire Potter, (TriMet Senior Operations Analyst)
Ride Connection is a non-profit working with community partners to provide transportation for older adults and people with disabilities. It was at the event that the organziation honored Executive Director, Elaine Wells, for 25 years of service to Ride Connection. The event drew 200 people and sponsors included Fred Meyer, Providence Health & Services, Creative Bus Sales, Dragonfly Greetings & Gifts, Holst Architecture, Housing Development Center, Pacific Continental Bank, Polar Systems, Roeder & Company, and Terwilliger Plaza.
Elaine Wells receives an award from Allison Stoll, honoring her 25 years of dedicated, passionate service to Ride Connection.
Ride Connection and its network of partners serve individuals in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties with customer-focused, safe, reliable transportation options.
Woodburn, April 4th, 2015. Hundreds gathered to celebrate spring at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm and kids of all ages jumped at the chance to hunt for Easter Eggs.
Labradors from Guide Dogs for the Blind delighted crowds with their bunny ears.
The farm also hosts a nondenominational Sunrise Easter Service which draws hundreds, including hot air balloonists.
Balloons lift off as morning breaks each Easter.
The service is a local tradition.
From the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm:
Our family farm began in 1950 with the marriage of Ross and Dorothy and their purchase of the main farm. They worked hard expanding the farm and getting their six children through college.
The Iverson family began growing tulips in 1974. The first tulips belonged to Dr. Holman who would ship part of the bulbs to Indiana every year for forcing. When he retired in the late 1970’s we bought a few acres of bulbs from him.
By the early 1980’s we had over 15 acres and needed to broaden the market base. Seeing this as an opportunity, in 1983 we started the Wooden Shoe Bulb Company which had a name change to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in 2001.
In the first few years we printed up black and white order sheets and sales were slow. Then, in 1985, we opened our fields for Easter weekend. The rest you may say is history.
Now we open our fields for an entire month, end of March the first week of May. We have greatly expanded our operation to include taking bulb orders, cut flowers, potted tulips, a gift shop, and all sorts of food and activities on weekends for all members of the family.
The farm is located about 30 miles south of Portland in Woodburn at 33814 S Meridian Rd, Woodburn, OR 97071
Portland, March 14th, 2015. Edison High School hosted 280 guests at the Sentinel Hotel for the 2015 Brilliance Benefit including Brenda Samola and Frank Foti. The evening generated over $240,000 in revenue which will help support financial aid, technology, and professional development at the school. Edison is the only high school in Oregon and southwest Washington dedicated to students with complex learning differences. The benefit was co-chaired by Jessica and Robert Daughetee.
Heads and Tails winner Florence DiBenedetto (Photo courtesy of Moments By Anne Photography)
Edison board members Verna Bailey and David Carter (Photo courtesy of Moments By Anne Photography)
Edison board member Sharon Robbins, Edison supports Jan Mitchell and Patty Farrell and Edison board member Sandi McDonough (Photo courtesy of Moments By Anne Photography)
Edison board members Jim Kilpatrick and Patrick Becker, wife Tabitha Becker and Edison Director Patrick Maguire (Photo courtesy of Moments By Anne Photography)
2015 Brilliance Benefit co-chairs Robert and Jessica Daughetee with son Holden Daughetee (Photo courtesy of Moments By Anne Photography)
Portland, March 27th, 2015. A new sustainable savings coupon book is helping non-profit Trash For Peace expand their visibility and programs. Trash For Peace, which teaches urban kids about recycling and healthy eating, was featured at coupon book launch party and fundraiser at Slide Inn Restaurant.
Publisher, Raymond F. Quinton said, “I love what Trash For Peace does and what they stand for. They give urban kids a chance to have some hands on involvement with recycling and sustainability, and they get to see how to grow that involvement into business opportunities.”
Here’s an the website address with more information about the sustainable savings coupon booklet: www.globalmarketingconcepts.info
Organizers say sustainability should be a lifelong pursuit and should touch everyone in the community, regardless of race, color, gender or economic status. Global Marketing Concepts is committed to doing its part to make a difference, in part by publishing an exclusive coupon book that supports impacting sustainability everyday.
As a 501(c)3 organization, our mission is to turn “trash” into “peace”. To educate and spread awareness about the capacity we have as human beings to use our creativity and innovation to replace the concept of trash with resourcefulness and giving back. We strive to encourage people to reduce, reuse, and then recycle for a healthier and more peaceful planet.
Vision: Empowered, healthy communities living in a world without waste.
The event, sponsored by LoanStar Home Lending and Global Marketing Concepts had door prizes, from local sustainability focused businesses.
Trash For Peace, founded by Executive Director Laura Kuchner, works with schools to teach kids how to build recycling bins from recycled materials, teaches kids zero waste, healthy cooking techniques, and has plans to expand their coffee roasting project with a solar roaster to teach youths how to run a sustainable business.
Presenting Sponsor LoanStar Home Lending SVP of Marketing and Business Development, Kenn Bartley said, “We want to do our part and support the businesses and community who care about our future. We are demonstrating that sustainability can be fun, too! Everyone will also have an opportunity to learn more about energy conservation, indoor air quality, available remodeling and rehabilitation loans, loan incentive programs and discover the advantages of purchasing new energy efficient homes.”
From Trash For Peace:
As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, our founder, Laura Kutner, helped create the youth development program that focused on integrating a life skills curriculum into rural schools. One of the schools she worked in also happened to need new classrooms. One day during recess she realized that a technique she had heard about through the organization Pura Vida Atitlan could be modified to build these exact classrooms using plastic bottles and trash! After proposing the idea to the community, that is exactly what they did!
Soon the streets of Granados were much cleaner, as the entire community worked together to stuff more than 6,000 bottles full of trash to build the walls of their new classrooms. Towards the end of the project, the Non-governmental organization Hug it Forward stepped in to help finance the rest of the cement, doors, and windows that were necessary. As a result, a wonderful partnership was born. Hug it Forward is now working on their 16th bottle school in Guatemala!
Not long after the bottle school was complete, Tropical Storm Agatha surprised Guatemala with its strength and endurance. Many villages flooded, homes were destroyed, and worst of all, some lives were lost. In San Miguel Duenas, the second village where Laura lived, the flooding was made demonstrably worse because thousands of plastic bottles were dragged by the river to the foot of the bridge that led into the town, creating a giant plug. The community was shocked to see that trash had created such a disaster.
The storm was a reminder to Laura that – although much great work had been done with the bottle classrooms, there was much work still to be done. When she returned to the United States, she wanted to continue sharing this story and teaching the lessons learned from it, by finding creative and innovate ways of encouraging people to incorporate the values of reducing and reusing into their lives, and to see waste as a resource for positive change. She loves working with communities to teach them how to turn their trash into peace, sharing these ideas and experiences through creative construction. It was in this way that Trash for Peace was born, and the incredible people and communities that become involved and volunteer their time and energy are what make this organization flourish.
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