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.
Portland, February 19th, 2015. Hundreds of students and professionals participated in Junior Achievement of Oregon and SW Washington’s Stock Market Challenge. Students got the ball rolling with their contest, then the professionals came together for a night of fun and friendly competition as they support business education for the youth in their communities. The event raised over $40,000 which equates to bringing Junior Achievement programs to over 1,300 students.
Winners included: Hank Sigmon, First Tech Chief Financial Officer, Gary Ide, Managing Director at Accenture, Kimberlee Bouska, Investment Services Financial Advisor at First Tech, Kelly Corah, Investment Serices Vice President at First Tech, Jim Price, Investment Services Financial Advisor at First Tech, Holly Grellier, Investment Services Vice President at First Tech
The JA Stock Market Challenge brings the excitement of Wall Street to the Rose City. The event begins with 30 companies, each comprised of five-person teams, being issued $500,000 of “mock stock.” Once the bell rings, teams must collaborate in the buying and selling of stock shares in fictitious companies throughout the simulated 60-day trading period. During the simulation, teams compete for the attention of a floor trader who uses a handheld device to make their trades in real time, while tracking the performance of their stocks on three jumbo screens which are visible to all. Trading is fast, fun and furious, with a new day starting every 80 seconds.
Organization Overview
JA of Oregon & SW Washington was established in 1950 and founded nationally in 1919. JA Worldwide™ is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Student Impact
Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington will reach more than 40,000 kindergarten through twelfth-grade students this year alone.
Program Scope
More than 1,550 classrooms in 83 area school districts and private schools will integrate Junior Achievement programs into their daily curriculum.
Volunteers
Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington’s in-class programs are largely implemented as a result of the generous time donated by our more than 3,200 area volunteers.
Funding
Junior Achievement relies entirely on private & corporate contributions, as well as the funds raised by our more than 2,000 special events volunteers. We are not a United Way agency and do not receive government funding. As such, funds raised through our Annual Fund Drive Campaign, Summer Golf Classic & Bowl-a-Thon events provide a significant source of revenue for our organization and for the local students we serve. If you’d like to help support our cause by making a contribution to Junior Achievement, please click here. Thank you in advance for your support of Junior Achievement!
Vancouver, February 28th, 2015. Northwest Association for Blind Athletes hosted the organization’s sixth annual Dinner & Auction, Bring It! at the Hilton Vancouver, WA. More than 400 guests attended the event and helped the organization raise nearly $175,000 to support programming for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Mark Matthias, Owner of Beaches Restaurant & Bar, and Kim Capeloto, Executive Vice President of Riverview Community Bank, entered the room on a tandem bike. Both served as MCs throughout the evening.
Marla Runyan, the first visually impaired athlete to compete in the Olympic & Paralympic Games, was one of five inspiring athletes that addressed the audience during the event.
Attendees raised their bid cards high to make the event the most successful in the organization’s history.
NWABA Executive Director & Founder, Billy Henry, addresses the audience during the event.
About NWABA:
The mission of the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes is to provide life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activity to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. The organization changes the lives of blind and visually impaired youth and adults with sports throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Our athletes develop belief in themselves. Breaking down barriers and isolation, they become an active part of their schools and communities. Experiencing the power of sports, our participants aspire, excel and have fun.
Please contact Billy Henry at 360.718.2826 or [email protected] with any questions.
Portland, March 5th, 2015. After a year of construction, Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) has opened the new Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design, the flagship of PNCA’s campus on Portland’s North Park Blocks. With a $34 million transformation of Portland’s historic post office, the College is positioned at the heart of the city’s burgeoning creative corridor. PNCA is pleased to announce that the $15 million target of its Creativity Works Here capital campaign was met in January. The campaign was launched in 2012 with a lead gift of $5 million from the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation.
Architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture addresses the media about the potentials he saw in the 511 federal building as a new home for PNCA.
The opening of the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design ushers in a new era of art and design education in the Pacific Northwest. Located at 511 NW Broadway, the new state-of-the-art facility will draw talented students from across the nation and beyond and serve as a cultural hub for Portland, with galleries and gathering places, a black box theater, and public programs.
PNCA student ambassador Dahlia Cortez talks to local news about the new building.
“Today represents a bold step into the future for this institution, the neighborhood, and Portland’s creative economy,” says Mayor Hales. “This project exemplifies the kind of collaborative innovation for which Portland is known.”
“Our new campus is a dynamic platform for 21st century art and design education,” says PNCA President Tom Manley. “Creativity is the world’s most powerful, sustainable resource. To meet the world’s fierce challenges, we need creative thinking, now more than ever. PNCA fosters that thinking in hundreds of young people every day.”
Manley acknowledged the many people who worked in “Portland-style” collaboration to make the building a reality, including the Schnitzer family and the campaign donors, Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, and the Portland Development Commission. And Manley recognized the offices of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici, and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer for their support over the last seven years in helping PNCA successfully navigate the federal transfer of the building. “Most importantly, this project would have been impossible without the extraordinary leadership and vision of our Board of Governors,” says Manley.
Under the design leadership of Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, the project team took care to preserve key historical features, while creating a public interface with beautiful spaces for exhibitions, lectures and events, an elegant library, and an object-studies collection space. Gerding Edlen served as project manager and Howard S. Wright as general contractor.
PNCA’s new campus continues a story that started in 1892, when a group of Portland artists came together to channel the city’s innovative spirit into the creation of the Portland Art Association. In 1909 it launched the first museum art school on the West Coast, which became the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1981.
“This is a major step forward for arts and design in Oregon,” said U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, whose district is home to PNCA. “The beautifully renovated facility will expand PNCA’s ability to educate creative students who will be the innovators and entrepreneurs of the future.” Bonamici is a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee and the co-founder of the Congressional STEAM (Science, Technology, Art and Math) caucus, which advocates for integrating arts and design into STEM learning.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who in collaboration with the National Park Service and National Trust for Historic Preservation helped PNCA secure the post office, noted, “It’s a big win for the region as we celebrate this revitalization of this historic federal asset and spur development of the creative economy in Portland and beyond.”
PNCA’s expansion is expected to bring new vitality to the North Park Blocks as well as the Old Town and Chinatown neighborhoods. The 1919 six-story building is located at the west end of the Broadway Bridge and was originally designed by Lewis P. Hobart. In 1979, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
PDC Financing
The Portland Development Commission (PDC) was a significant partner in the development of PNCA’s new home. PDC was granted a deed for the 511 NW Broadway building from the National Park Service through a national monument transfer and agreed to lease the building back to PNCA for 99 years at $1 per year. (PNCA has the right to extend the lease for another 99 years for the same terms.) With support from the City of Portland, the PDC also committed to $20.3 million in bridge and long-term financing to PNCA for the project. PNCA also received a $740,000 grant from PDC for project planning and design.
Creativity Works Here Campaign
In June 2012, PNCA launched a $15 million philanthropic campaign, Creativity Works Here, to support its strategic move to renovate the historic building.
Creativity Works Here is led by honorary co-chairs Arlene Schnitzer and Dorothy Lemelson, along with a campaign cabinet of volunteer community leaders. PNCA alumna Arlene Schnitzer kicked off the campaign with a lead gift of $5 million to name the building the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design. Under the leadership of former PNCA board chair Ann Edlen and current chair Aric Wood, board members contributed more than $4 million to the effort.
Commitments of $1 million or more from Dorothy Lemelson, Al Solheim, and Ann and Mark Edlen, made possible the Dorothy Lemelson Innovation Studio; Albert Solheim Library, and the Ann Payne Edlen Creative Corridor. A combined commitment of more than $1 million from John Shipley, Maribeth Collins and The Collins Foundation is supporting the Shipley/Collins Mediatheque, PNCA’s new black box theater. Other gifts of note include a $700,000 top-off grant from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust; $500,000 from the William G. Gilmore Foundation, thanks to board member Mary Lee Boklund; $500,000 from the Estate of Ernest Swigert in honor of past PNCA president Sally Lawrence; $500,000 from an anonymous donor; $400,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust; $400,000 from an anonymous donor; $300,000 from the Swigert Warren Foundation; and $250,000 each from board chair Aric Wood and board member Susan Hammer.
“We are extremely thankful to all of the individuals, foundations, businesses and public agencies who helped make this expansion a reality,” says President Manley. “We invite Portlanders to explore our galleries and engage with our public programs and be a part of this new era in PNCA’s rich history.”
About PNCA
Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is a leading West Coast art and design college. Founded in Portland, Oregon in 1909, PNCA has helped shape the region’s visual art and design landscape for more than a century. PNCA students study with award-winning faculty in small classes. Since 2008, the College has doubled both the student body and full-time faculty, quadrupled its endowment, and added innovative undergraduate and graduate programs. With the opening of the $34 million Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design, Portland’s North Park Blocks has become PNCA’s new campus, which also includes its Museum of Contemporary Craft and ArtHouse student housing. As home to over a thousand PNCA students, teachers, staff, and volunteers the PNCA campus is a bustling hub for creativity and entrepreneurship, reflecting the influential role of art and design in our 21st century economy – both in Portland and beyond.
Portland, February 5th, 2015. “Wild Tales” was the title of the featured film at the Northwest Film Center‘s 38th Portland International Film Festival Opening Night festivities. The Argentinian film by Damián Szifron drew an excited crowd of supporters, including Joan Sher, Olivia Kulander, and Paul Sher, to the Regal Cinemas Fox Tower. Drawing an audience of 38,000, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is the biggest film event in Oregon, premiering more than 140 international shorts and feature films to Portland audiences each February. Audiences can experience a variety of parties, visiting artists, and plenty of festival adventure taking in this feast of cinematic fare.
Bailey Cain and Melinda Kowalska
Northwest Film Center director Bill Foster, Julie Wood, and Guy Wood
Best selling author Chelsea Cain
Ted Scheinman and Lucinda Pierpont
Portland Latin American Film Festival director Maria Osterroth (center) and friends
Karen Mouser-Darr, Ariel Stephenson, and Shannon Smith
Married creatives Marc Mohan (The Oregonian) and Chelsea Cain
Blacktop Films’ Cintamani Calise and Alex Jones
About the Festival Drawing an audience of 38,000, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is the biggest film event in Oregon, premiering more than 140 international shorts and feature films to Portland audiences each February. Audiences can experience a variety of parties, visiting artists, and plenty of festival adventure taking in this feast of cinematic fare.
Portland, February 20th, 2015. Generous donors supporting the Lines for Life mission to prevent substance abuse and suicide. Organizers say it was wonderful night at Portland’s Sentinel Hotel. Honorary Chairs Rick and Erika Miller were all smiles. From Haley Johnsen’s rendition of the National Anthem to the final wave of auctioneer Johnna Well’s hand, it was an evening celebrating the fact that there’s Always Hope 24/7/365. Thanks to the generosity of our donors we were able to raise a record amount of money to support the lifesaving work.
Board members Doug Lyons and Anne Naito-Campbell catching up
Committee Chair Julie Elkins welcoming guests
Johnna Wells, International Auctioneer Champion, Benefit Auctions 360
YouthLine supporter Pacific Bells, Inc represented by Eric Simko, presenting a scholarship to YouthLine volunteer, Jampa Lhasawa
Senator Ron Wyden
Lines for Life is a non-profit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide because they touch so many families in our society. We have served thousands of people with addiction, mental health and suicide intervention services, treatment referral and drug prevention education.
Lines for Life Crisis Lines receive approximately 35,000 calls per year. We are able to de-escalate 98 percent of the over 13,000 suicide calls we receive. Our suicide LifeLine is available free not only to those in crisis, but to concerned friends & family members who sense something seriously amiss and need information on what actions they should take. (800) 273-TALK
The Military Helpline offers free, anonymous assistance 24/7/365 to active duty service members, veterans and their families through telephone and text support.
Our YouthLine offers a confidential teen-to-teen phone line and texting to help youth deal with bullying, depression, substance abuse or other issues that can make those years especially painful.
The Alcohol & Drug Helpline offers crisis counseling and referrals to appropriate treatment options.
The Lines for Life staff works closely with schools, parents, treatment professionals, law enforcement and the military. We train and support community anti-drug coalitions. We lead public awareness campaigns on underage drinking, youth access to alcohol and reducing illegal drug use.
Portland, February 22nd, 2015. Mittleman Jewish Community Center held its Friends of the Center Brunch with special guest speaker, Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor: Africa. Ethan spoke about his Jewish upbringing, his journey of winning Survivor: Africa and his true test of surviving cancer twice. He’s pictured with Gayle Schnitzer Romain and Laura Rosencrantz, founder of Inpower Cancer Exercise Program. Ethan Zohn also talked about character, leadership, resiliency, service and how his challenges have become the source of his strength.
Barry Benson, Ethan Zohn and Bob Philip. (Barry and Bob are Co-Presidents of the MJCC Board of Directors)
MJCC inducted Steve and Jeff Rudolph into the Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and honored two students: Benjamin Barna and Johanna Cogen with the Harry Glickman Scholar Athlete Award. Ethan Zohn’s speech will be available at www.oregonjcc.org/brunch shortly.
Portland, February 7th, 2015. Kaiser Permanente Northwest provided more than $80,000 in free dental care and vaccinations to approximately 200 uninsured and underinsured children at seven locations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. More than one-quarter of those children received both dental and medical care. The free clinics, called Give Kids a Smile, were offered in conjunction with National Children’s Dental Health Month and in partnership with the American Dental Association. These events also were timed to Oregon’s immunizations exclusion date.
Dylan Kruse, 3 1/2, was among the nearly 200 children who received free dental care and vaccinations at Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s Give Kids a Smile events taking place in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Credit: Courtesy of Kaiser Permanente Northwest.
Hager Arheim, 5, is all smiles as registered nurse Dawn Sorensen prepares to give her a vaccination at one of Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s seven free Give Kids a Smile clinics on February 7. Credit: Andie Petkus Photography
Kaiser Permanente dentist Dr. Felix Lee and dental assistant Crystal Schnacky provided 7-year-old August Ebalaroza with free dental care as part of the Give Kids a Smile clinics that took place throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Credit: Andie Petkus Photography
Portland, February 14th, 2015. The Portland metro community showed some serious love for CCA this Valentine’s Day. 15-year-old Nathalie Traller, picked the winning raffle ticket in CCA’s “Win the Keys to Our Heart” car raffle, as Kent Van Arnam, Dick Hannah Dealership’s Director of Marketing, FOX 12 Oregon’s Mark Nelson, 105.1 The BUZZ’s Daria, Nathalie’s Chemo Pal mentor, Charae Gibbs, Nathalie’s dad Nathan, and her sister Kelly look on. Highlighted by the nonprofit’s annual two-day Valentine-A-Thon on FOX 12 Oregon and 105.1 The BUZZ, all festivities this year raised more than $700,000 to support CCA’s mission of Joy.
Andrea Lauer, Product Data Quality Director at Nike, Inc., talks to FOX 12 Oregon’s Wayne Garcia about her family’s journey with daughter Maddie and her first-hand experience with CCA.
FOX 12 Oregon’s Andy Carson welcomes Northwestern Mutual’s Gay Davis, Financial Advisor, and Cory Mahaffey, Managing Partner, to the studio to present CCA Founder and CEO, Regina Ellis, with a $25,000 check. Davis was this year’s recipient of Northwestern Mutual’s Community Service Award for his philanthropic efforts on behalf of CCA.
Betsy Reed, Business Developer, and Allison Clarke, President Allison Clarke Consulting and CCA Ambassador Board Co-Chair, add two purple heart tattoos to Fox 12 Oregon’s Andy Carson’s cheeks to fulfill a viewer request in exchange for a $2,000 dollar donation.
CCA’s power three: Clare Hamill, VP Global Growth Initiatives, Nike Inc. and Founding Board Chair and current Board Member, Regina Ellis, CCA’s Founder and Chief Joy Officer, and Andy Lytle, Division Vice President at Jackson Family Wines and CCA’s current Board Chair. During the final two hours of the Valentine-A-Thon, Clare and Andy both offered up matching hours so donors could double their gifts.
From left: Fox 12 Oregon’s Wayne Garcia, Amy Troy, and Shauna Parsons, 105.1 The BUZZ’s Daria, Mitch, and Ted, and FOX 12 Oregon’s Mark Nelson, proudly display the total at the close of the Valentine-A-Thon.
CCA’s Director of Development, Jenny O’Bryan, FOX 12 Oregon’s News Director and CCA Board Member, Corey Hanson, and CCA Founder and Chief Joy Officer, Regina Ellis. Corey and the FOX 12 team make so many good things happen for CCA.
Kent Van Arnam, Director of Marketing for Dick Hannah Dealerships, with Regina Ellis, CCA’s Founder and Chief Joy Officer. For the fifth year in a row, Dick Hannah Dealerships has donated the car for CCA’s “Win the Keys to Our Heart” car raffle.
FOX 12 Oregon’s Mark Nelson got funky for a donor who said she’d pledge $1,000 if Mark would do the chicken dance on air. There wasn’t a second’s hesitation – he simply threw off his jacket and got down!
Regina Ellis, CCA Founder and Chief Joy Officer, presents FOX 12 Oregon’s Pete Ferryman with a tiny birthday cake with five lit candles, each representing a $1,000 donation. Also pictured are: Allison Clarke, President Allison Clarke Consulting and CCA Ambassador Board Co-chair, FOX 12 Oregon’s Andy Carson, Kimberly Maus, and Tony Gonzalez.
In honor of her daughter, Caitlyn, a CCA Community Hero in 2012 who died from cancer in 2013, Shawna Higgins-Buscher, and her sister, Tiffany Higgins, volunteered at the phone bank.
The two-day Valentine-A-Thon was complemented with various other fundraising activities to reach this fundraising record:
Dick Hannah Dealerships donated a brand new car for CCA’s “Win the Keys to Our Heart” car raffle
More than 100 retail locations, including area Elmer’s, Papa Murphy’s, and Joe’s Burgers, sold paper “Hearts of Joy”
Nike employees once again pitted the women vs. the men to see who could raise the most for CCA – and the women won, again.
10 kids became young philanthropists in CCA’s Kids Calling for Kids project
CCA believes joy matters and music heals.Learn more and get involved at JoyRx.org and MyMusicRx.org.
Portland, February 8th, 2015. A capacity crowd of over 500 people filled the space at Castaway to truly get a Taste of Temple. Event co-chair Tony Urdes embraced CBI’s engaging clergy Rabbi Rachel Joseph, Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana, wife and co-chair Bianca Urdes and Cantor Ida Rae Cahana. Congregation Beth Israel’s 4th annual friendraiser and FUNdraiser brought together a dynamic and multifaceted committee that recruited 40 of the top restaurants, wineries, distillers and brewers to get up close and personal with those attending this ever-popular event. (Photo credit: David Kinder, Kinderpics Photography)
Congratulations to Jill and Ed Neuwelt, the winners of the Golden Ticket and the new owners of an electric bike from Western Bikeworks.
Baby Miette joins parents Jessie Burke and Jonathan Cohen in serving delicious treats from Posie’s Cafe.
Lorraine and Rabbi Emanuel Rose enjoy their time at Taste of Temple IV.
From Congregation Beth Israel:
Beneath our dome is a spiritual home, a place of community and friendship, a place to be inspired through prayer, a place for lifelong learning, and a place where every person makes a difference.
Congregation Beth Israel is proud to be a part of the Portland community since our founding in 1858. We are affiliated with the Reform Movement through the Union for Reform Judaism.
Congregation Beth Israel is the leading voice of Reform Judaism in Oregon.
We are dedicated to:
Improving our World through Education, Leadership and Inspiration
Promoting Traditional Jewish Values of Respect, Justice and Compassion
Providing an Environment that Inspires Worship, Spirituality and Celebration across the Generations
Fostering a relationship to God and deepening our connection to Judaism
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