Thank you!

What a great response for our emergency appeal for A/C units!

Three days ago, Disability Activists Work Group of Oregon (DAWG Oregon), in partnership with United Way of the Columba-Willamette, began collecting A/C units to be donated to The Arc of Multnomah County.

Tagged "Operation Cool Air," DAWG Oregon and United Way mobilized the community to get donations of A/C units intended for clients of The Arc: most of whom are older adults with developmental disabilities. In many cases, they also suffer from severe medical needs.

Donations from individuals started coming in within hours of announcing the emergency appeal. Standard TV & Appliance also gave deep discounts for three portable A/C units. David McDonald, founder of DAWG Oregon, has been busy delivering and installing A/C units in area homes for the past two days.

We have received wonderful response from the community and media about raising awareness about the needs of people with disabilities in our area. We cannot thank you enough for your support.

Although it's already beginning to cool down, we hope that this week's heatwave serves as a lasting reminder about the needs of our neighbors with disabilities. We support DAWG's advocacy work on behalf of some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

EDIT: Late last week, Standard TV and Appliance donated six window A/C units for the DAWG Oregon/United Way drive. Many thanks to Bill Gander, owner of Standard TV & Appliance, for the generous donation.

"After it appeared we had sold out we scoured our inventory to find these air conditioners knowing the great importance and great relief that they will give to those in need. We are proud to be of service to our community anytime we can," he said.

Visit from Portland Multnomah Youth Corps

Thanks to organizers of the Portland Multnomah Youth Corps for providing local businesses and organizations a chance to share our work with local youth.

United Way of the Columbia-Willamette hosted some 15 young men and women -- all entering ninth-grade in the fall -- from Self Enhancement Inc.

The youth are part of the Youth Potential Realized program that provides after-school and summer activities to African-American youth attending area public schools. The program recently received funding from United Way.

In his welcoming talk, United Way CEO Marc Levy talked about United Way's commitment to education, and encouraged students to do their best in school.

To give the students a peek into how grantmaking organizations like United Way allocates funding for local prgrams, staff members Colin McCormack and Suzanne McDonald led a funding exercise. The activity challenged the students to think about the best way to invest $100,000 in the community. Students reviewed three short fictitious proposals asking for a total of $150,000. In the end, the students made funding decisions based on demonstrated community needs.

Staff also participated in informational interviews where students had a chance to ask questions about the organization's workings. The event was capped off by a pizza lunch.

Thanks to United Way HR Director Kathy Grimm for organizing the visit. United Way is excited to host another group of students on August 5.

Operation Cool Air

We need your help!

Unusually hot weather is putting many people at risk of heat exhaustion and other problems. United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, The Arc of Multnomah and DAWG Oregon are collaborating to get portable air conditioners installed in the homes of adults with developmental disabilities.

These adults also have medical concerns that put them at serious risk in the heat wave we are experiencing. We are looking for donations of either used or new air conditioners for this effort.

If you have a spare A/C unit, please contact DAWG Oregon. DAWG can schedule a dropoff time, and happy to work with you on picking up the unit.

We need to get the A/C units out to our neighbors as soon as possible, so would appreciate your help in getting the word out about this effort. Thanks for your support.

EDIT: The A/C units are being distributed by The Arc of Multnomah County o current clients of The Arc, many of whom are older adults with disabilities with severe medical needs. Thank you DAWG Oregon's David McDonald for delivering and installing the units in area homes.

U.S. Bank: Best in Trade, Banks and Finance

Congratulations and thanks to U.S. Bank for an outstanding campaign. U.S. Bank received the Best in Trade award in the Banks and Finance industry. Pictured from left are: Quentin Strode, U.S. Bank Manager Metropolitan Banking; Malia Wasson, U.S. Bank Market President Oregon & Southwest Washington; and Marc Levy, CEO and President, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette; and David Wynde, U.S. Bank Vice President & Manager Community Relations.



Click here to see more Campaign Award winners

Bank of America: Supporting Community Programs

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY: Rich Brown (right), SVP and Market Development Manager at Bank of America, presenting the company's corporate gift to United Way staff menbers Donna Harris (center) and James Dillard.

Bank of America's $135,000 corporate gift will help fund early childhood programs in the four-county area, as well as the Cornerstone Partners program. As a Cornerstone partner, Bank of America joins 16 other companies that have designated their corporate gifts to underwrite overhead costs for United Way. The Cornerstone Partners program ensures that 100% of donor gifts are invested in critical health and human service projects right here in our community.

In March, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave $100,000 to the Community Relief Fund, a four-month emergency campaign to help families access emergency food, and get rent and utility assistance.

Thank you Bank of America for being a strong supporter of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette's work in the community.

Intel Oregon Volunteers Help Clean a Family Shelter

Intel Oregon employees and staff from the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette worked together on a "done-in-a day" project at the Community Action Hillsboro Family Crisis Shelter. The team came together to do a deep cleaning of the shelter, which involved heavy scrubbing and cleaning of interior with some yard work on the exterior of the shelter.

Interested in organizing a volunteer project for your employees? Check out United Way's corporate volunteerism page for more info.

$1.6 Million raised to support emergency services through Community Relief Fund

The Community Relief Fund, a four month emergency fundraising effort initiated by United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, the Oregon Food Bank, and Community Action Programs in Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties is ending its first phase after raising $1.6 million to provide families with rent, food, and utility assistance.javascript:void(0)

Individuals, businesses and foundations have raised more than $600,000 to support the Community Relief Fund. Major funders include: Oregon Community Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Providence Health System, Kaiser Permanente, Jubitz Family Foundation, Marcia Randall, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Bank of America, and PCC Structurals.

In addition, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette has committed $1 million to the Community Relief Fund which will be distributed to partner agencies over the next year.


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