UPS Golf Tournament for United Way

In September UPS held a charity golf tournament to support United Way of the Columbia-Willamette at Tri-Mountain Golf Course in Ridgefield, WA.

Tournament organizer and Package Division Manager, Portland Division, Northwest District, Kevin Church was eager to bring some additional excitement to UPS' United Way Community Giving Campaign. With help from Brad Roos and Dominique Andrews, Kevin put together a phenomenal tournament which he hopes to make an annual event. 

The tournament featured hole and cart sponsors, over 80 players, a silent auction, and great prizes.  Some UPS regional leadership came down from Seattle to play as well including Nancy Koeper, VP/COO Director of NW District.

The image to the right features Kevin proudly presenting a $6,000 check to United Way's James Dillard, Director of Workplace Giving. The amount raised at the tournament includes funds from the silent auction, mulligan sales, putting contest, and more.

Thank you Kevin, Brad, Dominique and everyone who participated in this great UPS fundraising event for United Way. 

The Harris Group Inc. Charity Zucchini Car Races

The Portland office of Harris Group, Inc. wrapped up their employee giving campaign last Thursday, October 20^th and raised more than $8,100, exceeding their campaign goal!

Hoping to have even more fun than last year, campaign coordinator Sheila Stai decided try something new and added Zucchini Car Races to the week’s activities.

Employees were invited to design, build and decorate their own zucchini cars and bring them to race on a track specially constructed for the event. Racers competed for donated prizes in 4 categories – Fastest, Slowest, Most Creative and Most Nutritious.

United Way of the Columbia-Willamette Community Account Manager, Steven "Dream" Weaver, the voice of many professional and collegian sports teams, was there as play-by-play announcer. Employee spectators filled in as the races began and the room was full of laughter – many more vowed to build their own zucchini car next year to challenge this year’s winners. 

The Zucchini Car races was one of many fun activities planned throughout the campaign at Harris Group – employees also had a chance to take part in a silent auction, cut-throat penny competition and a chili cook-off. Thanks to the dedication of Sheila and her colleagues, participation was high and Harris Group employees got to have fun and feel good about giving back to our community. 

Thankful for Our Local Commitment to Ending Domestic Violence

Since the 1980s, October has been known as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It has become a time to honor the lives of those who have been lost due to domestic violence, celebrate those who have survived and recognize those who work in the victims’ services field.

This year’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month has brought mourning for a different kind of loss. Not a loss of life but a loss of laws around domestic violence in Topeka, Kansas. This month, the Topeka mayor and city council voted to repeal the city’s ordinance against domestic violence, primarily due to money squabbles. They made this move as a counter to the decision by county officials last month to stop prosecuting misdemeanors, including domestic violence, when the crime occurred within Topeka city limits: http://bit.ly/nRf4V2.

“Suspects in Topeka domestic violence cases are leaving jail without being charged, and advocates for abuse survivors say victims are growing more scared amid a public squabble over who should pay to prosecute the crimes.” - Associated Press

This decision creates a scary situation for survivors of domestic violence who are watching the perpetrators of abuse against them walk free. It is challenging for survivors to find the courage and trust to engage the criminal justice system in the first place. As a result, many survivors in Topeka may never trust the justice system or their local community to assist them in their safety.

While supporting domestic violence survivors does not seem to be a priority at the moment in Kansas, the increased awareness around our own region’s need to improve our response to and prevention of domestic violence is heartening. Despite the financial troubles facing the Portland-Vancouver metro region, our community has demonstrated that domestic violence is a top concern and United Way of the Columbia Willamette is working diligently with the community to address it. We have been working on a  new Domestic Violence Initiative designed to foster increased sector collaboration, improve violence prevention education and get the word out about ending domestic violence through public awareness campaigns.

Our community recognizes that when cuts need to be made, they should not be done so at the cost of the most vulnerable members of our community. Domestic violence survivors are often extremely isolated from their friends, family and other social supports. Our community is willing to rally around domestic violence survivors instead of isolating them further.

I applaud our region’s continued efforts to increase attention to the pandemic issue of domestic violence. Together we can ensure that the survivors in our community never have to watch the abuser be freed to abuse again due to bad budgetary decisions.

Join us to support survivors and work to end the abuse before it starts.  For more information on our efforts please go to our website at http://www.unitedway-pdx.org/domesticviolence

Sarah McDowell
Community Investment Manager, Health and Wellness
United Way of the Columbia-Willamette

Jacobs Engineering Living United

Jacobs Engineering just kicked off their United Way Community Giving Campaign with a staff volunteer service day organized by United Way. The group from Jacobs was matched up with a service project at Oregon Food Bank. Thanks for LIVING UNITED Jacobs Engineering!

(L to R): Michael Braschayko, Jack Sabin and Operations Manager Gil Hulden

(L to R): front row - Jeanne Brown, Kathy Scheel, Carolina Conway, Holly Gerloff, Molly Schultz
back row - Gil Hulden, John Hungate, Jack Sabin, Matt Schultz, Michael Braschayko

Pacific Power Tees Off their Giving Campaign

The Pacific Power first annual United Way Golf Tournament on September 16th at Chehalem Glenn  Golf Course in Newberg was executed with great success! The tournament hosted 112 players and over 25 sponsors to raise money for United Way. 

Pacific Power is also a member of United Way's Cornerstone Partners which means they are one of the 17 local companies who have chosen to designate their corporate gifts to the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, to help underwrite operating costs. Because of their support, 100% of contributions received will be invested in local programs to help people in need.

Teams had the pleasure of playing one of the most challenging courses in the Northwest, while supporting long lasting change in our community through United Way of the Columbia-Willamette.

All proceeds went to United Way’s Community Impact Fund, creating opportunities for a better life for all in our four-county Portland/Vancouver metro area by focusing on improving education, income and health, the building block for a good quality of life.

In addition to contributions from sponsors and participants’ green fees, money was also raised through the sale of Mulligans and Hole-in-One chances. Golfers and volunteers convened for a BBQ lunch after the tournament where awards were announced and door prizes given to a few lucky winners. All in all, the fundraiser was a great success and a lot of fun for those involved. 

Pacific Power Golf Committee

The tournament was organized by Pacific Power’s Golf Committee, chaired by John Aniello and Francine Sullivan. In addition to putting on this terrific event, Pacificorp and Pacific Power run an outstanding United Way Community Giving Campaign and participate in corporate volunteer projects. 

A big thank you to Pacific Power employees for their generous support!

Check out more photos from the tournament

Update: 
Pacific Power created these great photo collages from the tournament, check them out! Clicking on them will bring them up bigger for better viewing.

 

Families are at Risk: Help Restore the Emergency Food & Shelter Program

For nearly half of Americans surveyed in the August 27, 2011 WSJ/NBC News poll, the lasting recession and painfully slow recovery has carried more of a personal impact in the past decade than the events of September 11, 2001 or the following wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Families have grown increasingly concerned about their personal finances.

And with good reason, unemployment remains high and with it has come the loss of health insurance, leaving families at risk of financial disaster in the case of illness or medical emergency. Along with this, foreclosures are in a holding pattern, leaving families unsure if they will have a house to call home next month. And, as poverty rates increase more people are cutting their personal budgets for items like food and electricity, even as these prices are on the rise.

The loss of a job can mean family disaster, as was the case with a young couple, Karen and Matt and their new baby. Like so many young families, they were just getting by until Matt lost his job. The job loss hit them hard and they quickly went through their savings and could no longer pay their rent. Karen and Matt were afraid of being on the streets.

Fortunately, they connected with a program funded by United Way of the Columbia-Willamette's Community Relief Fund which assisted them by paying for two months of rent. The program also helped them get unemployment insurance and food stamps and worked with them to set a budget. The family is now up to date on their rent and managing their income. Thanks to United Way donors they are now standing on their own.

Families like Karen and Matt’s are served by projects funded through the Community Relief Fund and other resources are also available in the Portland area. One crucial resource is the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), a federal program that provides emergency funds to families at risk. This year, at a time when the need is greatest, EFSP funding for the Portland region was eliminated.

You Can Help!

Without restoration of Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds more families will be at risk. That is why we urge you to act today by contacting your congressperson and ask them to restore funding for this vital program. Together we can make a difference for families in our region.

In addition, you can help us reach many more families and individuals by donating to the Community Relief Fund. Consider making a donation today.

Celebrate Women’s Equality Day!

This Friday, August 26, U.S. women, and all U.S. citizens, have something to celebrate: Women’s Equality Day! Why is this day important?

It all Began in Upstate New York

In July 1848, at the Seneca Falls Convention in upstate New York, women’s rights activists, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton (pictured left) and Lucretia Mott, met to discuss women’s rights and other issues. At the end of the convention, twelve resolutions were adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This convention gave strength to an often dangerous struggle by women to secure the right to vote. After seventy-two years they were successful and on August 26, 1920 Congress voted in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote. Supporters of the 19th Amendment were jubilant but many felt it was only the beginning for women’s rights.

Women’s Equality Day Resolution & the Equal Rights Amendment

In 1971, during a time of national push for adopting the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Rep. Bella Abzug, Democrat from New York, introduced a Congressional Resolution to designate August 26 Women’s Equality Day. It easily passed and encouraged supporters in their fight for passage of ERA. View the Resolution.

The ERA was first introduced in 1920 after the passage of the 19th Amendment but has yet to be adopted. It passed Congress in 1972 but to supporter’s dismay failed to meet the 1982 deadline for ratification by the states. For more background, watch this video of Gloria Steinem reflecting on the Women's Rights Movement.

Creating Opportunities for Change at United Way

The women who fought for voter rights at the turn of the century felt that education of women was essential for their equality and advancement. At United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, through donor support we fund education projects that help children and youth achieve their potential. These include projects that specifically address educational challenges for girls. To learn more and join us in this work, visit our website.

Test your knowledge of the struggle for women's right to vote by taking the NWHP Women's Equality Day Quiz.

Will you be participating in any Women's Day activities this year? If so, let us know by commenting on this blog post or on the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette Facebook or Twitter pages.