No images? Click here SEPTEMBER 2020 Oregon Goes Back to School This is the newsletter we planned to send before wildfires ripped through our forests and communities, adding to the concerns that Oregon parents, students and educators carry as Oregon heads back to school. With donor support, OCF has so far awarded $2.4 million to nonprofits addressing school closures and other pandemic-related educational challenges. Together we’re beginning to channel aid to wildfire response. We are grateful to local relief agencies who are providing immediate support to communities impacted by wildfires. Please visit our website to learn about some of the organizations on the front lines of responding and consider making a gift to them today. And in partnership with other foundations we just established the 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund for recovery and rebuilding in the aftermath of fires. August Board Retreat: Reflection and a Look Ahead During our retreat, we discussed several recommendations for OCF to continue its existing work while exploring new opportunities to support racial equity and justice. Read more. New Scholarship Funds Help Close the Rural Opportunity Gap “I don’t think scholarship donors realize how much they really are doing for people,” says Melina Winters, a recipient of a new scholarship established by an OCF donor. Read more. Community Voices: Dalton Miller-Jones, Central Oregon Leadership Council Hear from OCF volunteer Dr. Miller Jones about his distinguished career, his work in education and organizing for racial justice for Bend-LaPine Schools. Read more. Social Emotional Learning Helps Youth Navigate Challenging Times OCF is working closely with partners to address the cumulative impact of school closures, the pandemic and racial injustice on students of color, low-income and isolated rural students. Read more. Giving Back: It’s a Family Affair “To help others right now is probably one of the best forms of medicine we can give each other,” says donor Shannon Nill of Coburg. Read more. Transformed by My Trauma S. Renee Mitchell shares the personal journey that led her start I Am M.O.R.E., part of OCF’s inaugural Oregon Black Student Success Community Network. Read more. |