Article Provided Courtesy of The Times, Brownsville OR – Written By Vance Parrish
This last Wednesday in the Community Room above Brownsville City Hall the Central Linn Community Foundation held a Gala Event to thank donors and give grant recipients a chance to talk about their projects and what the awards will mean to their organizations. Many of the recipients shared brief but heartfelt thanks with attendees. A common theme being that the impact of such gifts would be felt by many in the Central Linn Community. Many of these programs would not be able to function at the level they currently do without the support of community members and organizations such as the Central Linn Community Foundation.
The 2018 grant recipients included: Sharing Hands/Summer Fun for the Friday Fun/Summer Fun enrichment program – $500.00, Central Linn Elementary School PTC for fencing – $750.00, Central Linn Gleaners – Preserving Today’s Abundance – $250.00, Central Linn Gleaners – Fuel Fund – $250.00, Central Linn Recreation Center – sports equipment – $983.00, Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments for Meals On Wheels – $1,100.00, Halsey-Shedd Rural Fire Department – Jacob’s Kits – $1,000.00, Calapooia Watershed Council – educational programs for school students – $600.00, Central Linn High School – basketballs – $742.00, Brownsville Senior Center/Brownsville Garden Club – watering downtown flower barrels – $500.00, Willamette Valley Quilts of Valor – postage – $500.00, Sharing Hands food bank – computers – $1,325.00. Grants for 2019 totaled $8,500.00. Look for more detailed stories on these organizations and how these gifts impacted them in future issues of The Times.
This last year Foundation Board Members have been working hard to get more donations so they could award more and/or larger grants than in previous years. The 2019 grant total seems to show that their efforts are paying off. Efforts to make next year even better are ongoing and include the addition of Board Member Lance Wilson. Lance, a Graphic Design Major at Oregon State University was responsible for the redesign of the Foundation’s logo and informational brochure. He also produced several other sample promotional materials that may be utilized by the Foundation at a future date. Additionally, Lance will continue working with Vance Parrish – a foundation marketing advisor. The two of them plan to further fine tune and develop the Foundation’s marketing strategies and materials. Both have a strong desire to find more ways to get the word out about the foundation and all that it is doing to support local community non-profits.
If you are interested in learning more about the Central Linn Community Foundation you can visit their website at centlinncf.org. Additionally, you can speak with a board member (Rella Johnson, Kath Rogers, Don Ware, Chenoweth Robertson, Wendy Parker, Jan Schilling, Sharon McCoy, Lance Wilson, and Norma Hoover) or stop by The Times office to get more information.