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Mid-County students distribute $15,400 in grants to local nonprofit organizations
Community 101sm students participating in the PGE Foundation’s innovative charitable program at David Douglas High School (DDHS) and Parkrose High School (PHS) recently shared some good news with area community groups. These philanthropic students presented a combined total of $15,400 in grants to 14 local nonprofit organizations during receptions held at their schools in May.
Community 101 is a yearlong youth involvement program designed to help teach students the importance of community service and empower them to directly impact Oregon communities through the grantmaking process. Twenty-five programs are enrolled in this year’s Community 101, and approximately 800 students are distributing almost $200,000 to nonprofit agencies throughout the state of Oregon.
David Douglas students in Joe Gardner’s and Chad Reeves’ social and human services CAM II class presented $7,932 in charitable grants to nine nonprofit organizations at a reception held at the school Thursday, May 22. This is the sixth year DDHS has participated in Community 101.
Wanting to promote healthy families within their community and focusing on children of all ages, Community 101 students at DDHS presented grants to the following organizations:
$1714 granted to Providence Child Center to help fund activity programming for patients at the Center for Medically Fragile Children. This grant was funded by PGE employee contributions to the Community 101 program.
$1120 granted to Albertina Kerr Center to help fund the Kerr Early Intervention Program, which provides skills training for children, family counseling, support for parents and classroom assistance for children.
$1,000 granted to DDHS Qualha Club (a community service club) to help fund a winter holiday giving tree to assist low-income families in the school district.
$1000 granted to Police Activities League of Greater Portland to help fund the PAL summer sports camp, which is coached by law enforcement officers.
$900 granted to Portland Shriners Hospital to help fund Camp Spirit, a hospital-based camp designed to increase knowledge of socialization and goal setting, boost self-esteem and improve independence in activities of daily living in maturing adolescence.
$623 granted to Portland Rescue Mission to help fund Shepherd’s Door, a shelter for homeless women and children. The facility has a learning center that assists in transitioning children back into the public school system.
$600 granted to Morrison Child and Family Services to fund recreational programming.
$500 granted to Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area to help fund Quest for Adventure, a teen summer camping program at the Wattles Boys & Girls Club.
Parkrose students in adviser Meg Kilmer’s after-school community service club presented $7,468 in charitable grants to six nonprofit organizations at a reception held at the school Wednesday, May 28. This is the fifth year students at Parkrose have been involved with Community 101.
Wanting to provide funding to organizations that offer educational opportunities and services to youth, Community 101 students at PHS presented grants to the following organizations:
$2250 granted to the Oregon Children’s Foundation Start Making a Reader Today program to purchase books for children to read. This grant was partially funded by PGE employee contributions to the Community 101 program.
$1500 granted to Kids on the Block (a nonprofit educational organization that uses life-size puppets to help children learn to understand and accept differences in one another and to protect themselves in difficult situations) to purchase new puppets.
$1000 granted to Ethos, Inc. (a nonprofit multicultural music center dedicated to the promotion of music and music-based education for Oregon youth) to help fund its summer music camps.
$1000 granted to Human Solutions (a nonprofit organization that helps families gain self-sufficiency by providing affordable housing, skill development and family support services) to help fund its Second Chances program.
$1,000 granted to Police Activities League of Greater Portland to help fund its summer activities program.
$718 granted to PHS Environmental Projects to help provide tuition for a leadership building camp.
Supervised by teachers, students use Community 101 materials to guide them through the grantmaking process. In creating their own charitable foundations, students write mission statements, set goals and research community needs, and the PGE Foundation challenges participants to fund raise a portion of the money they distribute. Students also volunteer at local organizations and conduct site visits with a variety of community groups. Using the information gathered from these experiences, students solicit and evaluate grant requests from nonprofit organizations. Then during the spring, students announce grant recipients.
Community 101 adds value to the educational system by developing civic responsibility among students by planting the seeds for lifelong community involvement. The program teaches skills needed for leadership and in future careers. In addition, Community 101 strengthens communities, both through the grants allocated by students and the new partnerships formed between schools, nonprofit groups and businesses.
Created in 1997, Community 101 is the signature program of the corporate foundation of Portland General Electric. The mission of Community 101 is to help young people discover more about their communities – and enable them to bring about positive changes – through grantmaking. The PGE Foundation funds 15 Community 101 programs and engages other corporations/foundations to sponsor additional programs.
In 2002, Community 101 received the Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
The PGE Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for all Oregonians by supporting statewide programs and services that encourage healthy families, provide educational opportunities, preserve the environment and encourage the arts and cultural diversity. To learn more about the PGE Foundation, please visit www.pgefoundation.org.
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