|
COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM Awards $89,204 in 2024Over $89,000 Awarded in Community Grants The generous Sunriver community supports community grant awards – Sunriver Women’s Club (SRWC) members, sponsors, individual donors, and fundraiser attendees. In 2024, the SRWC awarded $89,204 to 19 worthy nonprofits in south Deschutes County, each supporting one of five philanthropic priority areas.
|
| CASA of Central Oregon received $6,000 as ongoing support for Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), who are community volunteers trained and supervised to advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are in the foster care system. CASAs work with key community agencies to ensure each child can transition into a safe and permanent home. Friends of the Children Central Oregon was awarded $5,000 to support the Family Engagement Program for families with children in south Deschutes County. The program provides activities, supplies, transportation and rental space. Friends of the Children fights generational poverty by providing long-term mentors for children facing systemic obstacles to their health and development. KIDS Center received $5,000 to support child abuse intervention services for 40 south Deschutes County children. Kids Center’s mission is to respond to child abuse by availing comprehensive, trauma-informed evaluations and treatment services, as well as prevention training. MountainStar Family Relief Nursery will use its $4,000 to provide necessities for families served therapeutically in the La Pine Relief Nursery Program serving 120 individuals in 2025. |
Photo from EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT - $25,704
Every child should enter kindergarten ready to learn and be supported throughout their school years so they can be healthy, happy, and transition successfully into adulthood.
Assistance League of Bend was awarded $1,000 for a literacy support program, Assistance League Literacy for Kids, which provides 2-5 free age-appropriate books to south Deschutes County elementary students via on-site book bags and reading days. Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon received $5,000 to support the Big Futures Program, which provides mentoring and educational services for youth who are at high risk of dropout, are chronically absent, considered disengaged, or significantly below grade level in key areas like math and reading. East Cascades Works was granted $4,704 to help south Deschutes County youth attend driver’s education, making it less challenging to attend school. These funds will be utilized to create scholarships for 6 youths that will fully reimburse the cost of attending High Desert Driver’s Education ($724 for those qualifying for the free or reduced lunch discount) and will cover the $60 fee to obtain an Oregon Driver’s License. Heart of Oregon Corps was awarded $3,000 to support the Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps 2024 seasonal summer program that runs in partnership with the US Forest Service. They will hire at least 5 south Deschutes County youth aged 16–18 for an 8-week natural resources conservation work program. SMART Reading received $5,000 to purchase and deliver 14 free books to each of 159 south Deschutes County kindergarteners with below-grade level skills, many from low-income households. SMART Reading volunteers read one-on-one with 36 kindergarteners at Three Rivers School, 55 at Rosland Elementary, and 68 at La Pine Elementary School. Southern Deschutes Volleyball Association (SDVA) will use Its $2,000 award to make fees as low as possible for girls to play in south Deschutes County. Since 2005, SDVA has provided a Club volleyball experience for girls 10-17 years old from La Pine and Three Rivers, including 48-55 girls annually. Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory (SNCO) will use $5,000 to expand STEM & natural science programs to 500 students annually, a 25% increase, and provide low-cost to zero cost for schools in south Deschutes County to utilize SNCO’s many program offerings. |
|
HUNGER PREVENTION – $25,000
No one should go hungry. Best practice programs are a hub for additional support services that provide a hand-up out of poverty (i.e., meals, employment training, clothing, shelter, and health services).
Care & Share will utilize its $3,000 award to provide food boxes once a month January through November, as it has done for 25 years. In December, Care & Share works with local churches to deliver holiday meals. In 2025, they expect to provide 1,400 boxes for 5,400 persons. Central Oregon Council of Aging was awarded $5,000 as continuing support of the Meals on Wheels program in south Deschutes County to serve 131 La Pine and additional local clients an average of five meals weekly along with wellness checks allowing them to remain independent in their homes for as long as possible. La Pine Community Kitchen’s $5,000 award will help to provide free hot meals Monday through Friday in a welcoming, community setting. In 2023-24: served 18,000 meals, distributed 390,000 pounds of food, and provided free clothing & hygiene supplies to 6,600 people. High Desert Food & Farm Alliance will use its $7,000 award in coordination with Meals on Wheels to introduce to La Pine the Fresh Harvest Kit program - ready-to-make meal kits that feed four with a recipe, pantry staples and fresh local produce. 'Talking points' are included for Meals on Wheels volunteers to increase social engagement with recipients, who can then cook meals for family and/or friends. The Giving Plate‘s $5,000 award will support the Backpacks for Kids program that will sensitively provide a backpack of food for the weekend to 217 students in five south Deschutes County schools, primarily in La Pine, to help offset a spike in need & cost of food. |
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH - $4,000
Everyone should have access to quality health services that improve the physical and mental health of our community.
La Pine Parks and Recreation Foundation received $4,000 toward their “Enhancing Adult, Senior and Veteran Services” program. The goal is to increase attendance, offer additional classes, and improve the health of program participants, particularly those who attend adult and senior programs.
SAFE HOUSING - $14,500
All people should have a safe place to call home. Secure housing can stabilize families and children by providing security and personal safety.
Photo from St Vincent de Paul | Habitat for Humanity La Pine-Sunriver received $4,500 as continuing support for their Critical Home Repair program that makes unsafe homes livable by providing health and safety repairs. The agency has completed more than 250 Critical Home Repairs since the program’s inception, ensuring families, seniors, and people with disabilities can stay in their homes. The result has improved stability and continuity for these homeowners, their families, and the community with 90% of Habitat for Humanity families in La Pine retaining ownership of their homes. St Vincent de Paul (SVDP) La Pine received an award of $10,000 to support two programs. SVDP estimates over 700 unhoused people in the La Pine area will need propane for heat and cooking during the winter. $6000 of this grant will provide 353 vouchers for 5-gallon propane tanks for an estimated 250 unhoused individuals. Also with this grant, in conjunction with Midstate Electric, SVDP will use $4000 to provide $100 in utility assistance for 40 of 100 families in need in the winter months, mostly for the elderly and families with young children. |
The Sunriver Women’s Club sincerely thanks all who contributed their time and/or financial donations to supporting south Deschutes County.
Together we all thrive!
The Sunriver Women's Club (SRWC) is a 501C (3) nonprofit community service organization that welcomes members from Sunriver and the surrounding communities. The essence of the SRWC is to be a caring partner to our neighbors, nonprofits in south Deschutes County, local businesses and visitors. | Sunriver Women's Club |