Deschutes Children’s Foundation is celebrating their Silver Anniversary Thursday, September 24. The local nonprofit agency was established in 1990 when community leaders recognized the need for a central place for children and families to receive health and human services in Deschutes County. Rotary Club of Greater Bend donated the funds for the down payment on Rosie Bareis Community Campus. Funds from Deschutes Brewery’s Sagebrush Classic were applied toward the mortgage and culminated in a mortgage burning ceremony in 1998.
The organization quickly expanded to cater to the needs of families in Bend, Redmond and La Pine. In April of 2000, the Becky Johnson Campus opened in Redmond and later that year the Foundation took over management of the La Pine Community Campus. Nine years later, the East Bend Community Campus opened, providing a fourth location for children and families in need.
Executive Director Kim McNamer has been with the foundation for six years and was drawn to the company because of the sense of unity. “One of the things that surprised me most in the beginning was understanding the importance of our facility mangers at each location. These are caring and dedicated individuals who have truly built communities at each of our campuses. They know the names of all the staff, volunteers and kids in the programs. They are the heart of our organization and what makes our unique model stand apart from other co-working spaces,” said McNamer.
The foundation’s campuses offer rent-free classroom space to programs that provide services to children and families. In essence, their community campuses have become a home for nonprofits throughout Deschutes County. This enables different organizations to co-exist, share resources and improve access to basic needs in one
central location.
“The idea behind our model is that many clients seeking services are in need of many different types of services. By being co-located at one facility, the idea is that those clients have access to many services and that the programs themselves work together and with their clients to share those resources,” said McNamer. “We remove the headache of operations on the facility side of things so our partners can focus their time and resources into directly serving the needs of our community.”
To celebrate the anniversary, the foundation is preparing a night of entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine.
“This milestone is a testament to our community as a whole. Nonprofits have been working together to create innovative solutions in our community for 25 years, if not longer. It symbolizes our intrinsic desire to help people and to work towards changing the community for the better,” said McNamer. “As one of our founding board members put it: it is a wonderful feeling to know how many people have been helped over the years, especially because even when there are services — unless they are delivered in the right way and most helpful way — people can’t always benefit from them.”
The Deschutes Children’s Foundation partners with programs throughout Deschutes County including: Big Brothers and Big Sister of Central Oregon, Head Start, Cascade Youth and Family Center, Family Access Network and more. Each year, over 20,000 children and families receive services at our community campuses.
“We would not be where we are today without our community coming together with a vision of how we protect and help our most vulnerable. Today, that vision is still embedded in the values of Deschutes Children’s Foundation and will be for the next 25 years of service to our community,” adds McNamer.
The event will take place at the Rosie Bareis Community Campus from 4-8pm on September 24.
Rosie Bareis Community Campus, 1010 NW 14th Street, Bend, OR 97701, 541-388-3101, www.deschuteschildrensfoundation.org
(Photo above | Courtesy of Deschutes Children’s Foundation)
