In alignment with their goal of supporting youth related causes in Central Oregon, the Rotary Club of Greater Bend overwhelmingly has pledged $25,000 to the establishment of the OSU-Cascades four-year campus.
OSU-Cascades is seeking 40 commitments of $25,000 which can be paid in $5,000 increments over five years in order to demonstrate that the Central Oregon community is behind the expansion plan.
“Since moving to Bend in 1969 I think the establishment of a four-year university in the form of OSU Cascades is the most important development in our region,” said Loren Irving, past president of Rotary Club of Greater Bend. “It is a great opportunity for this Rotary Club to make a difference and help get things rolling on something that I am sure history will look back on as a most positive thing for Central Oregon and our youth.
“There are a lot of reasons that having a university here is so important. One is that there is likely no other place in the country where there is a population of 200,000 people without a university no closer than 140 miles. EDCO, the Bend Chamber and many others continually refer to companies that might have moved here that decided not to because there is not a four-year university. The economic impact will be significant. Business will benefit with collaboration between their needs and the curriculum of the university.”
“I feel this is totally in line with other commitments our club has made in its 35 year history,” added former Bend Mayor Oran Teater (also a past Rotary president). “We contributed heavily to The Rosie Bareis Center, Boys and Girls Club and the Tower Theatre to get those endeavors off the ground. Helping OSU-Cascades is equally important. A strong financial commitment from our community is essential to their support of our university’s expansion.”
“We are incredibly grateful to the Rotary Club of Greater Bend for their support of OSU-Cascades as it transitions into a four-year university,” said OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson. “The Club recognized that this is an investment in the region’s future, and one that will help diversify and stabilize the economy, as well as add to the culture and vibrancy of our community. The Rotary Club of Greater Bend is full of business and community leaders who want to support things that will have a lasting impact on this region, and this gift will leave a legacy for years to come.”
The Rotary Club of Greater Bend was formed in 1976 and has donated more than $1.2 million to youth related non-profit agencies in Central Oregon.
www.greaterbendrotary.org
