(Rendering courtesy of Heart of Oregon Corps)
With $8 million raised for Heart of Oregon Corps’ Legacy 25 Campus Campaign, the organization exceeded its fundraising goal of $7.3 million just ahead of the September 30 campus grand opening and ribbon cutting.
More than 300 are expected to attend the event hosted in partnership with the Redmond Chamber of Commerce at the new 3.4-acre campus on Redmond’s eastside. Guests will hear remarks from state leaders, partners and alumni, plus see the intentional design that makes this campus uniquely sustainable.
The campus grand opening bookends a five-year fundraising campaign that brought the community together in support of a shared goal: creating a central location for young people to build job skills and prepare for brighter futures while solving our region’s greatest challenges. Supporters represented every corner of the community, including individual givers, major donors supporting through donor advised funds, more than 45 corporate donors, civic organizations, government partners, and philanthropic foundations.
Partnerships have underpinned the campus campaign vision from the beginning and carried the campus through to completion. For instance, a partnership with Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA) rallied the building community in support of the campus and strengthened the connection between the industry and Heart of Oregon Corps’ YouthBuild construction track. COBA identified Heart of Oregon Corps as its nonprofit of the year in 2026 and helped to spread the word about the importance of completing the campus.
Other partnerships behind the successful project have included collaboration with Redmond Economic Development Inc., who convened business owners in support of the campus. Compass Commercial, who chose Heart of Oregon as a Compass Cares recipient. Throughout the project, local organizations like Cascades East Association of Realtors, East Cascade Works, COCC, Rotary, and Kiwanis facilitated presentations and tours. Altogether more than 450 contributions were made to support the campus from $5 up to $2,000,000.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to all of our partners for picking up the phone and meeting us for coffee and tours, believing in our vision, and investing in Central Oregon’s future workforce,” said Laura Handy, executive director of Heart of Oregon. “It has been collaborative and inspiring connecting with so many incredible individuals and organizations who helped us build this campus—and those like the Oregon Community Foundation Loren E. Parks Fund II and Amazon charitable giving, who are already discussing ways to support Heart of Oregon programming within our new walls.”
After a quarter century of youth workforce development, Heart of Oregon has hired more than 5,000 youth ages 16-24 across Central Oregon with certifications, GED support, and paid job skills training. Heart of Oregon uses a WORK, EARN, LEARN model that helps engage young people who might be disengaged from work or school to build skills and pursue careers of interest. Youth voices were at the center of the first phase of designing the new campus. Program participants advocated for sustainability, requesting that using renewable energy and trauma-informed design be prioritized.
In 2025, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council and Heart of Oregon Corps applied to Oregon’s Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program to secure funding for solar panel, battery storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with additional support from Energy Trust incentives. The energy systems will enable the campus to lower operating costs and increase resilience during power outages to support youth programming and so youth crews can support the community with disaster response support.
In addition to classrooms, workshop areas, and staff offices, the new facility will also feature youth-requested elements such as a kitchen for preparing community meals; washer and dryer for cleaning work uniforms; private meeting spaces for support services; and an outdoor courtyard. Guests at the grand opening will have the opportunity to tour these spaces and hear remarks from alumni.
“My goal as a staff member and alum is to provide the best support for our youth that I can—this campus will enable myself and my colleagues to do just that,” said James Miller, construction and safety manager at Heart of Oregon. “Moving from cramped, temporary teaching satellite sites to a permanent campus where everyone can gather to learn and collaborate is like night and day. Youth on the workforce track will have a campus of their own, with classrooms, a workshop for applying new skills, and areas for building community.”
Members of the community and media are invited to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting from 11am-12:30pm September 30 in Redmond. Those interested in experiencing the campus are encouraged to register online or email development@heartoforegon.org.
Heart of Oregon is proud to recognize foundation and corporate campus donors at the following levels. Thank you for your support of the Legacy 25 Campaign.
Legacy Leader ($75,000+): BASX, The Bend Foundation, Collins Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Hayden Homes, Joseph & Elizabeth Hoffart Charitable Foundation, JTMF Foundation, Marie Lamfrom Foundation, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Max & Marie Anna Richter Family Fund of OCF, PGE Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, Tykeson Family Foundation, and Wells Fargo Foundation.
Trailblazer & $25K Club ($25,000+): Aperion Management Group, BBT Architecture, Clark Foundation, Crevier Foundation, The Darhl and Donald Guinn Family Fund, First Interstate Bank, Les Schwab, Mike’s Fence Center, Pahlisch Homes, R&H Construction, and The Rosendin Foundation
Gold ($10,000+): Budget Blinds, Clabough Foundation, Compass Commercial, Eddie Williamson Foundation, Healy Foundation, Johnson Brothers Appliances, Mid Oregon Credit Union, Pacific Catalyst, Taylor NW, and US Bank.
Silver ($5,000+): Autzen Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, Bradford White, Building Solutions, Madras Sanitary Services, Panchura Quas Family Foundation, PCC Structural, Scott’s Roofing, Severson Plumbing & Fire, Sherwin Williams, Sisters Community Foundation, Soar4 Foundation, WaFd Bank, and Woodhill Homes
Bronze ($2,500+): Bright Wood, Central Oregon Garage Door, Central Willamette Credit Union, Crooked River Sanitary, Deschutes Construction Corp, EC Electric, Mt. Bachelor, Parr Lumber, QXO, Redpoint Construction Management, Skanska, Solaire Homebuilders, SunWest Builders, TDS Telecom, and Technology Design Associates
