The OnPoint Community Credit Union Oregon WinterFest recently announced that the three-day event held February 18-20 at the Deschutes County Expo Center in Redmond raised $8,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Central Oregon. This donation brings the total amount contributed to BBBS by Lay It Out Events (LIOE) through the OnPoint Community Credit Union-sponsored event to more than $45,000 over the past five years.
“We are incredibly grateful for our partnership with Oregon WinterFest and Lay It Out Events,” said Jenn Davis, program director for BBBS. “In the past five years, Lay It Out has been a key partner in supporting our youth to succeed in the face of adversity. That’s why we support WinterFest by bringing more than 100 BBBS volunteers to the event each year.”
BBBS connects adult mentors with at-risk youth through “big and little” matches. These powerful relationships foster higher aspirations, greater confidence, avoidance of risky behaviors and educational success. In the past year, Central Oregon’s BBBS program grew by more than 17 percent and now serves more than 200 youth around the region. The funding from Oregon WinterFest will provide training to BBBS adult mentors, and cover the cost of outdoor enrichment activities such as ice skating, snow shoeing and skiing. Learn more about BBBS at the organization’s website or on its active Instagram page.
The 2022 Oregon WinterFest was a wintertime-boost to Central Oregon’s arts, culture, small business and outdoor recreation community. Over the three-day festival, more than 20,000 visitors attended and found the Deschutes County fairgrounds transformed into a winter wonderland with dozens of sparkle trees, epic ice carvings and blazing fire pits.
Headliners Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Quiet Riot performed on the indoor Oregrown Main Stage. Favorite regional bands such as Blackstrap Bluegrass kept outdoor crowds entertained on the Sparks Stage. And top-performing snowriders competed in the highly competitive 10 Barrel rail jam competition. The event also featured Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s (OMSI) traveling science festival at the Family Play Zone, the kids Hot Cocoa Run, the K9 Kings Flying Dog Show and more than 150 artisans and vendors to the fairgrounds for families to enjoy.
“Our events are celebrations of community,” said LIOE founder, Aaron Switzer. “We provide these donations and host these events to provide a higher quality of life — a greater degree of cultural richness—for the diverse residents of the high desert, as well as the guests who come to Central Oregon and help our economy thrive.”
