Five Central Oregon nonprofits have been selected to take part in the May 8 Pitch for a Purpose, presented by Ideal You Weight Loss Center and Jules Accounting. All five local charities will make a pitch presentation before the judges and live audience. One organization will walk away from the event with $12,000 in unrestricted funds and another will earn an audience choice cash prize.
The five nonprofits were selected from a pool of nine that participated in Leadership Bend’s Impact Summit, a series of hands-on workshops designed to provide education and training to small to midsize nonprofits in Central Oregon.
The five nonprofits advancing to Pitch for a Purpose are:
- Beulah’s Place, a Redmond-based shelter that provides drop-in services to homeless teenagers throughout Central Oregon to protect them from child trafficking and offer healing and hope
- Central Oregon Avalanche Center, dedicated to increasing avalanche awareness and safety in Central Oregon
- Changing Patterns, Inc, is an organization that comes alongside recently released inmates offering them education, mentorship and resources to help them with their transition back into their communities and helping them successfully complete parole
- Start Making a Reader Today (SMART), a statewide organization that engages community volunteers to read one-on-one with Pre-K to third grade children for one hour per week
- Think Wild, whose primary objective is education, outreach and rehabilitation of native wildlife
“We hope to see our community come out to support these five worthy nonprofits and cheer them on as they compete for the cash prize,” said Rachel Cardwell, Impact Summit co-president. “Our Leadership Bend class is excited to help make a meaningful difference for one of these local charities through this fun, lively community event.”
Pitch for a Purpose, presented by Jules Accounting and Ideal You Weight Loss Center, will take place at 5:30pm on May 8 at Central Oregon Community College’s Wille Hall. Tickets cost $15 and include appetizers and beverages. Dan McGarigle, owner of Pine Mountain Sports, will serve as the keynote speaker for the event. Tickets for the event are on sale now: http://bit.ly/LBIS2019 Learn more about the Impact Summit and Pitch for a Purpose at lbimpactsummit.com.
About Leadership Bend: The Bend Chamber Leadership Bend program is designed to identify, educate, engage and connect willing and committed citizens ready for various community leadership roles. Participants are selected from a broad cross-section of the community, drawing from acknowledged and aspiring leaders who represent diversity and share a commitment to action and positive impact. Participants believe that real change and solutions to the issues in the community can be implemented through strategic philanthropy and acknowledge the significant role small-to-mid-size nonprofit organizations play in contributing to the resiliency of Central Oregon.
