Central Oregonians will benefit from funds raised at the SELCO — United Way Radiothon. The fundraiser, presented by SELCO Community Credit Union, will help United Way of Deschtues County fight for the health, education, financial stability and resilience of every person in our Central Oregon community.
DJs from Horizon Broadcasting Group radio stations KQAK 105.7 and The Peak 104.1 will be broadcasting live from M. Jacobs Fine Furniture, located at 2994 O.B. Riley Road in Bend on Friday, February 22 from 6 am to 6 pm. Radio listeners can donate to the cause by calling 541-389-6507, texting “UWDC” to 91999 from their cell phones, online at deschutesunitedway.org, or by stopping by M. Jacobs in person and be entered into a raffle to win a prize. The Radiothon is also sponsored by Edward Jones Investments Financial Advisor Kate Gaughan and Central Electric Cooperative.
Programming over the day will focus on United Way of Deschutes County’s work on local challenges such as access to basic needs (like food, shelter, and healthcare), safety, childhood development, childhood trauma, homelessness, food security, housing, child care, health services, mentoring, and foster care. Programming will also focus on United Way’s inaugural Over the Edge fundraiser, which will offer participants the opportunity to raise funds for United Way in order to rappel off of the roof of the Oxford Hotel – Bend’s tallest building.
Funds raised during the Radiothon will support the nonprofit’s focus on reducing childhood trauma and building resilient individuals, families, and community.
Since 1953, United Way of Deschutes County has focused on health, education, and financial stability as the foundation of well-being and opportunity, along with basic needs. As the nonprofit continues to focus on these causes, it is also working upstream to tackle childhood trauma and to build resilience. Resilience refers to the combination of individual skills and perspectives, social connectedness, and community resources that define the ability to manage stress, bounce back from hardship, and thrive in the face of adversity. Traumatic experiences early in life disrupt development and can lead to behavioral, mental, and health challenges later in life, contributing to decreased academic attainment, lost productivity, and negative health outcomes, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, asthma, and more.
United Way’s work focuses on childhood trauma as a root cause of many issues faced by members of our community, and cultivating and building resilience, which has been proven to offset the negative effects of childhood trauma through TRACEs (Trauma, Resilience, and Adverse Childhood Experiences) — a community-wide movement made up of 50 entities, with a goal of dramatically improving the health and well-being of our community by addressing childhood trauma as a root cause of regional health issues. TRACEs has 2 target populations: children and youth experiencing foster care, and the child care availability and affordability crisis.
