While Benton County’s economy is consistently outperforming other Oregon counties, the dependence on assistance from non-profit agencies in our community continues to be high. In fact, according to Corrie Latimer, director of development for United Way of Benton and Lincoln Counties, there’s a ‘new normal’ that county agencies are facing under the current economy.

“Things are not worse, but not that much better,” she said. “We’re having to do more with less.”

The Charitable Fund Drive at Oregon State University, which will end Jan. 31, makes up 16 percent of the local United Way’s campaign dollars. OSU employees collectively donate more to United Way than any other employee  group in the county.

“The impact is almost indescribable,” Latimer said.

United Way is one of a number of local agencies to which  OSU employees can donate to through the Charitable Fund Drive, and it is the organization that receives the most donations. United Way dollars support 31 programs at almost 25 agencies, mainly through grants, as well as providing organizational funds for the annual Day of Caring and providing needs assessment to determine the greatest areas of community need, such as food and housing.

Dollars donated by OSU staff and faculty during the annual Charitable Fund Drive directly impact local non-profits in major ways. Each year, the campus community donates more than $100,000 through the fund drive, benefiting organizations focused on art, the environment, children, health and other causes with personal significance for donors.

Last year, donations totaled $113,393. This year, donations are down more than 20 percent so far, with less than a week to go. Only 180 OSU employees have made a contribution.

If each of the more than 4,500 employees at OSU donated just $5 per month, donations could total $270,000, doubling last year’s amount.

Donations to the Charitable Fund Drive are being accepted on-line through Jan. 31. To make your contribution, go to http://oregonstate.edu/charitablefunddrive/. Donations can be parceled out over a 12-month period and can be automatically deducted from your paycheck.

Oregon State volunteers are crucial to the survival of the Corvallis Boys & Girls Club, as are donations from OSU faculty and staff. (contributed photo)

Dollars donated by Oregon State University staff and faculty during the annual Charitable Fund Drive directly impact local non-profits in major ways. Each year, the campus community donates more than $100,000 through the fund drive, benefiting organizations focused on art, the environment, children, health and other causes with personal significance for donors.

This year, donations are still 21 percent behind last year’s total. Organizers are hoping that a last minute spurt of donations starts the new year off right, and helps the campus meet or surpass last year’s total of $118,400. Only 230 OSU employees donated last year, and this year the total has shrunk to 176 so far.

The benefit of supporting a local non-profit goes far beyond the warm, fuzzy feeling of generosity. For the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, which depends on donations to meet 50 percent of its budget needs, keeping the doors of its organization open means safer streets, better educated kids, and a stronger sense of well-being for working parents around the community.

Founded in 1971 as a sports organization, today’s Boys & Girls Club is far more than a place to play basketball. The club offers after-school youth development programs in every public elementary school in Corvallis, providing a safe space for kids to remain, and to get academic and social support, after school ends each day. Additionally the clubhouse on Circle Boulevard offers drop in and regular after school programming, as well as all-day programs when school is not in session.

Students served range from kindergartners to high schoolers from all socio-economic levels, including some students identified as homeless, and many children of professionals from OSU and elsewhere around Corvallis.

“I’ve heard the perception that this was just a place for poor kids,” said Todd Simmons, Boys & Girls Club board member and associate vice president for University Relations and Marketing at OSU. “But I see OSU colleagues in the parking lot every day when I’m dropping my kids off.”

Serving thousands of local kids each day is not an easy task, but director Helen Higgins says a strong board and a very focused agenda has kept them above water when other Boys & Girls Clubs, including recently one in Eugene, have closed their doors.

“It comes down to good business practices,” Higgins said. Anticipating the downturn in the economy, the board made sure to put plans in place to adjust for the coming financial strain early on. “It’s no super-secret magic. You need to make the adjustments before you must make them. If you wait until you must, it’s already too late.”

According to Higgins, the Corvallis Police Department and Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported a 50 percent drop in the Corvallis crime rate when the club opened its doors, and recognize the group as a way to keep gang activity down and provide a stable environment for at-risk youth.

But the organization doesn’t just keep kids off the streets when their parents are at work. A constantly evolving set of academic offerings includes everything from financial literacy classes to art, choir to a journalism group. Many programs are made possible by a huge crew of volunteers, including a large portion from OSU.

Liz Connor, volunteer coordinator, said 25 interns from OSU have given more than 5,500 hours to the organization in 2010. Additionally, 150 volunteers who claim some affiliation to OSU contributed 1,800 hours in 2010. Connor said not everyone who is associated with OSU makes the connection know, so she estimates the hours are actually much higher.

“There’s no way we could offer the programs we do without thousands of volunteer hours,” Higgins said.

Volunteer activities range from engineering faculty and students participating in Science Friday in after-school elementary programs, to Army ROTC students working as chaperones at one of the clubhouse’s many middle school dances, which each attract between 350 and 500 students.

On the annual Day of Caring event this year in Corvallis, 60 OSU students did cleanup at the Lincoln School “Lion’s Den” which is operated by the Boys & Girls Club, as well as cleaning up the Clubhouse.

“We have a lot of partnerships with OSU,” Connor said. “It makes my job really easy.”

In the coming year, the Club is focusing on a new goal, to dramatically increase the number of high school aged students who regularly come to the Clubhouse. Thanks to two new grants, they’ll be expanding their existing high school space to meet the growing participation of high school members. The teens will be directly involved in the remodel and design of their new space.

A bigger goal set out for the board is to grow an endowment so that the club will continue to thrive well into the future.

“We must get to a place of sustainable funding,” Higgins said. “It’s our biggest priority. We feel that as the year-round youth organization for the community, it is an imperative to grow our funding model in a direction that ensures consistent and reliable revenue to sustain services regardless of the current economic situation. By growing our program endowment to a significant level, this will guarantee that future generations of families and children will have access to the vital services of the Club. This is a legacy that the board and I want to leave for our community.”

The 2011 Charitable Fund Drive at OSU runs through Jan. 30. Donate to your favorite charity by going to http://oregonstate.edu/charitablefunddrive/ or by sending your personalized form to 2011 CFD, 100 LaSells Stewart Center

To find out more about the Corvallis Boys & Girls Club, go to www.bgccorvallis.org or call 541-757-1909.

An OSU student works with a client in OSU IMPACT. (contributed photo)

Economists may say the recession is behind us, but for those in tough economic circumstances it doesn’t exactly feel like things are getting better. Oregon still tops many of its neighbors in the number of children who go to bed hungry each night. High unemployment rates, foreclosures and a looming state deficit are all enough to keep many awake at night.

A number of Oregon nonprofits are increasingly dependent on direct donations to survive, and once again, the Oregon State University community has the chance to donate funds to a number of those organizations through the annual Charitable Fund Drive. Each OSU employee should have received a packet detailing the list of organizations and how to make a donation. This year, the format of the fund drive packet was changed, allowing for customized printing, saving close to $2,000 and reducing the amount of paper used for the annual mailing.

The drive provides people the ability to donate funds to the organizations they choose, selected from a long list of eligible nonprofits. And some, like ones listed below, have direct connection to the university, either because they take place on campus or because OSU faculty, staff and students are involved in the programs.

Among the organizations to choose from is IMPACT (Individualized Movement and Physical Activity for Children Today). IMPACT is a physical activity program for children, youth, and young adults with special needs, based on the Oregon State campus and operated by OSU faculty and students. Around 85 children aged 6 months to 21 years, divided by age group, are engaged in physical activities, from swimming to dancing.

The program provides one-on-one attention to children, who have been referred to IMPACT by physicians, teachers and family members. Specially trained OSU undergraduate and graduate students work with clients to help improve motor skills, provide socialization and have fun. OSU students benefit by gaining experience working with children who have special needs.

“The IMPACT program is a tremendous opportunity to engage students in meaningful community service and to get hands-on experience teaching children with disabilities,” said Jeff McCubbin, director of the IMPACT program and an associate dean with the College of Health and Human Sciences. “For many of our student volunteers who come from many academic areas such as Exercise Science, Education or Human Service, working in IMPACT is directly related to future employment opportunities. For others who value giving back to the community, this opportunity creates a fun way to interact with kids.”

The program is so popular that there is typically a waiting list, and families are charged a nominal fee to participate. Children in the program come from all around the Willamette Valley, including McMinnville and Sweet Home. The program has also expanded into IMPACT for Life, which takes OSU mentors out into the Corvallis community.

Benton Habitat for Humanity is another of the many local organizations that could benefit from this year’s fund drive. In the last five years, they’ve built seven homes for families in need in the county, and two more are currently under way. Bettina Schempf, executive director for Benton Habitat, said the organization already has many OSU connections.

“We have many current and past members of OSU on our board of directors,” Schempf said. OSU students volunteer and intern at the ReStore, on Habitat construction sites and in the office. Faculty have served as family mentors and on Habitat committees.  OSU has also provided Habitat with translation and money management services in the past.

Students, faculty and staff also donate and shop at the ReStore, and students sometimes help Habitat raise money at various events. Additionally, Benton Habitat benefits from the expertise on campus.

“We are currently working with Ken Funk and David Kim from the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering on a wood waste processing project – the project will help us turn costly waste into an income stream,” Schempf said.

Currently the organization is in need of funding for the upfront cost of building new homes, including the purchase of land, permits, and construction materials. For every hour volunteered on a house, Benton Habitat needs to raise $20 for the materials used, as well as infrastructure and other costs. In the past, Habitat built an average of 1.2 houses each year, but recently have increased that to two to three houses a year.

Because families make payments on their mortgages, that money is used to pay some of the cost of the new homes, meaning donations not only help build one house, but create a legacy that lasts into future homes.

Oregon State’s workplace fund drive is the largest campaign for the United Way of Benton County. Last year Oregon State employees donated $70,923 to United Way, more than any other employer in the county.

“OSU has the biggest footprint in Benton County, and they are a huge part of our campaign,” said Dawson Officer, director of resource development for United Way of Benton County.

Even so, less than 7 percent of OSU employees contributed to the Charitable Fund Drive last year, while the University of Oregon contributed double what OSU raised. Officer said this year he’s hoping to increase the number of participants at Oregon State, and says even a small amount could make a huge difference.

United Way dollars support 31 programs at almost 25 agencies, mainly through grants, as well as organizing the annual Day of Caring and providing needs assessment to determine the greatest areas of community need, such as food and housing.

If every full-time OSU employee donated $10 a month to the Charitable Fund Drive (that’s a $120 annual contribution), the drive could raise more than $500,000 dollars.

“Many people think that their donation won’t count, but it really adds up,” Officer said.

Donations to the Charitable Fund Drive are being accepted on-line through Jan. 31. To make your contribution, go to http://oregonstate.edu/charitablefunddrive/. Donations can be parceled out over a 12-month period and can be automatically deducted from your paycheck.

~ Theresa Hogue