Pendleton –The Oregon Community Foundation's Eastern Oregon Leadership Council has announced that funding is available for youth mentoring and enrichment programs.
Request for proposals from youth mentoring and enrichment programs in the nine-county region, including Morrow and Umatilla counties, will be accepted. Applicants representing eligible organizations wanting to implement or support an existing program in their community are encouraged to submit a proposal.
The one-time, special allocation of funds is available through OCF's Regional Action Initiative (RAI), a three-year, statewide initiative launched in 2008 to engage Oregonians in a new level of civic leadership to increase Oregon's quality of life and improve communities in a significant and lasting way.
Volunteers serving on the OCF Eastern Oregon Leadership Council have been meeting regularly to examine the needs of children and families and identify a focus for the initiative. After multiple interviews, presentations and discussions with community leaders, the council decided to support youth and their education with special emphasis on mentoring and enrichment programs to improve their chances of staying in school and achieving academic success.
Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of four informational workshops, all scheduled from 10 a.m.- noon, held throughout the region: Dec. 9, Harney County ESD, 1225 S. Rock Ave., Burns; Dec. 10, Treasure Valley Community College, Ontario; Jan. 13, La Grande Public Library, 2006 Fourth St., La Grande; Jan. 14, Umatilla-Morrow ESD, 2001 S.W. Nye Ave., Pendleton.
Information on registering for these workshops and submitting a proposal can be found on The Oregon Community Foundation website. Click on Eastern Oregon Regional Action Initiative.
For more information, contact Tiffany Hegarty, Eastern Oregon RAI coordinator, at 541-276-1898 or by e-mail at t.hegarty@q.com.