Community Involvement
CASA: CASA of Lane County serves a unique role in our community. No other agency in Lane County performs direct, state-mandated advocacy for children who are in the care of Child Protective Services. When children are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, they are placed in overburdened court and child welfare systems where they can slip through the cracks and risk continued abuse or neglect. Court Appointed Special Advocates have the power to prevent this tragic reality. With the coaching support of a Peer Coordinator, each CASA volunteer is appointed to focus on just one child or a sibling group from our high-priority waiting list. This focused approach to service allows volunteers to give personalized attention to each child’s case and provide a voice to those children who would otherwise be silent.
Jasper Mountain: Jasper Mountain recently celebrated its 37th anniversary helping children. It is a treatment center for young children who have been abused and traumatized. It is internationally recognized for showing success with the most challenging children and is being replicated in other countries. The organization has five programs that can help a child anywhere from one day to several years. The goal is to heal the trauma and learn the skills to have a successful life.
Oregon Club: The Oregon Club of Eugene-Springfield is the premier booster club for Oregon Duck Athletics since 1947. O Club hosts weekly meetings throughout the year in addition to the Spring Scramble Golf Tournament, Big Green Benefit Auction and the Recruiting Social. Members have the unique opportunity to meet the coaches at the weekly meetings and even ask questions! Oregon Club is a 501(c)(7) and dues start at only $100 for a full year.
Springfield Education Foundation: Springfield Education Foundation’s mission is to help students love school by funding programs and grants that will make them want to be in school. The state says we have 65% free and reduced lunch which means 65% of our students are in poverty. However, I have learned from being a superintendent that you can add around 20 percentage points to the number to make it accurate. Additionally, we have around 500 students who are homeless. There is a big need to help these students with wonderful programs which reduce absenteeism and raise graduation rates. Graduation rates in Springfield have gone up 9.1% in the past two years which is phenomenal!