PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon literacy, scholarship and learning initiatives recently received contributions totaling $123,500 from the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning, the charitable arm of Pacific Power.

“We’re pleased to play a role in supporting so many effective organizations, particularly those that emphasize education,” said Sheila Holden, Pacific Power regional community manager. “As budgets for schools and communities continue to shrink, we know the importance of fostering learning where we can.”

Since the PacifiCorp Foundation was established in 1988, it has awarded more than 6,000 grants totaling nearly $37 million to communities served by Pacific Power, Utah Power and PacifiCorp. 

The Oregon Children’s Foundation’s SMART reading program received $20,000 from the Foundation to operate in a dozen elementary schools throughout Oregon. Several of the schools also use the PacifiCorp Foundation-supported Project Optimize program, which helps teachers rescue children who arrive at kindergarten unprepared to learn how to read. This funding will allow SMART to operate at the following elementary schools: Ocean Crest in Bandon; Fremont/Hay in Lakeview; Green Acres, Hamilton Creek, Lacomb and Riverview in Lebanon; Metolius Elementary in Metolius; Sherwood Heights and Washington in Pendleton; Boise-Eliot and Vestal in Portland; and Warm Springs Elementary in Warm Springs.

Junior Achievement programs received $15,000, and higher education students were helped with a $10,000 scholarship grant to the Oregon Independent College Foundation. The Lawyers' Campaign for Equal Justice’s efforts to extend outreach/education efforts to 30,000 Mexican farm workers received $7,500 and The Nature Conservancy of Oregon’s youth for conservation program obtained $10,000 in Foundation support. The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning gave the Saturday Academy a $6,000 grant and Schoolhouse Supplies gained $3,000 in financing to adopt high-poverty elementary schools.

The following Portland-area organizations received support from the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning:

Community Cycling Center – afternoon drop-in program for low-income youth ages 5-12

Illahee – funding for 2005 Environmental Matters Lecture Series

Junior Achievement Columbia Empire, Inc. – sponsor 32 JA programs in Oregon

Lawyers' Campaign for Equal Justice – extend outreach/education efforts to 30,000 Mexican farm workers

Nature Conservancy of Oregon – Youth for Conservation program

Oregon Independent College Foundation – scholarship support

Oregon Literacy, Inc. – easy-to-read voting guide

Open Meadow Alternative Schools – advocate program to develop relationships at school

Oregon Mentors – expansion of mentoring programs 

Oregon Outreach – summer school program for at-risk youth

Oregon Trout – Salmon Watch education program

Oregon Zoo Foundation – Zoo Animal Presenters and Urban Nature Overnights programs 

Portland International Community School­ – expansion of literacy program 

Portland Parks Foundation – Project Inclusion outreach/scholarship program for low-income youth

Portland State University Foundation – School of Business Administration’s business outreach program 

REAP Inc. – mentoring and academic support of high school youth

Schoolhouse Supplies – Tools for Schools program to adopt high-poverty elementary schools

Saturday Academy – apprenticeships in Science & Engineering 2004 Summer Symposium

SMART – support SMART in Project Optimize schools and volunteer hour matching program

The Neighborhood Partnership Fund – Resident Services Initiative

Write Around Portland – funding for workshops

About the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning

The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning was created and incorporated as a corporate foundation in 1988 in order to become the major channel of philanthropy for PacifiCorp, Pacific Power and Utah Power. PacificCorp and its employees have a long tradition of active involvement in the communities served by Pacific Power, including charitable contributions, sponsorships of community events and in-kind donations.