Growing from the Ground Up: Partnership provides community support while fostering philanthropy

Ken Wilhelm came to Bend in 1988 to be the director of Deschutes County United Way at a time when Oregon was in the throes of an economic crisis. On top of a nationwide recession, the timber industry was in peril, affecting all manners of business and school enrollment. The subsequent unemployment took its toll on existing services. When the economy started to grow in the 1990s, Wilhelm said the human services needs didn’t decrease — they grew as well. Read the full East Oregonian article here.