KOBI Spirit of Community Moment: Statewide Expansion

This year OCF is celebrating its 50th anniversary by sharing stories about the spirit of generosity in Oregon. This is Part IV from KOBI TV's "Oregon Community Foundation: Spirit of Community" series. View the series.  

And for 50 years thousands have donated to Oregon Community Foundation. Donors and volunteers have made measurable improvements all over Oregon, including dramatic impacts in our own Southern Oregon communities. To see how it's grown since 1973, we talked with the president of Oregon Community Foundation. Here's another Spirit of Community Moment.

Oregon Community Foundation grew quickly. In only two years the first foundation directors expanded statewide.

Lisa Mensah: We started with a few million dollars, 50 years ago, with families who knew we needed this kind of community foundation. We're now over 3 billion.

KOBI: Lisa Mensah is the president and CEO of Oregon Community Foundation. We spoke to her when she visited the Children's Museum of Southern Oregon. She looks at the foundation's remarkable growth as a solid model to expand Oregon Community Foundation's impact further into the future.

LM: In 50 years we've respected our tradition of working in all 36 counties. I'm most proud that in 50 years we've kept the breadth of activity. Arts, education, early childhood, all the things that make a community thrive. We're not done growing.

KOBI: If you'd like to help make Southern Oregon a better place to live, visit Oregon Community Foundation at oregoncf.org/50.