TOP Report 2018: Oregonians Mobilizing for Change
Community is our middle name.
Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) was established on the enduring principle that “the most creative solutions arise from groups of private citizens who come together to work in partnership and address their common needs and aspirations” (OCF Grant Guidelines, 1998). We believe fully engaged residents are a building block for healthy communities and a healthy democracy.
This report explores examples of effective community engagement in Oregon today. OCF strives to practice the key components identified in this report:
- We connect with people from around Oregon to explore what we can accomplish together by drawing on our strengths rather than focusing on shortfalls.
- We support building relationships across diverse communities as a necessary underpinning for efforts to address opportunity gaps and other mutually identified issues.
- We listen and provide support so engaged community members can succeed.
OCF is committed to the work of community engagement, and it shows both in how we operate and in how we support others. It shows in our Community Grant program, where the defining goal is to strengthen the social fabric of our communities. It shows in our Latino Partnership Program, which trains emerging leaders and supports fuller opportunities for Latino children and families. It shows in our Community 101 program, which gives students the power of grantmaking as they learn about and participate in their own communities. Most of all, it shows in the vision and dedication of the more than 1,600 volunteers who help us realize our mission to improve lives for all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy.
This commitment goes hand in hand with OCF’s core values of equity, diversity and inclusion. Equitable, diverse and inclusive community engagement is essential to ensuring a future in which Oregon is led by thoughtful, connected leaders who know how to get things done, and to achieving the thriving, sustainable Oregon we all want for ourselves and our children.
What about you? What resonates with you from this report? How are you involved in your community? We hope you will consider how you can play a part in making Oregon the most engaged, diversely participatory, can-do state in our nation.