PRESIDENT'S LETTER

October 17, 2022

In 2022, the C-W Community Chest announced $140,290 in grants to 35 agencies, We continued our partnership with the C-W Rotary Foundation and appreciate their support in our fundraising and grant efforts.

In 2021-2022, we saw a continuation of non-profit agencies pivoting to meet community needs related to the pandemic.  The Community Chest is happy to support these non-profits especially during a time of crisis where needs are different…and often larger than normal!

We would like to thank all of the businesses, individuals, and foundations who have supported us over the years. The Community Chest has an all-volunteer board, zero paid employees, and we keep our expenses low (under 3%) to maximize the impact of your donations in our community. Last year, you helped us provide the following:

• TreeSong Nature Awareness and Retreat Center: Funds will help pay a portion of the costs to construct a platform and deck for a recently purchased 30-foot yurt. The yurt will provide an indoor classroom space to support TreeSong’s youth and adult programs. TreeSong’s focus in programming is providing nature education for children, families, and adults in a natural setting.
• Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation – Washougal Branch: Grant funds were used to help cover the cost of the Summer Reading programs and incentive prizes awarded by Washougal Community Library. For many parents with limited household budgets, Washougal Community Library’s Summer Reading Program offers an opportunity for the entire family to attend entertaining and educational programs at no cost, earn prizes for hours spent reading, and strengthen their reading skills. The incentive prizes for 2022 included books, Barnes and Noble gift cards, gift certificates to area businesses that cater to school-age children and teens, and certificates of achievement for various levels of hours spent reading.
• Janus Youth Program: Janus Youth Program operates SW Washington’s only crisis shelter for homeless, runaway and at-risk youth ages 9 to 17. The Oaks shelter has become the primary safety net for youth with severe mental health and/or addiction issues, youth who have been victims of sex trafficking and youth requiring protective custody due to open Child Protective Services’ investigations. The grant is used to provide crisis and emergency services, youth activities, education and health and welfare programs for at-risk youth from Camas and Washougal. The grant also supports case management services which are vital to achieve family reunification, service entry and referral, needs assessment and coordinated exit planning
• Meals on Wheels People: Grant funds will be used to start a Senior Preparedness, Emergency Action & Resilience (SPEAR) program for people 60 and older in Camas and Washougal who currently lack household emergency preparedness items, and who are therefore at higher risk for injury, illness, isolation and even death if a disaster hits. The program aims to develop and disseminate up to seventy senior-friendly supply kits for isolated older adults who are particularly vulnerable when catastrophes strike. Funds would be used to buy the contents for kits needed to prepare for disasters such as wildfires, ice storms, floods and excessive heat. Kits would be made available to veterans, and those who live in low-income households, seniors who live alone and those experiencing disabilities and social and/or geographic isolation.

When you give to the C-W Community Chest, you can be confident that your donations will stay local and support non-profits who make a difference. The CWCC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit so all donations are tax deductible. Donations can be mailed to our PO Box or made online at our website. If you would like to be involved or have any questions, please contact us at info@camaswashougalcommunitychest.org. For more information on our Planned Giving Program, a program designed to strengthen our long-term financial future, click on Planned Giving at www.CamasWashougalCommunityChest.org.

Thank you for your gracious support,

Deanna Rusch, President