This content was published: February 21, 2011. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Gala to raise money for Deborah Evind Women’s Leadership Scholarship
Story by Kate Chester.
Changing the lives of students for the better is a part of Portland Community College’s mission. On Saturday, March 5, faculty and staff at the college will have the opportunity to do this in an enduring way by attending a gala luncheon to support the Deborah Evind Women’s Leadership Scholarship.
Deborah Evind, founder of the Sylvania Campus Women's Resource Center, addresses the audience at a 2007 performance of 'The Vagina Monologues.'
The event will take place at the Tiffany Center (1420 S.W. Morrison St., Portland), from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include a reception, lunch, silent and live auctions featuring a variety of items on which to bid: Vacation homes, handmade jewelry, an array of restaurant and personal services gift certificates, and more. Proceeds from the event will support endowment of the scholarship.
Tickets to the gala luncheon are $48 and can be purchased online (www.pcc.edu/evind), or by visiting the Women’s Resource Center, Room 273, College Center, Sylvania Campus.
“Deborah has been part of our PCC community for many, many years and touched more lives than can be counted,” said Linda Gerber, president of the Sylvania Campus of PCC. “Supporting this scholarship, Deborah’s latest effort, will enable us to acknowledge her years of service to the college and at the same time, create one more way to help our students.”
Evind founded the Women’s Resource Center at the Sylvania Campus in 1995 and served as its coordinator until last fall, when she was forced to retire because of complications associated with stage 4 breast cancer.
Under her guidance, Sylvania’s WRC has been pivotal in advancing women’s educational equity and social justice at the college and in the community. Its services have expanded to include resource and referral, counseling, advising, mentoring, advocacy and personalized assistance with entering college. The center sponsors lectures, exhibits and special events. Its annual production of “The Vagina Monologues” has raised more than $100,000 for local non-profits addressing domestic and sexual violence and for WRC programs.
Portland Community College has a tradition of hosting retirement parties for long-time faculty and staff. When health reasons caused Evind to retire, she opted to forgo a party and instead create the endowed student scholarship. The annual $1,000 award will recognize a female student who has participated in a Sylvania WRC program or benefitted from a center service, and demonstrates leadership through paid or volunteer work that positively affects women. The award will help to meet the costs of tuition, fees, books and educational supplies.
For more information about the event and scholarship, call (971) 722-4651.