This content was published: November 2, 2011. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Students host online auction to raise money for charitable giving
Photos and story by Kate Chester
A student-led, community-giving initiative at Portland Community College is raising money to donate to local charitable causes.
From Nov. 10-21, the Students4Giving Project will host an online auction in time for the holidays. The auction web site showcases nearly 200 items donated from a variety of community partners – vacation packages, jewelry, food, magazines, artwork and more. Proceeds generated will be funneled into the program, then awarded in the form of grants to local non-profit agencies in the coming year.
(From left to right) John Marshall and Jaymith Biol, students in PCC’s Students4Giving program, award a check for $3,635 to Brenda Carpenter, deputy director of NW Pilot Project last spring.
To donate to the auction, or bid on items, visit: www.pcc.edu/students4giving.
“There is great need in the world for people who want to be of service to fill in the gaps that exist in society,” said Susie Sample, a student participant. “Students4Giving helps provide a foundation from which to launch those efforts and to make change that is so much needed in the world.”
Now in its fourth year, Students4Giving emphasizes understanding social issues, the grant-making process, and the roles played by philanthropists and non-profit organizations in meeting social service needs of the Portland community. Students4Giving is mainly sustained through donations, student fundraising efforts and grant-writing efforts. Since its launch, the program has granted or advised the giving of more than $80,000 to local non-profit agencies.
For the past three years, PCC’s Sylvania Campus (12000 S.W. 49th Ave.) has led the program. This year, the Rock Creek Campus (17705 N.W. Springville Road) will participate with Sylvania, in both the auction and in the student-directed grant cycle during the winter term.
Students4Giving was created in September 2007 through a Campus Compact and Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund initiative to educate and inspire a generation of engaged citizens, philanthropists, and community leaders. Portland Community College is one of 15 academic institutions in the nation selected to create a donor advised fund to offer grants to non-profit organizations within their communities.
For more information, contact lead instructor Cynthia Killingsworth at cynthia.killingsworth@pcc.edu, or (971) 722-8070.