Thank you all for making our 20th Annual Celebration Dinner a resounding success. Held on Saturday, October 6th here in Portland at the Riverside Golf & Country Club, a great time was had by all! Thank you to Tim and the Riverside staff for hosting us once again - great job as always.
Hard to believe that 20 years have come and gone since that first, small event in 1999. We are so thankful for the faithful support of all of the local and global friends of the Tarahumara. When one considers that this foundation was set up to assist the indigenous Tarahumara Indians in the remote Copper Canyon region of Mexico it is remarkable what we have accomplished. Over $2.4 million has been raised here through the Oregon chapter in direct support of the Mission. Another $535,000 has been raised for the Endowment Fund. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who has made this possible.
After 20 years of faithful support the TCHF Board has decided that now is the time to take a new direction in the format of the TCHF of Oregon. This 20th Celebration Dinner will be the final event of this kind. After building this foundation and event into what it is today, we have decided to now focus on the following four avenues of fundraising:
Grant Writing
Online Donations
Planned Giving
Direct Mailing
These, in conjunction with our ever-growing Endowment Fund, position us to continue to support the Mission in Creel for many years to come.
So, we are not going away…far from it. We are simply choosing that “fork in the road” toward more sustainable growth. We never would have arrived at this position without the support of each and every person here in the greater Portland area and around the world and trust that you will continue to support this Mission in the years to come.
Therefore, instead of a specific “Fund-An-Item” for an “Ambulance” or “Beans & Corn” this year, we had a single Paddle Raise to support the four main pillars of the Mission:
The Clinic
Water for Life
Food for Work (emergency food distribution)
Education
We were overjoyed to raise approx. $93,000 (and still counting) towards this effort. This will allow Fr. Miguel and his staff to prioritize and allocate funds to the area most in need of financial assistance.
We would like to give special thanks to the B.P. Lester & Regina John Foundation for doubling their matching grant in recognition of our 20th Anniversary. They have been long time friend of the TCHF and we are truly appreciative of their support. We would also like to thank Martin and Julie Fleck for taking on the role of Presenting Sponsor. Finally, thank you to Chris, Nancilee and Ann for organizing the event and Paul and Brad for their great work as co-MC's for the evening.
On behalf of Fr. Miguel, Fr. David and the Board and Officers of the TCHF of Oregon, thank you all for your support on this evening and over the past 20 years. This is your achievement and you all deserve a "pat on the back" for a job well done!
With sincere regards,
John and Peggy Brockamp
President and Secretary of the TCHF of Oregon
Here are some photos from the event. Click on a photo for a larger view.