4 New Spur Experiences Charity Partners (Volume #3)

Founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, Protect Our Winters (POW) was sparked out of Jones’s frustration of his favorite outdoor playgrounds (ski areas) failing to open due to lack of snow.  Upon research, Jones felt that there was adequate research regarding climate change but little organization in effect to adjust lifestyle to the findings.  POW focuses its resources on “educational initiatives, political advocacy and community-based activism.” To learn more about Protect Our Winters click Sick POW Day, Bruh

Based in Washington, Tualatin Riverkeepers (TRK) helps to protect the Tualatin River and its 27 creeks which “provide drinking water to nearly 400,000 homes and businesses in Washington County as well as water for industry, agriculture and a rich variety of wildlife including coho salmon, steelhead trout, beaver, painted turtles, river otters, bobcats, fox, and deer, amongst other species.”  TRK collaborates with ecologists and farmers alike to create mutually beneficial policies that protect the environment while still serving the community. To learn more about Tualatin Riverkeepers click Clean Water is Otter-ly Important

Directly affiliated with the larger Boys and Girls Clubs of America is the Peninsula chapter which focuses on providing “the low-income youth of our community with the opportunities they need to achieve school success.”  In the community that this giving organization serves, a few troubling metrics exist including: 43% of students are homeless or in foster care, 80% of students are English language learners, and only 7% of the students’ parents attended college.  It’s clear that these students do not have the same immediate opportunities that many others do, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Peninsula aims to equip these underprivileged students with skills and resources to fully develop to their potential. To learn more about Boys and Girls Clubs of Peninsula click Children are the Future

Poverello House shows compassion and generosity to the homeless community by providing food, shelter, medical aid, and various social services.  Their mission is very eloquent and accurate to what extensive impact they have on the community: “Believing in the dignity of every person, at Poverello House we work to enrich the lives and spirits of all who pass our way by stewarding the resources made available to us through Providential and community support.”  Sadly, the founder, Papa Mike, passed away earlier in 2017 but his legacy lives on in the organization he started back in the 60’s, serving people in need.  (The attached photo is of Papa Mike in the early days, serving as he did.) To learn more about Poverello House click Love Thy Neighbor