Oregon Mentors Annual Recognition & Awards Luncheon
Overview
Each year, Oregon Mentors hosts an inspiring mentoring Recognition and Awards Luncheon. This event brings hundreds of business, nonprofit, and youth program leaders together to celebrate how mentoring makes a difference in both youth and mentors' lives.
During the luncheon, notable honorary co-chairs present statewide mentoring awards. A great part of the event is a unique auction, where individuals can bid on activity packages that are hosted by local celebrities, and are often geared toward groups of youth and adults.
Honorary Co-Chairs
Honorary Co-Chairs make our event even more memorable. They lend their time, talent and passion for youth mentoring. Each year notable community leaders donate a special activity activity that they design that is auctioned off during the event. Most often the activities are meaningful and out of the ordinary, and can be a shared experience between mentors and youth -- leaving lasting impressions on all participates.
2009 Co-chairs
- Bill Russell, NBA Hall-of-Fame legend
- US Congressman David Wu, Oregon 1st District
2009 Award Winners
Outstanding Individual -- Bill Russell
Russell was the cornerstone of the Boston Celtics' dynasty of the 1960s, an uncanny shotblocker who revolutionized NBA defensive concepts. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time All-Star, the angular center amassed 21,620 career rebounds, an average of 22.5 per game and led the league in rebounding four times. His many individual accolades were well deserved, but they were only products of Russell's philosophy of team play. His greatest accomplishment was bringing the storied Celtics 11 championships in his 13 seasons. Bill Russell has also written three books including, "Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend" and "Russell Rules: 11 Lessons on Leadership from the Twentieth Century's Greatest Winner"
Exceptional Mentor Program -- Friends of the Children, Portland
Friends of the Children, founded in 1993 by local entrepreneur Duncan Campbell, was developed following extensive review of research and practice to identify factors that influence success and build resiliency among children affected by multiple risk factors. The program pro-actively selects young children who are at greatest risk of repeating generational cycles of school failure, violence, justice system involvement, and teen parenting. Friends of the Children commits paid, professional mentors for each at-risk child for twelve-and-a-half years -- from kindergarten through high school. Friends of the Children Portland currently serves nearly 350 children and adolescents, and has celebrated more than 100 program graduates. An annual independent evaluation consistently shows that program youth overcome obstacles to achieve long-term goals: success in school with a minimum of high school graduation, avoidance of the juvenile justice system, and avoidance of early parenting.
Oregon Mentors Premier Partner, Stockamp: A Huron Consulting Group Practice
Huron's vision is to be "The Noble Servant" known for long-term relationships developed, cultivated, and maintained by loyal and ethical people
The Stockamp Practice mission is to help its hospital clients prosper in the changing health care environment. They are also committed to helping our community's children to prosper. Locally, Stockamp supports Oregon Mentors, helping more children connect with a caring adult, which fits perfectly with Huron's "Noble Servant" vision.
Greg Morgan, Managing Director responsible for its Portland office, is a founder of Oregon Mentors and a recent board chair. Greg has also been an amazing mentor for Andrew, now a high school sophomore, for the past five years.
Exemplary Mentor/Mentee Pair -- Paula and Rosie, Family of Friends, Portland
Paula and Rosie are friends and confidantes. Paired through the Family of Friends Mentoring Program in October 2006, the match embodies what mentoring really is -- friendship and belief in one another. Paula and Rosie talk about life and its joys and challenges, about everyday struggles and hopeful dreams for the future. Paula has taught Rosie many things and helped Rosie become aware of her own talents. More than anything, Paula believes in Rosie and her own unique abilities. As the Oregon Mentors' Exemplary Mentor/Mentee Pair of the Year, Rosie is being awarded a $1,500 scholarship to be used towards furthering her educational pursuits.
