Greater La Pine Adult Education, Recreation and Small Business Development
“To provide accessible adult programs that promote higher education, personal improvement, job advancement and individual enrichment for the greater La Pine area.”
An accessible adult education program is essential for the individual and collective welfare of the Greater La Pine area if the community is to thrive. Because of the low socioeconomic level of many of the residents, the high number of homeless residents, and the high rate of unemployment, there is a pervasive need for education to assist adults in obtaining jobs, in improving job performance and productivity, and in maintaining their quality of life.
The Greater La Pine Adult Education Committee (the Committee) was established with the goal of providing accessible adult education that promotes higher education, personal improvement, job advancement, and individual enrichment for the residents of the Greater La Pine area. This area includes over 21,000 residents in southern Deschutes County; northern Klamath County to Chemult, including Crescent, Gilchrist, Beaver Marsh, and Crescent Lake; and Fort Rock, Christmas Valley, and Silver Lake in Lake County.
The afore-mentioned factors create a challenging demographic that is further complicated by the lack of an efficient or effective communications network and an inadequate infrastructure for public transportation. This means that there is an ever-growing need for adult education in an area where it is difficult to share information on available resources and difficult for the individual to access those resources once they have been located.
Your support will provide the resources we need to promote higher education, personal improvement, job advancement, and individual enrichment.
Thank you to our funders.
Foundation Receives Strategic Grant to Grow Mentorship Program in South Deschutes County
Ford Family Foundation invests in the Opportunity Knocks Peer Mentorship Program in Sunriver and La Pine to help business leaders grow their business.
La Pine, Ore. (June 15th, 2021) Opportunity Knocks (OK), a peer mentorship group for leaders in Central Oregon, announced today that they received a “Strategic Grant” from The Ford Family Foundation to grow their current OK business leaders’ team in La Pine and start another team in South Deschutes County.
This grant will be administered in conjunction with La Pine Park & Recreation Business Education Program, and it will help business leaders by offering economic assistance through membership scholarships to support the growth of businesses in the South Deschutes area.
“Opportunity Knocks has been a pillar of the leadership and business growth ecosystem in Central Oregon supporting 27 teams in Deschutes County,” said Kathy DeBone, Board of Directors for La Pine Park & Recreation Foundation. She added, “Opportunity Knocks’ team expansion is very important to supporting business growth for this region in Oregon.”
Opportunity Knocks Executive Director Michele O’Hara stated, “Opportunity Knocks plays a leadership role in growing the business and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Central Oregon, and we look forward to working with The Ford Family Foundation and La Pine Park & Recreation to foster and collaborate with business leaders in South Deschutes County, with the mission of growing a strong and lasting business community.”
The grant was administered through the assistance of the La Pine Parks & Recreation Foundation, supporting their mission to enhance access to educational and recreational opportunities by assisting with facility improvements and financial aid for programming.