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We’re pleased to showcase the Ribbon Cutting Celebration and Grand Opening held on August 14, 2025, for Ace Handyman Services, a brand-new franchise of Ace Hardware. Ace Handyman Services is a woman- and veteran-owned business that brings licensed, top-quality home and office repair services to our community—with all work 100% guaranteed! For more informations visit: https://www.acehandymanservices.com/offices/bend Contact: (541) 203-2120 If you are a Chamber member and would like to talk about holding a ribbon cutting, please contact Kathleen Quinney, Events and Admin Coordinator, kathleen@bendchamber.org. The Chamber will provide materials, photos and a short video and will promote your ribbon cutting on social media and our website. Bend Chamber Ribbon Cuttings are Powered by

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF), in partnership with Hearst Television, proudly marked the completion of its third annual Emerson Coleman Fellowship at NAB’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, August 12.

  SELCO Community Credit Union will once again support educators with up to $125,000 through its two flagship educator programs, each designed to help teachers who too often pay out of pocket for classroom-related expenses.  Back for a second year, the Regional Classroom Makeovers will fund three projects for up to $15,000 each. In addition, SELCO will award dozens of Creative Educator Grants, each worth up to $2,500 and designed to turn imaginative classroom projects into reality.  Educators can apply for both programs between Friday, Aug. 15, and Tuesday, Sept. 30. The programs are part of SELCO Steps Up, the credit union’s community outreach initiative, which aims to foster meaningful, lasting change through nonprofit sponsorships, volunteerism, and funding for students and educators.  SELCO’s investment in educator support has proven especially timely, addressing a growing funding gap caused by rising costs and budget constraints. Too often, it has been educators who bridge this gap with personal funds. According to a national survey of educators, teachers spent an average of $895 of their own money on classroom expenses during the 2024-25 academic year. That out-of-pocket spending has increased 49% since 2015, according to the same survey. “We were blown away by the number and quality of applications last year,” said Craig Carpenter, SELCO’s Senior Vice President of Lending & Business Banking. “The impact these grants and makeovers had on classrooms was immediate and inspiring. As a credit union founded by teachers, supporting educators isn’t just a priority for SELCO — it’s part of who we are.” Said Olivia Sorensen, SELCO’s Community Development Supervisor for SELCO: “Each year, we’re reminded of what we already knew — educators have no shortage of passion and creativity, but they need support to bring their ideas to life.”  SELCO will begin accepting applications for the following programs starting Aug. 15: Classroom Makeovers: Three K-12 classrooms will receive makeovers worth up to $15,000 each. “Classroom” is loosely defined as any school learning space, including traditional classrooms, libraries, playgrounds, and gymnasiums. A SELCO Steps Up committee selects finalists in each of the three regions that SELCO serves: the Willamette Valley, Central and Eastern Oregon, and Northern Oregon. Then, through an online voting process held in October, SELCO members and the public at large select one winner from each region. Creative Educator Grants: Designed for K-12 educators with creative classroom ideas but lacking funds to get those projects off the ground. The program received a significant boost in 2024: SELCO increased the value of each grant to as much as $2,500 per recipient (up from $1,000) to support larger and more impactful projects. A selection panel reviews applications based on project originality, proposal clarity, number of students affected, potential for skill development, and diversity and impact of projects.  In the inaugural year of the Classroom Makeover program, Caldera High School in Bend received $15,000 to finish the build-out and expansion of its Makerspace Lab, Prairie Mountain School in Eugene was awarded $15,000 to create an ability-inclusive playground, and Jefferson Elementary School in Jefferson received $11,700 to transform a music classroom. “The mission of our Career and Technical Education department is to develop citizens with the necessary skills, attitudes, and tools to be successful and be positive contributors to our communities,” said Gavin Meyers, Caldera’s engineering, architecture, and graphic design teacher. “With the support of this grant, we will be one step closer to achieving our goal.” 2024 also saw a significant boost in applications to SELCO’s grant program, which ultimately awarded 44 grants to diverse programs across the state. Westside Village Magnet School in Bend purchased a new 3D printer, helping students create products to launch their own small businesses. Other recipients included Fern Ridge Middle School in Elmira for a hands-on automotive engineering class that teaches students to build working model engines and small electric vehicles. John Sperry, a teacher at Hamlin Middle School in Springfield, was one of the grant recipients in 2024 for his project revamping his school’s news broadcast channel, operated entirely by students. “What I’m hoping for,” Sperry said, “is that we’ll feel more cohesive, more like we have a belonging culture here … instead of it just being that school that they go to.” For more information about SELCO Steps Up Classroom Makeovers or Creative Educator Grants, to view past grant recipients, or to apply, visit www.selco.org/steps-up/student-and-educator-support/. For questions, please email stepsup@selco.org.  

  Heart of Oregon Corps launches updated Legacy 25 campaign website ahead of Sept. 10 campus groundbreaking   Heart of Oregon Corps announced recently a $100,000 gift from The Tykeson Family Foundation in support of the Legacy 25 campaign to raise the remaining dollars for a new $7.3 million Heart of Oregon Corps centralized campus in Redmond. The 3.4-acre site will be Central Oregon’s first youth workforce development campus.  “We are proud to support this impactful resource for Central Oregon,” said Amy Tykeson, managing trustee of the Tykeson Family Foundation and former CEO of BendBroadband. “Education takes many forms, and youth on the workforce track will flourish with a place to learn, grow and belong as they develop the skills to transform their own lives and contribute to the economic success of our communities.” In the past 25 years, Heart of Oregon has graduated more than 5,000 workforce-ready Central Oregon youth, focusing on fields of construction, conservation and childcare. Throughout the past two and a half decades, Heart of Oregon has done this work using a network of borrowed and aging facilities, which can no longer accommodate the 225 youth being served by the program each year.  “We are so grateful to Amy Tykeson and the Foundation for their generous support,” said Laura Handy, executive director of Heart of Oregon. “Donations like this are how we will address the growing need for youth workforce-readiness training in Central Oregon and provide crucial support for the next generation of youth and young adults—for the benefit of us all.”  In Heart of Oregon’s 25th year, the Legacy 25 campaign was launched to raise the remaining dollars necessary to construct the new central campus in Redmond, which will serve youth from across Central Oregon. Heart of Oregon has just $2.1 million left to raise, and a generous $500,000 match provided by Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund is currently doubling all contributions of $100,000 and below.  The Tykeson Family Foundation gift comes as Heart of Oregon releases a new Legacy 25 campaign website where visitors can learn about the need for a youth workforce development campus in Redmond and make contributions of their own to the legacy project, which will shape youth in Central Oregon for generations to come.  Heart of Oregon will break ground on the new campus on Sept. 10 with the opening of the campus anticipated in fall 2026. Community members and the media are encouraged to attend the groundbreaking and see the future campus site, enjoy a simple lunch grilled by R&H Construction, and connect with other workforce development supporters. Click here to RSVP for the event.  To learn more about the impact of campus gifts, read stories from youth whose lives have been changed by Heart of Oregon programs or make a donation to the campus campaign, visit our website today. 

  The Taco Bell Foundation is awarding a record-breaking $28 million in Community Grants in 2025 – marking the 6th year that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend has been selected as a grant recipient.   Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend (BGCB) is proud to announce it has been selected as a recipient of a 2025 Community Grant from the Taco Bell Foundation. The funding will support the Family Plus Program which includes mentorship and wrap around services, helping youth in Central Oregon access essential resources to achieve their goals. “This grant will help us empower today’s youth through healthy adult mentorships, career readiness and exploration, and mental health support to thrive and become the confident leaders of tomorrow” said Alice Ivie, V.P. of Development. “We’re grateful to Bend Taco Bell locations for believing in our mission and investing in the potential of our youth.” The Taco Bell Foundation awarded a record-breaking $28 million in Community Grants this year to nearly 500 nonprofit organizations nationwide. The Community Grants program uplifts youth in the communities that matter most to Taco Bell – those of its fans and Team Members. True to the brand’s spirit, the Taco Bell Foundation supports nonprofits that think differently and take bold approaches to creating new opportunities for young people. BGCB was nominated for the grant by local Taco Bell franchisee Bend Taco Bell whose continued commitment to uplifting youth has helped expand access to education, mentorship, and career readiness programs across the community. “We believe that empowering young people is one of the most meaningful ways we can invest in the future,” said Lisa Lane Cardin, Executive Director of the Taco Bell Foundation. “This record investment is a testament to the power of community-driven change and the limitless potential that exists when we remove barriers and open doors.” Through this grant, BGCB will be able to serve and advocate for our families living in poverty through services that promote positive mental health and well-being for our “youth who need us most.” To learn more about BGCB please visit bgcbend.org. To learn more about the Taco Bell Foundation and the Community Grants program, please visit https://www.tacobellfoundation.org/who-we-support/.