CW Community Chest, Rotary, Lions Club Announce 2024 Grant Awards

The Camas-Washougal Community Chest and its partners, the Camas-Washougal Rotary Foundation and the Camas Lions Foundation, are pleased to announce the award of 34 grants totaling $134,000 to non-profit organizations delivering services, exclusively, to children and families in Camas and Washougal. The Rotary commitment to Service above Self also adds volunteers to the mix as they work to make a difference in our community.

The grants will fund such diverse services as emergency food assistance, aid to families in crisis or needing emergency services, safe temporary shelter for at-risk youth, a Safe Stay overnight car park program at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church and water quality monitoring in the Lacamas Creek watershed. New organizations

receiving grants for the first time will offer services such as a Community Arts Night program – a free opportunity to experience the benefits of creativity and artistic expression, bringing songwriters to the Washougal Arts fair and staffing and equipping for three litter cleanups at Cottonwood Beach.

Some of the non-profit organizations being funded in 2024 include the Inter-Faith Treasure House, Akin (formerly the Children’s Home Society) at the East County Family Resource Center, Janus Youth Programs, Pink Lemonade Project, Family Promise of Clark County, and Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. First-time grantees include Enspire Arts, Washougal Songcraft Festival and Watershed Alliance of SW Washington. For a complete listing of the grant awards see the grant summary below.

Thanks to CWRF, CLF and major donations from the GP Foundation, GP employees, Camas School District employees, City of Camas and City of Washougal employees, Port of Camas-Washougal employees, Windermere Foundation, and Watercare Industrial Services, CWCC is well on the way to funding these grants. To reach its 2024 fundraising goal, however, the CWCC needs additional donations from individuals and businesses in Camas and Washougal. More information and donation forms can be found on the CWCC’s website at www.CamasWashougalCommunityChest.org. The CWCC, CWRF and CLF are registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations for federal charitable tax deduction purposes.

Total number of grants awarded – 34

Total value of grants awarded – $134,000

Estimated number of individual services funded by grants – more than 30,000

Akin (formerly Children’s Home Society) – East County Family Resource Center

Helps fund operations at Resource Center. Helps fund parent education groups, youth support groups, emergency basic assistance, behavioral health services and health care services provided by ECFRC or by a partner agency.

Boy Scouts of America – Cascade Pacific Council

Girl Scouts Troop 45703

Helps fund Campership Awards so that Camas and Washougal families in need can send their Boy Scouts to summer camp. Helps fund the Girl Scout troop’s planned visit to the birthplace and home of Girl Scout founder – Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia.

Camas School District – Principal’s Checkbook

(aka Camas Family Community Resource Center)

Funds will assist students and their families who are living in situational instability with their essential needs, particularly those that assist directly in the furthering of a student’s education or their physical/emotional well-being. These requests most often come directly from school building counselors, which also relieves their anxiety when students are in need of additional support for their best learning.

Camas Farmers Market

Helps fund “Produce Pals”, a weekly activities program to educate children about where and how food is produced. Kids completing the weekly program receive a $2 token to spend at Camas Farmers Market for locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Camas Robotics Booster Club

Helps fund registration and transportation costs for students in financial need to participate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes and activities. Will also help fund STEM education and outreach activities in the Camas and Washougal area.

Camas Washougal Historical Society

Helps fund the commissioning of artist Adam McIsaac to create a fish carving display (12 feet by 4 feet) for the Gathering Place located at Two Rivers Heritage Museum. The purpose of CWHS is to preserve and make available to the public, both present and future artifacts that tell the story of the history of the Camas and Washougal area.

Camas Washougal Parent Co-op Preschool

Helps fund operating budget, including buying classroom supplies and helps with maintaining and upkeeping the preschool in order to provide a safe place for the preschoolers to learn and play.

Dance Evolution

Helps fund a scholarship program to support individuals and families with financial constraints, allowing them to pursue their passions without financial barriers. Help fund our dance outreach program to underserved communities by providing free or subsidized dance classes to individuals who may not have access to such opportunities. Help fund our inclusive dance initiative by enhancing our studio’s accessibility, ensuring all individuals of all abilities can participate in and benefit from our dance programs.

Enspire Arts

Helps fund a bi-monthly Community Arts Night program offered as a free opportunity for the greater Camas – Washougal area to experience the benefits of creativity and artistic exploration. Enspire Arts uses music, poetry, visual arts, theater, games, writing and more as a catalyst for conversation, community building, emotional expression, relaxation and fun.

Family Promise of Clark County

Helps fund an expansion of the FPCares program that proactively assists families with services that will prevent them from losing their homes and entering the shelter system. Services may include rental assistance, payments for rent in arrears, security deposits, landlord mediation, locating housing and filling out applications.

Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation – Washougal Branch

Supports the Washougal Community Library’s summer reading program for kids and adults. By providing free literacy related programs and incentive prizes for the amount of time spent reading, Washougal Community Library hopes to elevate the reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills of Washougal area children and teens before they return to school in the fall.

Friends and Foundation of the Camas Library

Helps fund the Camas Public Library’s plan to implement its proposed Nature-Smart Library to move learning and enrichment from beyond the library building and into nature with workshops, classes, self- guided activities and fun activities for every age. The library will purchase outdoor games, picnic baskets, nature kits and programs for adults, teens, and children and self-directed programs for all ages. The circulating Nature-Smart Library collection would be open to anyone with a Camas Public Library card.

Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Helps fund the Explore the Gorge classroom lessons and outdoor environmental education program for sixth graders in Jemtegaard and Canyon Creek Middle schools in Washougal School District.

General Federation of Women’s Clubs Camas – Washougal

Helps fund the purchase of age-appropriate books and other educational materials for all children in Pre-K and elementary classrooms in the Camas and Washougal School Districts. The program is aimed at all Pre-K and elementary schoolchildren to improve their reading skills.

Impact CW – St. Matthew Lutheran Church

Helps buy food and grocery gift cards for families in need in the Camas and Washougal School Districts.

Inter-Faith Treasure House

Helps buy nutritional food items for the Treasure House’s Camas School District backpack program and gas for the food delivery vans.

Janus Youth Programs

Provides funding for outreach efforts and overnight facility stays for Camas and Washougal runaway youth at risk for abuse and neglect. Re-introduces kids to safe housing. Provide case managers to help youth access community services to help them achieve stability.

JD Currie Youth Camp

Helps fund repairs to outhouse “A” that serves the lodge area of the camp. Clark County, owner of the property, has determined that outhouse “A” is non-habitable in its current condition.

Journey Theater Arts Group

Helps fund a portion of the Washburn Performing Arts Center rental fee to present the winter production of The Spongebob Squarepants Musical. Helps fund scholarships for students in financial need and who find it difficult to participate in theater classes and camps.

Kawanis Camp Wa-Ri-Ki

Helps fund their Outdoor Environmental Education Program by offering campers meaningful outdoor activities that support fun, healthy living, nurturing personal growth plus leadership and nature-based skills. Goals include better physical and mental health, increased self-esteem, respect and kindness for others, ability to lead, community participation and stewardship of natural resources.

Lacamas Watershed Council

Helps pay for volunteer training and buying water quality monitoring equipment and testing supplies. Water quality samples will be collected in the Lacamas watershed, including Lacamas, Round and Fallen Leaf lakes and Lacamas Creek.

Lifeline Connections

Helps fund youth activities, field trips and transportation costs to Camp Mariposa (they use Kiwanis Camp Wa-Ri-Ki’s facility) for children of families in need or suffering from substance abuse.

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

Helps fund the Students Outdoor Science program that provides classroom lessons and outdoor applied learning programs for youth, including habitat enhancement projects adjacent to Gibbons Creek in the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Campen Creek in Mable Kerr Park and Lacamas Creek Trail and Park.

Pathways Clinic

Helps fund the purchase of medical supplies to be able to offer obstetric ultrasound tests, pregnancy tests and STI/STD tests for men and women.

Pink Lemonade Project

Helps fund Treatment Access Program/Pink Practicalities/Holiday Glow, three financial aid and assistance programs. Covers costs that health insurance doesn’t, such as groceries, transportation services, lymphedema sleeves, lost wages, rent/mortgage payments, etc.

REACH Community Development

Helps buy groceries, baby essentials, cleaning supplies, hygiene products and similar basic household needs. Buys school supplies and holiday food baskets. Serves Gateway Gardens and Towne Square communities in Washougal.

ReFuel Washougal

Helps buy supplies such as sturdy clamshells, lidded bowls and heavy duty plastic forks and spoons to provide to-go meals during Friday meal nights. Helps buy winter waterproof sleeping bags. Helps buy bus passes for clients traveling to services only offered in Vancouver. Helps buy professional services to maintain and update the website to be able to reach out digitally to donors and service providers.

Silver Star Search and Rescue (SSSAR)

Helps fund a replacement heavy-duty Terra Tamer titanium frame/fork/wheel for a Stokes litter carrier which will allow rescue teams to work more effectively over long distances and tough terrain.

St. Anne’s (Episcopal Church) Safe Stay Program

Helps fund a portion of St. Anne’s Safe Stay program including cleaning of the port-a-potty, use of outdoor electrical outlets, use of the Internet WiFi and use of showers, laundry, and church kitchen.

Unite! Washougal Community Coalition

Helps fund Sources of Strength Suicide Prevention Program at Washougal High School; Positive Community Norms Campaign “Love Your Life” in the Washougal Community; the Support Our Guiding Good Choices Parenting classes and the Support our Ambassador Youth Program.

Washougal School District – Principal’s Checkbook

Helps Washougal school principals provide for basic student needs to give low income or homeless students equal opportunities at school. Funds a portion of an Adult Transition Program which trains students with disabilities for transition into appropriate work placement. Funds supplies such as shoes, clothes, hygiene products and food for Panther Den. Funds a mobile laptop cart for families without access to technology and internet services. Funds Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative activities on all Washougal School District campuses.

Washougal Songcraft Festival 2024

Helps fund local songwriter’s fees to perform during a summer festival that is offered free to the public of all ages.

Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington

(aka Vancouver Watershed Council)

Helps fund three litter cleanups at Cottonwood Beach and Trail in June, July and August 2024.

West Columbia Gorge Humane Society

Helps fund the following programs and services designed to keep pets and people together during hardship, crisis or emergency: pet food pantry, temporary pet boarding, impound/owner surrender fee relief and veterinary assistance. Also funds a portion of the cost to supply ReFuel Washougal with pet food to distribute to the pets of homeless and low-income people using ReFuel’s other services.