Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Virtual Event Raises Thousands

Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Virtual Event Raises Thousands

The 9th annual Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures breakfast fundraiser was held virtually via Zoom again this year and despite not being able to gather together in person it was a huge success. Liz Kelly and Mary Reilly provided upbeat conversation as our Emcees again and special guest Alicia Beymer, Chief Administrative Officer of PeaceHealth, shared why she supports Looking Glass and encouraged supporters to pull out their check books and do the same. The event coincided with the recent opening of the Alder House project, a new collaboration between Looking Glass and Hybrid Real Estate, which moved 10 youth into 8 apartments in a newly renovated and fully furnishes complex near the UO campus in the first week of November.

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Annual Board Meeting - Senator Manning Receives Award from Looking Glass

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Annual Board Meeting - Senator Manning Receives Award from Looking Glass

The annual Looking Glass board meeting was held Wednesday, November 3rd at the Graduate Hotel in Eugene with a small gathering of in-person guests and board members. The event included a keynote speech by Fariborz Pakseresht, the Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, and also a presentation of the Community Leadership award from Looking Glass CEO Craig Opperman to longtime supporter Senator James Manning.

Sock Donation Drive Success!

Sock Donation Drive Success!

The 3rd annual Socktoberfest sock drive was once again a tremendous success, generating thousands of pairs of new and gently used socks for homeless youth at New Roads. Donation locations around Lane County included Bi-Mart, Macy’s at Valley River Center, Windermere Real Estate offices, Columbia Bank branches, and PeaceHealth.

Volunteer of the year: The Wilson Family

Volunteer of the year: The Wilson Family

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR !

The Wilson family has been supporting Looking Glass in a myriad of ways since their son, Scott, began working there in 2019. They kept hearing the stories Scott would share from his experiences in the various programs he has worked in during his time there including residential treatment programs and the homeless youth program and wanted to find ways to brighten the days of the youth.

“The more we learned about these kids, the more we wanted to help,” explained Wendy Wilson. “We just know that even something simple like donating ice cream or other treats to the programs can make someone’s day a little better.”

Hybrid Real Estate Owners Provide Apartment Building for Unhoused Youth

Hybrid Real Estate Owners Provide Apartment Building for Unhoused Youth

Kelly & Bryan Ranstad of Eugene (owners of Hybrid Real Estate Agency) recently purchased and renovated a house near UO campus for the purposes of renting each of the 9 units to youth clients from Looking Glass’ Transitional Housing Program which helps find housing and pay rent for formerly unhoused youth in Lane County for up to 2 years. Finding property managers and owners who are able and willing to rent to this population had proven quite challenging, so having an entire apartment complex to fill up was welcomed news to Looking Glass staff.

Crisis Response Team Making House Calls Again

Crisis Response Team Making House Calls Again

After 3 months of not making house calls and more than a year without access to a crisis bed for youth, the Crisis Response Team from Looking Glass is once again able to go out in-person and assist a youth in crisis and help get them transported to the Jasper Mountain Safe Center Crisis Bed for a 72-hour crisis stay. The Crisis Response Team consists of a multi-agency collaboration between Looking Glass, Jasper Mountain and the Child Center and has been in operation in Lane County for at least 15 years.

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Representative Nancy Nathanson Presented With Looking Glass Community Leadership Award

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Representative Nancy Nathanson Presented With Looking Glass Community Leadership Award

Looking Glass President & CEO Craig Opperman presented the 2021 Community Leadership Award to Representative Nancy Nathanson at a recent Looking Glass board meeting for her stellar and steadfast support for our community’s youth and families in need. Nathanson has pushed for increased financial support for Looking Glass and other social service organizations including helping Looking Glass to receive new funds to help make needed capitol improvements to Looking Glass homeless youth programs.

Youth Corps Summer Crew Helps Saves Endangered Plant Species

Youth Corps Summer Crew Helps Saves Endangered Plant Species

Since 1990, Looking Glass' Lane-Metro Youth Corps has coordinated work crews year-round, giving paid work experience each summer to Lane County youth and helping to make improvements to a variety of local natural resources and natural habitats. As this year’s crew experiences come to a close, the Army Corps of Engineers is thankful for the impact Looking Glass crew members have had on the indigenous plant life they’ve worked to restore near Fern Ridge and nearby wetland areas.

“Looking Glass has been a huge help to us!” said Adam Kotaich of the Army Corps Engineers. “Covid really short staffed us this year, so having their help has been tremendous.”

4th Annual Hike for Hope Event Raises $5,000

4th Annual Hike for Hope Event Raises $5,000

The 4th Annual Hike for Hope fundraiser event for Looking Glass held at the North Trailhead parking lot of Mt Pisgah was a huge success again this year, despite challenges including spiking local Covid cases and concerns over smoke from regional wildfires. The event, sponsored again by Hearing Associates as well as US Bank, Oregon Community Credit Union and Summit Bank, raised nearly $5,000 for at-risk youth programs and brought together roughly 40 hikers on a beautiful Saturday morning for the socially distant group hike. Guest speaker Nick Hammond shared his experiences as a former homeless youth, inspiring the hikers and reinforcing the importance of supporting programs like Looking Glass.

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Housing Resources - Success Story (VIDEO)

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Housing Resources - Success Story (VIDEO)

Looking Glass has provided housing assistance for youth since 1970 through various programs including providing rental assistance funds for security deposits, renters insurance and, in some cases, covering monthly rent for up to 2 years. We recently sat down with a current housing client, Jordan, and his case manager Jack and other Looking Glass staff to hear how these programs work and the impact they can have. (VIDEO)

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Girl Scout Troop #24761 Donation Drive

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Girl Scout Troop #24761 Donation Drive

This past May and June, Girl Scout Troop #24761 hosted a donation drive to collect toiletry items for Homeless Youth.

Their leader, Amy Mahady reached out to Looking Glass to learn more about the services offered so that the girls’ could learn more about how homelessness impacts youth in our community.

Looking Glass Development Coordinator, Amanda Zacharda, joined on a Zoom call during one of their meetings and was able to educate the Troop about all of the services provided at Looking Glass, especially the Homeless Youth Services.

The girls were able to come up with over 30 bags of toiletry items to donate, along with $350+ donations from multiple businesses in our community.

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Crochet Donations: Success for Pathways Girls

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Crochet Donations: Success for Pathways Girls

This past month, we asked our community to help accrue more yarn for the Pathways Girl Program, who have been crocheting as a form of therapy. We are so thrilled that many of our donors and local community members came together to help us obtain over 10+ boxes and bags full of yarn. This will allow the girls to continue to master their crochet techniques as well as helping them with their recovery during their stay at the Pathways Program.

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