The Oregon Community Foundation’s Latino Partnership Program (LPP) hosted more than 200 Oregonians from small business, education, health, government and nonprofit sectors on October 5 and 6 in Salem for the inaugural Conexiones event. The location was significant since OCF’S Northern Willamette Valley Leadership Council launched LPP in the Salem region in the early 2000’s. For the past decade, OCF’s Latino Partnership Program has been collaborating with Latino leaders and organizations around the state to engage with Oregon’s fastest-growing community.

Conexiones continued this engagement by focusing on education, leadership development and community and cultural bridges with attendees. Latinos and non-Latino partners represented regions from Ontario to Ashland, from Lincoln City to Madras and all along the I-5 corridor. The theme, “transforming communities together,” highlighted the important role Latino leaders in Oregon play in transforming the state and encouraged action. Local and national speakers, including Maria Hinojosa and Luis Avila, reminded attendees to believe in their own capacity to create change.

“Latino education achievement and increased Latino representation and leadership remain the focus of our work through the Latino Partnership Program,” said OCF President and CEO, Max Williams. “What’s exciting is all the opportunities that lie ahead of us. Latinos in Oregon will continue to transform our communities and state.”

Through work sessions that dug deeper into issues such as education, small business, health and leadership, attendees made new connections, committed to collaborations and discussed big ideas to identify solutions to key issues, around a set of common goals. The discussions and big ideas that LPP documented will provide a roadmap for Conexiones attendees, their partners and other Oregonians to help move these ideas forward in the future. For more information about Conexiones and OCF’s Latino Partnership Program, visit oregoncf.org/lpp.

About The Oregon Community Foundation: The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve lives for all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awarded more than $108 million in grants and scholarships in 2016. For more information about OCF, please visit: www.oregoncf.org.

A gathering of Latinos and partners in education, nonprofits, business and government working together to improve the lives of Latino Oregonians.

WHY
In different corners of the state Latinos and Latino-serving organizations work to improve education, business, housing, health, civic engagement, youth support, parent involvement, and advocacy among other fields. Yet few opportunities exist to connect, learn from each other and to collaborate for actions.

WHAT
The 2017 Latino-focused Conexiones Summit is designed to be an opportunity to connect, share, learn, and commit to a specific and measurable action, right here in Oregon.  The Conexiones Summit will be held from October 5-6 in Salem, and will focus on topics of education, leadership and engagement, small business and entrepreneurship, and health and well-being for Latino Oregonians.

WHEN
The Conexiones Summit will take place October 5 through October 6 at 1:30 p.m., at the Salem Convention Center.

A United Latino Voice for Oregon, a pre-summit session hosted by The Ford Family Foundation, will take place on October 4, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
This session will focus on the priorities for the Latino community in Oregon. Individuals and groups responding to these priorities are diverse and distinct with multiple approaches and strategies.  Is it possible to create out of the different approaches and strategies a larger umbrella that unites the many voices representing Latinos in Oregon? What would it look like in order to be inclusive of the many voices and faces of Latinos in Oregon? These and other questions will be the focus of this session and will help us jump start the Conexiones Summit: Transforming Communities Together.

Please click here to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for this pre-summit session.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
2017 Conexiones Summit is for Latino professionals and partners working through the spectrum of education (K-12, college and career), promoting business and entrepreneurship, increasing Latino leadership, and promoting health for Latinos. We invite those working and learning in nonprofit organizations, government and business sectors, and educational institutions.  

WHAT TO EXPECT
The core of the 2017 Conexiones Summit will be a working group model which consists of five-topic specific groups, each bringing diverse industry leaders and practitioners on education, leadership and engagement, business and entrepreneurship, and health. Each group will convene several times over the course of the summit to identify and discuss specific sub topic issues, to share knowledge, build collaborations and create points of action. Each group will be led by a facilitator who will help guide working group participants through the process.

OUTCOME
    •    Promote knowledge and understanding of diverse Latino communities in Oregon
    •    Gather emerging, established industry leaders, and subject matter experts to have thoughtful conversations, build partnerships and cross collaborations to generate different levels of commitment to action or practical solutions to challenges
    •    Elevate dialogue about relevant topics, including civic participation, education, entrepreneurship, and health for Latino Oregonians

Because ultimately, the success of Oregon Latinos and the state as a whole are intertwined, and this is determined in large part by Latinos and their partners’ contributions and achievements.

Ethical Considerations Related to Public Charities and Private Foundations

Questions around ethics arise when administering public charities and private foundations and professional advisors are frequently on the forefront of advising clients on how to navigate these concerns when they arise. Through a series of case studies, this Philanthropy Forum will explore key ethical issues that the boards and staff of public charities and private foundations encounter, how they are viewed by the Attorney General's office, and share best practices to promote ethical behavior within organizations.

Speakers
Moderator: Jeff Thede, Thede Culpepper LLP
Panelist: Elizabeth Grant, Oregon Department of Justice
Panelist: Shouka D. Rezvani, Tonkon Torp LLP
Panelist: Jane M. Searing, Clark Nuber



Complimentary lunch provided.

September 25, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Multnomah Athletic Club



Registration link: https://ocf.iphiview.com/ocf/Events/EventDetails/tabid/748/dispatch/eventdetails_id$297970/Default.aspx

Questions? Contact OCF at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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