Our Mission is to inspire the belief that all students deserve a chance to prove their abilities and pursue their career dreams.
CURRENT EVENTS
Sip It Up for Step It Up! Join the ''do gooder'' movement and Sip It Up for Step It Up!
Step It Up, Inc. is pleased to announce that beginning in May, we will have monthly Happy Hour fundraising events!
Our Fund Development Committee is hard at work booking great places to get together, and enjoy food, drink and good company. By joining us for Happy Hour, you will help Step It Up create community partners and raise awareness of our unique programs which empower Portland high school students to achieve their career goals.
Each Sip It Up Happy Hour is scheduled for the 2nd Tuesday of the month and goes from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Here is our current Sip It Up Happy Hour Event Calender:
May 13th 5:30-7:00 p.m. @ the Mississippi Pizza Pub
3552 North Mississippi
Portland, OR
503-228-3231
see www.mississippipizza.com for menu details! Happy Hour starts at 6 p.m.
June 10th 5:30-7:00 p.m. @ Emanon Cafe
1000 NW 17th Ave
Portland, OR
503-222-6435
see www.emanoncafe.com for menu details and come early because Happy Hour ends at 6 p.m.!
July 8th 5:30-7:00 @ Newport Seafood Bar and Grill
1200 NE Broadway St. Suite 10
Portland, OR
503-493-0100
see www.newportseafoodgrill.com for menu details and come early because Happy Hour ends at 6 p.m.!
More locations to come!
Mark your calenders and bring your friends along!
If you have a favorite Happy Hour spot, please do not hesitate to let us know. We will set it up and you just have to invite your friends!
If you have any questions please contact us at 503-284-1640. We look forward to seeing you there!
As always,
Step It Up, Inc. NEEDS YOUR INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE SUPPORT to build our capacity to serve more students, to develop the Internship Program for statewide replication, and to increase the Portland and Oregon future workforce capacity.
THANK YOU TO SKYLINE LAW GROUP IN BELLEVUE, WA for becoming a major corporate sponsor and monthly donor in April 2008! See www.skylinelaw.com!
Join Us to Support Oregon Students in Achieving their Career Goals and Becoming Self-Sufficient Adults!
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Step It Up, Inc. received grants from Wells Fargo, Black United Fund and The Fred Meyer Foundation to increase the organization's capacity to effectively assist more students in achieving their professional career goals in 2008!
Wells Fargo has repeatedly been named one of the most generous corporations in America. Each year it donates more than $1 million to hundreds of schools in Oregon and southwest Washington. The Portland Business Journal has named Wells Fargo one of the most admired financial services firms in Oregon for the past two straight years, based on a survey of more than 2,000 CEOs across the state. More information about Wells Fargo’s community support and giving guidelines is posted online at wellsfargo.com.
The Black United Fund of Oregon is a philanthropic and community development institution committed to the social and economic empowerment of Oregon's low-income communities. The Black United Fund of Oregon was created in 1983 to address the disproportionately low level of charitable dollars given to organizations serving communities of color. Over 20 years later we have raised over $4 million through workplace giving campaigns and other generous donations. These donations enable the Black United Fund to assist a wide spectrum of Oregon's low-income communities through grants, scholarships, training, and community development initiatives.
Black United Fund Mission: To assist in the social and economic development of Oregon's low-income communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups.
The Black United Fund of Oregon is located at 2828 NE Alberta · Portland, Oregon 97211. For more information call 503-282-7973, Email bufor@bufor.org, or visit www.bufor.org.
The Fred Meyer Foundation awarded a grant of $3,000 to Step It Up, Inc. in Portland, OR on December 27, 2007 for capacity development of the organization's Internship Program, which matches high school juniors with on-the-job work experience, training and mentoring in their chosen career field. This innovative program has been very successful with the students and Step It Up, Inc. business partners. The minimum age for participation is sixteen, and the students must have at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA) to participate in the program. This grant will greatly assist in the development of rigorous work experiences for Internship Program students as well as the development of program materials for the students and on-site mentors.
"The Fred Meyer Foundation and its Advisory Committee Members were greatly impressed by the successful track record of Step It Up, Inc. (SIU) and its programs," Glynda Brockhoff, Philanthropy Coordinator for Fred Meyer and The Fred Meyer Foundation, said. "We hope this community grant will help SIU continue the important work it is doing to enhance the welfare of the community. We are proud to be a part of the Portland community and are committed to helping where we can".
The Foundation's community grant program is driven by 29 local Advisory Committees made up of local Fred Meyer associates who research nonprofit organizations in their communities and then award community grants.
"These grants are the result of true community efforts involving both our associates through our annual Employee Giving Campaign and our customers through the contributions they make in our stores using the Make A Change Count coin boxes and scan cards at the checkstands. The dollars collected through these associate and store efforts are combined and then allocated by the Advisory Committees as community grants in the four western states where we have stores," Brockhoff said.
The Fred Meyer Foundation assists nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping children and reducing hunger in communities served by 128 Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Fred Meyer is a division of The Kroger Co, which is one the nation's largest food retailers. The Fred Meyer Foundation has awarded grants totaling over $7.5 million since it began awarding grants in December 1998. For more information call 1-800-858-9202, ext. 5605.
What Step It Up, Inc. Does:
Step It Up , Inc. interviews students who have professional career goals but need access to experts in their chosen career field for work experience, on-the-job training, and mentoring.
Step It Up, Inc.staff and board members select students from our Community Partners:
Benson High School
Grant High School
Jefferson High School
Roosevelt High School
Step It Up, Inc. matches each student with a business or institution partner that provides an in-house mentor, training and work experience in the students' area of interest.
Our Business & Institution Partners include: JOIN US as we add new partners every year!
American Medical Response (AMR)
Associated Design Consultants, Inc.
Doernbecher Children's Hospital/OHSU
GLUMAC
Lloyd Center Pharmacy
LRS Architects
OHSU Bio-Medical Research Center
Oregon Humane Society
Phagan's School of Hair Design
Portland Providence Hospital
Portland Farmer's Market
Stoel Rives Law Firm
Step It Up, Inc. pays the interns' stipend/scholarship, bus transportation costs and other internship expenses.
Step It Up, Inc. Staff and Volunteers continue to work with the interns throughout the summer internship and school year with tutoring, college and scholarship applications, and career and educational support until the age of 25.
Click "Contact Us" for ways to get involved! Email Linda at mcneill_linda@step-it-up.org or call 503-284-1640.