NEWS
June 2010
John Miller creates legacy for Celilo Cancer Center
At first glance, John E. Miller might seem like an unlikely candidate to have created a permanent endowment fund with the Gorge Community Foundation. Far from being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he grew up in eastern Oregon in a family of four children and left home to join the Air Force when he was just 18 years old. He married at 21 and three children—2 daughters and a son—soon followed. After 8 years in the military, he settled in California and worked in the auto body industry, where he was known as a wizard with fiberglass and paint and for his custom car creations. His children describe their father as a fun loving prankster who couldn’t wait to get his feet out of his work boots and into flip-flops at the end of a workday.
John Miller with his sisters
Weekends were for sharing a laugh and few drinks with friends or spent working on one of his many projects. “Dad always had a lot of projects,” said his son Ed, “from home remodeling and rebuilding cars to etching glass and building human figures out of scrap metal and bolts, which he named “bolt people.”
In 1982, he moved to The Dalles, OR. It is here where he continued his career in the automotive industry. Miller remarried welcoming two step-children into his life, and retired in 2004 after many happy years working at Jack’s Body Shop in Hood River.
Miller was a man who took absolute delight in meeting a new friend. “He would talk to anyone,” says his daughter Brenda with a grin. “And he usually did.”
But perhaps more than anything Miller loved helping people and his children are not surprised that their father found a way to continue making a difference in people’s lives, even after his own death.
At 60, Miller was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and for two years he received treatment at Celilo Cancer Center in The Dalles. Despite his own challenges, he viewed it as an opportunity to make new friends, not only with the staff at Celilo but also with the other patients. He was grateful for the respectful care he received at Celilo; at the same time he was aware that not all of his fellow patients had the resources to fully cover their medical related expenses. A desire to help his less fortunate friends led to an estate planning and a permanent endowment fund with the Gorge Community Foundation which would grant funds each year for this specific purpose.
John E. Miller died on June 10, 2009 from congestive heart failure; his cancer was in remission at the time of his death. In accordance with his wishes, The John E. Miller Memorial Fund was established in 2010 with the express purpose of providing assistance to patients receiving cancer treatment at Celilo.
March 2010
Grants benefit local Outdoor Education programs
Grants totaling more than $12,000 were approved last month by the Gorge Community Foundation board of directors. The grants were made from the Alpinees/Hood River Civil Air Patrol Outdoor Education Fund, which was established with the express purpose of furthering outdoor education in the Columbia River Gorge.
The Alpinees Advisory Committee, which consists of five community members, reviewed the applications and made recommendations to the board. Committee member Mark Flaming said sixteen applications were received, all of which “had merit.” The following seven projects were awarded funding during this grant cycle:
- Hood River County Community Education received grants for two separate projects. The first grant of $840 is for a US Forest Service permit which will allow educational activities to take place on Federal lands. The permit will cover all Hood River School district activities for a 10 year period.
- A second grant of $403 was provided to HR Community Ed to help fund a four hour caving & hiking trip for the Prime Time After-School program. Approximately 100 students from May Street Elementary and Westside Elementary will participate.
- Sherman County Elementary received $1,215 to pay for ten sixth grade students to attend Outdoor School. During this four day camp, students learn firsthand about steelhead biology, groundwater study and fire suppression.
- Wy’east Middle School was given $2,200 to purchase temperature probes, sensors and other durable field instruments to study soil, air and water quality in their Outdoor School. The instruments will also be used in the science program throughout the school year.
- The Center for Alternative Learning was awarded $2000 to fund a 3-day educational raft trip on the Deschutes River. Participating students attend the alternative high school located on the campus of Hood River Valley High.
- Hood River Valley High School is starting a 2000 square foot vegetable garden and received $1,000 for start-up supplies such as compost, seeds and tomato cages. In addition to the educational benefits of the program, produce from the garden will be used in the school cafeteria where 50% of the students qualify for a free or reduced cost lunch program.
- Hood River Middle School Outdoor Classroom Project received $4,710 to fund the Cooper Spur Fire Restoration study. Students will establish research plots in the Gnarl Ridge Fire region to study and report on regeneration since the fire of 2008. Grant funds will be used for transportation, equipment, and staff training.
Specific dates and dollar amounts for future grants from the Alpinees/HR CAP fund have not been established, but another allocation cycle is planned for later this year.
__________________________________________________________
Alpinees/Hood River Civil Air Patrol Continue Legacy
November 2009
The Alpinees are pleased to announce the launch of the Alpinees/Hood River Civil Air Patrol Fund and the Jack Baldwin Memorial Outdoor Education Fund.
THE DALLES CHRONICLE
October 20, 2009
Foundation prompts local giving
Benefactors find flexibility in community foundation
By Kathy Ursprung
The Dalles Chronicle
As weather turns crisp and stores roll out red-and-green décor (even though it’s not quite Halloween), many people look not only at their holiday shopping, but at their annual community giving plans, as well.