Page 9
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Oregonians said opening
wallets for charitable aid
Charitable giving in
Oregon steadily increased
during the past decade and
topped $1 billion for the first
time in 2003, the most re-
cent year tax data is avail-
able, according to a new
report by the Giving in Ore-
gon Council.
The council is a commit-
tee of The Oregon Commu-
nity Foundation, and this is
its 10th anniversary report.
Giving increased every
year during the decade with
the one exception of the
recession in 2001-2002,
when giving declined by 2.2
percent.
Key findings in the re-
port:
*Oregon’s nonprofit
organizations reported a
significant 16.7 per-
cent increase in giving in
2003.
*Total donations re-
ceived by Oregon’s non-
profit organizations
in-
creased more than 50 percent
during the 1997 to 2003 pe-
riod.
*Compared to other
states, Oregon ranks 15th
nationally in
giving as
measured by the percentage
of income donated for chari-
table causes. Oregonians
give on average 2.45 per-
cent of their personal in-
come, while the national
average is 2.32 percent.
*Oregon reported 9,880
operating nonprofit organi-
zations in 2003, up from
7,944 in 1997. The number
of nonprofit organiza-
tions has increased at an
average rate of 322 per year
during the past seven years.
The Giving in Oregon
Report tracks donations to
nonprofit
organizations
registered with the State
Attorney General’s Of-
fice. It also analyzes federal
tax return data showing
the number of charitable
donations claimed as deduc-
tions by Oregon taxpayers.
“We are impressed how
strongly giving is increasing
in Oregon,” said
Greg
Chaillé, president of The
Oregon Community Foun-
dation. “Giving in Oregon
is growing faster than
the national average, despite
our weakened economy.
“This says: ‘We care
about our communi-
ties’,” Chaillé said.
Education organiza-
tions, and primarily higher
education, received
the lion’s share of Orego-
nian’s donations during
2003 at more than $333 mil-
lion. This was followed by
human services ($104 mil-
lion), the arts ($94 million),
and environmental groups
($78 million) as the top
four categories of giving.
New to this year’s re-
port is an “early filer” sec-
tion reporting on tax returns
for 2004. This data shows
giving increased by about 6
percent from 2003 into
2004.
The report concludes
that philanthropy has be-
come a vital resource for
sustaining Oregon’s quality
of life. Total revenues to
Oregon’s nonprofit organi-
zations (donations plus fee
and earned income)
now top $10 billion. This
compares to the state gen-
eral fund budget of $5.3
billion per year.
“Name the issue, and
you can bet Oregonians are
turning to nonprofit organi-
zations to help address it,”
Chaillé said. “And nonprof-
its cannot exist without
charitable giving. It is vital
to our future, and Orego-
nians are doing a good job,”
Chaillé said.
NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION in Cave Junction continues
at a steady pace. Approximately 300 homes are planned,
under construction or recently completed within the city
limits. The new residences include some gated communi-
ties. Besides new homes, a new medical clinic is under
Issue #6
June, 2006
construction by Siskiyou Community Medical Center.
Three Rivers Community Hospital is to be a partner in the
clinic. There also are plans to expand Laurel Pines/I.V.
Golf Course and add homes and businesses. (Photos by
‘Illinois Valley News’)
Josephine County
Report
Volunteer Day
Reception
What is Josephine County
Community Justice?
April 28, 2006
Article By Marie Hill
Josephine County Community Justice is a multiple pronged public
safety agency focusing on three major service areas:
• Adult Parole and Probation
• Juvenile Justice
• Commission for Children and Families
In many counties these services are separated into individual depart-
ments. The Board of Commissioners consolidated Jo Co programs
under one umbrella to increase efficiencies and reduce costs.
Adult Parole and Probation is responsible for the supervision of adult
offenders who are on probation, parole or post-prison supervision.
Parole and probation officers are housed in the office at 237 SE “J”
street, and the work crew, home detention and counseling staff are
housed at 305 NW “D” street.
The County currently supervises 1063 criminal offenders, 891 of
who have been convicted of a felony. The goals are to insure that
offenders comply with conditions set out by the court or parole
board, to insure public safety and to enhance offenders’ motivation
to change their thinking and behavior so they successfully move out
of the criminal justice system.
Juvenile Justice consists of court services to Family Court, juvenile
probation and diversion programs, mediation services, Court
Appointed Special Advocates and the Juvenile Shelter Detention
program. The Juvenile Division is located at 301 NW “F” street and
currently supervises 259 youth who have either been adjudicated by
the courts, are participating on a diversion program or are in the
intake process. All youth referred to the department receive some
level of service depending upon risk and need.
The Juvenile Shelter Detention facility is located immediately
behind the Juvenile Justice building and has a capacity for 30 youth
who are either housed in detention for delinquency behavior, or
housed in shelter as a result of dependency.
Thank you!
On Friday, April 28th the Board of
Commissioner’s office hosted a reception
for the many wonderful volunteers who
help Josephine County in their day to day
operations.
Many County departments count on volunteers as an integral part of their
work force. Their worth in dollars is priceless. Among the volunteers
recognized this year was Margarite Hawthorne. Ms. Hawthorne has a 26-
year history with Community Justice as a volunteer. Kelly Wessels
(Retired Senior Volunteer Program) honored her with a special Presiden-
tial Award signed by President Bush. At 98, Ms. Hawthorne has finally
decided to retire!
Josephine County Commissioners would like to convey a heartfelt thank
you to the many individuals who share countless hours of their time and
devotion helping citizens of Josephine County.
The Commission for Children and Families system was established through
State Legislation and charged with the responsibility of supporting local efforts
aimed at health, safety and well being of children birth to eighteen years of age.
The Josephine County Commission Advisory Board is appointed by the Board of
Commissioners to plan, advocate, and educate the community to act on behalf of
children and families. This department also manages state and federal Grant
funds that come to the County through the State Commission, promote the 40
developmental Assets Initiative, and provide support to the Substance Abuse
Community Action Team Coalition.
Upcoming Events
Parks
Commissioner Dwight F. Ellis
Presented Evelyn Beltz with an
appreciation gift.
June 19-25
Iron Horse Bike Rally/Rodeo at Lake Selmac
June 10th
June 23-25
Fishing Derby at Lake Selmac sponsored by Middle
Rogue Steelheaders. A free fishing day for everybody
in the community . Middle Rogue Steelheaders will be
there to help kids with tackle, provide fishing poles
and teach them how to fish.
Jefferson State Street Rods at Indian Mary Park
July 14-16
Hawg Wild Rodeo at Wolf Creek Park
Rogue Valley Flyers at Lake Selmac
Visit our website for current County information:
www.co.josephine.or.us
It is possible to store
the mind with a million
facts and still be
entirely uneducated.
- Alec Bourne -
The roots of education
are bitter, but the fruit
is sweet.
- Aristotle -
Published bi-monthly by the
Josephine County
Board of Commissioners
Dwight F. Ellis, Chair
Jim Raffenburg, Vice Chair
Jim Riddle, Commissioner
County Courthouse
500 N.W. Sixth Street
Grants Pass, Oregon 97526
Phone 474-5221
Fax 474-5105
email: bcc@co.josephine.or.us
www.co.josephine.or.us