8A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • AUGUST 15, 2018
FUNDS
from A1
organization is faced with.
Portmann, who passed
away suddenly in 2012, left
$50,000 to the organization
specifi cally earmarked for the
Cottage Grove program. Local
volunteer Carmen Dowell be-
gan asking where the money
was earlier this summer.
“I noticed in June,” she said.
“Something wasn’t right. Th ey
told us that they were going to
do quotas so we kept waiting.
Th ey said they would tell us
about the plans for the games
on Friday and then they would
tell us on Monday and then
they said Summer Games are
cancelled. Th en, the CFO was
fi red.”
Th e Special Olympics an-
nounced in June that it was
suspending the summer
games—expected to draw ap-
proximately 1,500 athletes—
citing fi nancial problems. In
2016, the organization took a
$325,000 loss on $4.5 million
in revenue.
“It’s a diff erent story ev-
ery day,” Dowell said of her
conversations with Oase and
other Special Olympics staff
members. “On Jan. 31, 2017,
EVACUEES from A1
Barrong said.
When her family was
burned out of their home in
the ‘90s, her mother found
herself without anything but
the clothes she was wearing.
“She works at the hospital
and she didn’t even have a
uniform to go work back at
the hospital,” Barrong said.
“So now she packs two or
three uniforms so at least
she has those.”
Wildfi res have become
an increasing worry on the
west coast with several wild-
fi res causing evacuations in
both California and Oregon
last year. Th is year’s wild
fi re season has already seen
at least 20 fi res between the
two states, aff ecting thou-
sands of residents.
Recently, the aviation mu-
seum hosted the Jim Wright
Memorial Fly-in, but due
the last fi nancial documents
on the website, it says we had
$50,457.58. We didn’t spend
$50,000 in a year.”
Repeated attempts by Th e
Sentinel to contact Oase were
unsuccessful.
Th e Sentinel also request-
ed an accounting of what the
money was spent on between
2012 and 2017. Audited fi g-
ures show that the group
spent approximately $36,000
but that nearly half of that was
spent on lodging, an expense
usually reimbursed by the or-
ganization.
“Th is means we can’t go out
and get some more medals or
ribbons,” said Loren Good-
man, an athlete who has com-
peted with the Special Olym-
pics for more than 10 years in
bocce, bowling and track and
fi eld. Goodman joined ap-
proximately two dozen other
athletes, parents and support-
ers on Th ursday, Aug. 9, at a
demonstration on Main Street
in Cottage Grove that drew
both residential and press at-
tention.
“We’re looking for answers,”
Dowell said at the time. “We
had a webinar and I kept ask-
ing where the money was and
they would say they would
to the fi res, six pilots had to
cancel their trips to Cottage
Grove due to smoke or their
responsibilities to helping lo-
cal fi re departments battle the
fi res.
Barrong said she put her
pilots’ safety fi rst and is glad
talk to me tomorrow one-on-
one and then they said there
was no money from Michele,
they said prove it. Th en they
said they used it.”
Teachers who worked with
Portmann also came out to
the demonstration, includ-
ing Diane Hicks, who noted
$50,000 was “a lot” for a pub-
lic school teacher to will to an
organization and how upset
Portmann would be with the
situation.
Oase’s full statement, which
was sent to Th e Sentinel by
Special Olympics Oregon’s
director of marketing and
communications Chad Car-
ter, read: “Th e 2012-2016 fi -
nancial audits and itemized
expenses provided by the
independent auditor show
expenses incurred by the Cot-
tage Grove Local Program
were properly used to support
their program. Th e year-over-
year balances have been pub-
licly available through audits
since 2012.
“In our recent conversa-
tions with Local Program
Coordinators, in both group
webinars and individual calls
and meetings, we have found
there to be an inconsistent
understanding of the Special
to be living in Cottage Grove
when every fi re season hits
but remembers her home-
town and the damage the fi res
cause.
“Th ere’s this lake,” Barrong
said. “Northern California
perfection with little islands
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Olympics Oregon business
model that has been in place,
how funds are allocated and
how to interpret the internal
reports they have received.
“Th is appears to be the case
with the Local Program in
Cottage Grove, which is not
their fault. We are working
in collaboration with all 30
programs to evolve the system
to better refl ect the fi nancial
challenges we are faced with
and provide the clarity, trans-
parency and open communica-
tion they need.
“We will continue our at-
tempts to work with the Cot-
tage Grove program, in the
same manner we are working
with all local programs, to un-
derstand their unique circum-
stances and provide immediate
support operationally and, once
we are able to do so, fi nancially.
“Most importantly, and never
to be lost in the conversation, is
our commitment to the athletes
and ensuring they are the focus
of everything we do.”
Oase has been on the job
since June.
Michili Monroi, LCSW
Counseling Services
541-255-8822
1450 Birch Ave
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
• Individual and Family Counseling
• Insurance and Sliding Scale
• Accepting New Clients
• Weekend and Weekday Appointments Available
The Flower Basket
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Quality and Satisfaction Guaranteed
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119 South 6th Street • 541-942-0505
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Worship
Directory
DRAIN:
HOPE U.M.C.
131 W “A” St. Drain, OR
541-315-1617
Pastor: Lura Kidner-Miesen
Fellowship & Song: 11:30am
Potluck Lunch: 12:00pm
Worship: 12:30pm
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711
Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
Pastor: Aaron Earlywine
Summer Service: 9:30 am
Christian Education:
Pre-K through 5th
www.6thandgibbs.com
First Baptist Church
301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242
Interim Pastor: Reed Webster
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship Service 11:00am
Youth Wednesday 6:30pm
cgfi rstbaptist.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St
541-942-4479
Pastor: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
www.cgpresbynews.com
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
1447 Hwy 99 (Village Plaza)
541-942-6842
Pastor: Jeff Smith
Two Services on Sun:
9am & 10:45am
Youth Group Bible Study
Child Care 10:45am Service Only
www.cgcalvary.org
Hope In The Grove
700 E. Gibbs • 401-855-5668
Pastor: Wayne Husk
Sunday services:
Worship: 9am
Coffee Fellowship: 10:15am
Bible Study: 10:30am
Center for Spiritual Living
700 Gibbs Ave. (Community Center)
Rev. Bobby Lee
Meets Sunday 3:00 p.m.
cslcottagegrove@gmail.com
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd.
541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett
www.cg4.tv
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Service: 10:00am
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd.
541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025 N. 19th St.
541-942-3420
Father: Joseph Hung Nguyen
Holy Mass:
Tue-Thu: 8:30am; Sat:5:30pm
Sun: 10:30am
Confession: After daily mass,
Sat. 4-5pm or by appointment
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell
552 Holbrock Lane
541-895-8686, Sunday: 8:30am
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00
Trinity Lutheran Church
6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Pastor: James L. Markus
Sunday School & Adult Education
9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
5:00pm TLC Groups
tlccg.com
United Methodist Church
334 Washington • 541-942-3033
Pastor:Lura Kidner-Miesen
Worship: 10:30am
Comm. Dinner (Adults $5,
Kids Free)
1st & 3rd Monday 5-6:00pm
umcgrove.org
Non-Denominational
Church of Christ
1041 Pennoyer Ave
541-942-8928
Preacher: Tony Martin
“VICTORY” Country Church
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm 913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
Worship Service: 10:00am
Message: “WE BELIEVE IN
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
MIRACLES”
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
Pastor: Jim Edwards
CRESWELL:
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Join in Traditional Christian Worship Creswell Presbyterian Church
75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419
Rev. Seth Wheeler
Adult Sunday School 9:15am
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am
website www.creswellpres.org
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