A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018
FROM A1
FOUNDATION
Continued from Page A1
wants to give some of it
back. In his line of work he
frequently speaks with peo-
ple who feel the same but
aren’t quite sure where they
want to donate or bequeath
their money, and out of those
conversations the idea for
the foundation was born.
Barnett said while there
are many ways Hermis-
ton-area residents can give,
they are frequently limited
to a specific focus — the
Hermiston Education Foun-
dation gives school-related
grants, for example, while
the Good Shepherd Com-
munity Health Foundation
zeroes in on wellness. The
Greater Hermiston Com-
munity Foundation will be
“wide open” in the grants it
gives.
While someone can make
a one-time donation to a
nonprofit or service club of
their choice, Barnett said
the endowment format will
allow donations to gener-
ate interest to be used in
perpetuity.
“That’s really what we
want to tap into, is people
who understand that,” he
said. “For people to know
that the funds are going to
be there forever. It’s not just
‘Here’s $5,000, go party
or build something,’ it’s
‘Here’s $5,000, it’s going
to be there forever and give
and give.”
Greg Juul, board presi-
dent, said they named it the
“Greater” Hermiston Com-
munity Foundation because
they are open to giving to
projects in surrounding
communities such as Uma-
tilla and Echo.
“Our employee base
is fairly broad,” he said.
“They’re hard-working, giv-
ing people and there is no
reason we wouldn’t want to
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL
From top left, clockwise: Bricks at the Hermiston Public Library display the names of donors. • A wall at Kennison Field in
Hermiston shows donors. • A fence around the Funland playground at Butte Park lists donors. • Bricks at McKenzie Park in
Hermiston show the names of donors.
give back to them too.”
The Greater Hermis-
ton Community Foundation
was established with a goal
of having $200,000 for at
least a year before starting
to give grants, and after just
a few presentations to ser-
vice clubs Barnett said they
are already halfway to their
goal. He estimated the foun-
dation could be able to give
its first grant in about 18
months.
Barnett said after a few
initial presentations to get
the word out and some talks
with local attorneys and
accountants, the founda-
tion is not going to push for
donations with fundraising
drives or solicitation calls.
“We’re never going to
be aggressive,” he said.
“Our style is going to be
more ‘We’re here if you’re
interested.’”
The foundation’s seven
founding members aren’t
worried about people being
willing to donate. Barnett,
Rivera and Juul described
Hermiston as the most giv-
ing community they’ve ever
encountered.
The evidence, they said,
is everywhere. The com-
munity raised over $2 mil-
lion for the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center in
less than a year, and $1.2
million for Kennison Field
in six months. Names of
donors can be found on
the Funland playground at
Butte Park, the Hermiston
Public Library, the Hermis-
ton Community Center and
other places around town.
A search for “Hermis-
ton” on guidestar.org, which
compiles 990 tax forms
from nonprofits, returns 134
nonprofits that together col-
lected millions of dollars in
2017. There are also spon-
sorships of Little League
teams, fundraiser banquets
for community members in
need, events like Festival of
HOZI
BTW
it, he would try his luck and
also apply to the prestigious
Stanford University in Palo
Alto, California.
“I got the news about
George Fox first,” he said,
and with an offer to attend
the school on a full scholar-
ship, it initially seemed like
it would be an easy choice.
But he soon learned that he
had not only been accepted
to Stanford, but had received
a full-ride offer from the
California school.
“It was hard for me to
choose,” he said.
Hozi said Palo Alto’s dis-
tance from his family was
a deterrent, and he decided
to stay in Oregon. But he
wasn’t quite ready to give
up Stanford.
“I asked if there was any
way Stanford could retain
that (full scholarship) for a
Master’s Degree,” he said.
He said Stanford told him
that if he signed a binding
contract agreeing to attend
the school in four years, they
would allow him to use the
full scholarship for a mas-
ter’s program in computer
science. He’ll start at Stan-
ford immediately upon com-
pletion of his bachelor’s
degree at George Fox.
Hozi’s hobbies range
from studying languages —
he knows French, German,
Arabic and English, and is
now learning Croatian —
to photography, soccer, and
cryptography — solving
puzzles and cracking codes.
That last one has fed
into his broader interest
of working in computers,
and a potential career in
cybersecurity.
lotte Latin School in Char-
lotte, North Carolina, he
requested help for a class
project to learn more about
Oregon.
“Your response was
overwhelming! I have tried
my best to send a personal
thank you to everyone, but
if you sent something and
have not a received a per-
sonal letter, please know
how much I appreciate the
time, thought, effort and
money that you took to help
me with my project,” the
youngster wrote back last
month. “I learned so much,
and I will never forget this
experience!”
Ivy used the informa-
tion and trinkets sent to him
as part of a project for the
state fair. “The people of
the great state of Oregon
will be well represented!”
he said. “Thank you again.”
• • •
A Hermiston teacher is
moving over to Pendleton
to become a principal.
Armand Larive Mid-
dle School math teacher
Lorena Woods will serve as
McKay Creek Elementary
School principal next year,
replacing Ronda Smith,
continued from Page A1
continued from Page A1
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Marvin Hozi works in the Hermiston High School computer
lab. On his finger is a ring his father, a jeweler, made for him
after Hozi earned his first 4-point at HHS.
He’s long shown an inter-
est in computers, since his
father brought one home
when Hozi was seven years
old.
“I’d always mess with it
and erase everything,” Hozi
recalls with a smile.
He’s parlayed his skills
into part-time job with the
Hermiston School District
IT department, and will work
this summer as a cybersecu-
rity analyst at Amazon.
His teacher and IT col-
league, Robert Theriault,
recalls how they first met.
“I had to go through and
figure out who was mak-
ing themselves administra-
tors on the (district) com-
puter, and I found out he was
making himself an admin,”
Theriault said. “That led us
to hire him as an intern.”
Theriault said he has
been impressed by Hozi’s
self-motivation and inquis-
itive nature, both as a col-
league and as a student in his
web development classes.
“We can point him in
a direction, and he’ll keep
researching it, sometimes to
a fault,” he said.
Theriault said Hozi was
one of three students who
won the “Congressional App
Challenge,” designing an
app that helps students who
couldn’t speak on their own.
“The app will speak
phrases like ‘I need a pencil’
or ‘I want to go to the bath-
room,’” Theriault said. “It’s
called ‘Touch and Talk,’ and
it has Marvin’s voice.”
Theriault and Hozi have
another connection, though
they didn’t know it until
years later.
“He and I were in Iraq
at the same time,” Theriault
said.
“He was four. I was
deployed there.”
the Trees and the half a mil-
lion dollars raised in a sin-
gle day for FFA and 4-H
each year through the Uma-
tilla County Fair’s livestock
auction.
“When you look at this
region, the people in this
room probably go to a dozen
fundraiser dinners per year,”
Rivera said. “Almost every
weekend there’s an oppor-
tunity to support someone in
this town.”
Each organization can tell
a different story of giving.
Larry Fetter of the Desert
Arts Council said the orga-
nization pulled in $5,000 of
donations during this year’s
who is moving over to
Sherwood Heights Elemen-
tary School.
In a press release, Pend-
leton School District Super-
intendent Chris Fritsch
lauded Woods for her 27
years of educational experi-
ence, which includes stints
as a coach, athletic direc-
tor, and assistant princi-
pal. Woods has a bachelor’s
degree from Western Ore-
gon University and a mas-
ter’s degree from the Uni-
versity of Phoenix.
• • •
Hermiston Downtown
District is continuing its
First Thursday tradition
into summer with refresh-
ments, specials and a bonus
drawing.
The next event is this
Thursday from 4:30-7 p.m.
in nearly 20 downtown
businesses, coinciding with
the Maxwell Market farm-
ers market from 4-8 p.m.
People are encouraged
to come down and take a
stroll, visit with friends and
shop local. Also, be sure to
get a drawing ticket and get
it punched when visiting
participating businesses. To
enter the drawing, get four
or more punches and drop it
off at Nookie’s at Maxwell
Market, this month’s host
business.
Dancing With Your Hermis-
ton Stars event. Over at the
new senior center, which he
is also involved in, the board
has raised about $70,000
for new equipment for the
center.
Counselor
Melody
Bustillos said last year
Hermiston High School
seniors received $237,400
in scholarships. This year
so far she has counted
$139,050 in locally sourced
scholarships, but said she
doesn’t have numbers from
the Hermiston-based Red
and Gena Leonard Foun-
dation yet and they usually
contribute about $100,000
in various scholarships.
Classrooms around Hermis-
ton also receive thousands
of dollars each year from
the Hermiston Education
Foundation.
Paul Barnett said the
Hermiston High School
Sports Boosters netted over
$100,000 after expenses
at their spring fundraiser
and auction this year. They
also end up with between
$25,000 and $35,000 in
membership dues every
year, and act as an umbrella
organization for groups like
the Linebackers Club and
Hermiston Lacrosse, which
do their own fundraisers.
“People are just very gen-
erous,” he said.
As people consider turn-
ing that generosity toward
the Greater Hermiston Com-
munity Foundation, they
can find information online
at www.greaterhermiston.
com or call 541-567-5215
to receive help in setting
up outright gifts of cash,
land, stock options or other
assets, or planned gifts such
as making the foundation a
life insurance beneficiary.
Rivera said no amount of
money is too small for foun-
dation members to be will-
ing to have a conversation
about it.
For more informa-
tion, call 541-667-5026 or
search Facebook.
• • •
Vacation Bible schools
are ramping up for the sum-
mer, and all area children
are invited to make crafts
and create things, play
games, listen to Bible sto-
ries, learn new songs and
enjoy snacks at Trinity
Lutheran Church.
The Fun Maker Fac-
tory vacation Bible school
is Monday June 11 through
Friday, June 15. It runs
daily from 9 a.m. to noon
at 485 W. Locust Ave.,
Hermiston. All children are
invited to participate in the
free event, regardless of
religious affiliation.
Classes will be available
for kids that are 4 years
old through those who just
completed fifth grade. In
addition, teens are invited
to come and help with the
classes and activities.
For more informa-
tion, call Nancy Carlson at
541-567-9660.
———
You can submit items
for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com.
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