Bettering Our Communities One Grant at A Time

2024 was truly a year of giving! We leveraged our partnership with Visa to distribute $240,000 in grants to community partners across our service areas, on top of our giving from credit union funds. These grants supported additional budget boosts for projects at non-profits that provide health, educational, or cultural services in our communities.

Many grant recipients were our Communities First Program hospital partners, which we selected because they have a wide impact across our service areas for people of all ages and walks of life. The extra funds will help them provide the best possible services for their patients and communities:

• PeaceHealth St. John Hospital (Cowlitz County): New oncology equipment — $23,000
• Columbia Memorial Hospital (Clatsop County): Expansion of hospital services and technological upgrades — $21,000
• Tillamook Adventist Hospital (Tillamook County): New medical training equipment — $25,000
• Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital (Lincoln County): Expansion of Early Learning Center — $10,000
• Legacy Salmon Creek (Clark County): New mammography machine — $10,000
• Ocean Beach Hospital (Pacific County): New operating room lighting — $4,000
• Arbor Health (Lewis County): New patient room furniture — $10,000
• Harbor Regional Health (Grays Harbor County): General funds allocated to cover operating expenses and patient care shortfalls — $5,000

Additional partners received funds for upgrades and projects that will improve their services, upgrade equipment, and improve quality of life and quality of space:

• Emergency Support Shelter (Cowlitz County): Outdoor upgrades for staff and children — $40,000
• Woodland Library: Children’s area sponsorship — $50,000
• Longview’s Broad Strokes Project: Mural at our Main Office — $10,000
• Longview’s Columbia Theatre: Restorations and repairs inside and outside the building — $10,000
• G.A.M.E. Winners Facility (Cowlitz County): Innovation tech lab and gym sponsorship — $10,000
• Kelso Soccer Club: Two new soccer goals — $5,000
• Lincoln City Parks and Recreation: Accessible picnic table in Schooner City Park — $7,000

The Emergency Support Shelter funds were especially important because we were approved for the FHLB Des Moines 3:1 match grant, which turned our $10,000 Visa grant into a $40,000 gift for the shelter!

These grants, combined with our ongoing Communities First Program, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to strengthening the communities we serve. We look forward to seeing how our partners utilize these funds— nearly a quarter of a million dollars! — to improve lives across our service areas now and in the future.