Local charities compete for $12,000 in awards at 2019 Pitch for a Purpose

Five Central Oregon nonprofits have been selected to take part in the May 8 Pitch for a Purpose, presented by Ideal You Weight Loss Center and Jules Accounting, at Central Oregon Community College’s Wille Hall. All five local charities will make a pitch presentation before the judges and live audience. One organization will walk away from the event with $12,000 in unrestricted funds and another will earn an audience choice cash prize.

The five nonprofits were selected from a pool of nine that participated in Leadership Bend’s Impact Summit, a series of hands-on workshops designed to provide education and training to small to midsize nonprofits in Central Oregon.

The five nonprofits advancing to Pitch for a Purpose are:

  • Beulah’s Place, a Redmond-based shelter that provides drop-in services to homeless teenagers throughout Central Oregon to protect them from child trafficking and offer healing and hope
  • Central Oregon Avalanche Center, dedicated to increasing avalanche awareness and safety in Central Oregon
  • Changing Patterns, Inc, is an organization that comes alongside recently released inmates offering them education, mentorship and resources to help them with their transition back into their communities and helping them successfully complete parole
  • Start Making a Reader Today(SMART), a statewide organization that engages community volunteers to read one-on-one with Pre-K to third grade children for one hour per week
  • Think Wild, whose primary objective is education, outreach and rehabilitation of native wildlife

“We hope to see our community come out to support these five worthy nonprofits and cheer them on as they compete for the cash prize.”  said Rachel Cardwell, Impact Summit co-president. “Our Leadership Bend class is excited to help make a meaningful difference for one of these local charities through this fun, lively community event.”

Get tickets to the 2019 Pitch for a Purpose Impact Summit here!