Columbia Edgewater Country Country Club Women’s Cancer Golf Fun(d)raiser Tournament

Since Its inception in 1997, the Columbia Edgewater Country Club Women’s Cancer Golf Fun(d) Raiser Tournament has raised $497,579 for cancer research.  Nancy Kelly, Long-Term-Care Specialist at Northwestern Mutual and member of the Women of Columbia explains: what began with an idea in the minds of two strong women battling cancer in 1996 has now become a long-standing partnership with Providence Cancer Research Center. Columbia Edgewater members have raised more funds for the Providence Portland Medical Foundation than any other private group – a total of $453,576. This year, the event raised $44,746, providing the center with the ability to hire a patient advocate, and to purchase an important piece of equipment called a Nano Pro. Kelly, along with Disability Insurance Specialist Mike Kelly, Financial Representative Garrett Kelly, and wealth management advisor Keith Dragoo volunteered at this year’s event. Managing Partner Cory Mahaffey was proud to add to the Northwestern Mutual Portland Agency’s involvement with this worthy cause by sponsoring a hole on the tournament course. For information about how to get involved in next year’s event, contact Nancy Kelly.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest

Financial Representative Matt Maher and Director of New Representative Development Betsy Melo have been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest for a combined total of about six years. Through one-on-one interactions with their “Littles” – Betsy’s little sister Da’Shawna (10) and Matt’s little brother Efrain (16) – they have not only built friendships, but made a tangible impact on the each others’ lives. Betsy spends time with Da’Shawna nearly every weekend. On Take Your Child to Work Day, Betsy brought Da’Shawna to the Portland NMFN office where she participated in youth activities for the day. Through mentorship and hard work, Matt says he is proud that Efrain has become increasingly more comfortable in his career direction. As Matt puts it: “He is aware that if he believes in his dreams and follows good suggestions, his chances to be successful and happy can become reality.” Betsy notes: “I see many parallels between Northwestern Mutual’s values and the act of volunteering with BBBS. By volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, mentors commit to the long-term growth of a positive relationship between themselves and an at-risk child. It’s very similar to the type of commitment Financial Representatives make to help and support clients throughout their lifetimes.” For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, please visit http://www.bbbsnorthwest.org/.

Boy Scouts of America

College Unit Director and Financial Representative Jim Welsh personally submitted about 600 hours of service to Giving Back 2010 through his involvement with Boy Scouts of America Troop 927 as the Scout Committee Chair and Venture Crew Chief. A Boy Scout himself in his youth, Jim says he was inspired by his father to give back by taking on a mentorship role. He encourages young men to give back to their community and “build themselves up to be “physically strong, mentally awake and morally sound.” Finding application of the Northwestern Mutual Portland mission: “inspiring people to dream courageously and live with purpose” Jim says he considers it an honor to teach and to learn from the scouts. For more information, or to find out how you can be involved with Boy Scouts in the area, please visit: http://www.cpcbsa.org/.
 

DoveLewis

A passionate animal lover, Associate Financial Representative Maia Chase recalls becoming involved with DoveLewis in 2007 after hearing the account of a stray kitten named “Freeway” who was rescued on the Burnside Bridge and taken to DoveLewis for care. Inspired by the story, she began volunteering for Dove Lewis, and has since gained a position on the Ambassador Board, representing DoveLewis to businesses and to the community. On December 5th, Maia organized a “Pets Picture Day with Santa” fundraiser. Thanks to the generous donations of volunteers - and the people who brought their furry friends to sit in Santa’s lap - DoveLewis received 100% of the nearly 700 dollars in proceeds.

DoveLewis is a non-profit ER/ICU Animal Hospital located in NW Portland. In addition to providing state-of-the-art diagnostics and care, they are a teaching hospital, and offer an array of animal-centered community programs. They operate one of the largest animal blood banks in the country, partner with the Audubon Society to care for injured wildlife, and offer financial assistance through the Velvet Assistance Fund for emergency care. Additionally, they support bereaved pet owners through their unique Pet Loss Support Program, and partner with the Delta Society for animal-assisted therapy and education. To learn more, or to become a volunteer for DoveLewis, please visit: http://www.dovelewis.org/.

 Operation Homefront

Anna Prosser, Director of Campus Recruiting and Marketing Specialist at Northwestern Mutual, also wears another hat, or rather, a crown! In October, Anna was crowned Miss Oregon USA. As part of her year of service to the state, she has partnered with Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping servicemen and women and their families. Deployment causes a strain for many families. For providers, financial hardship is common – for children, separation from loved ones can be painful – and sometimes, families need just a little help to make it through. Operation Homefront provides essential resources like meal cards, financial assistance for utilities, morale boosting activities, and more. During the holiday season, their “Operation Christmas Shop” allowed family members to pick out gifts for their loved ones in spite of financial hardship. Anna (pictured with Miss Oregon Teen USA, Kayla Roush, and Operation Homefront friends) recently volunteered at the annual Operation Homefront fundraiser dinner and silent auction, and plans to take part in other activities, like a resume-building and interview workshop for returning veterans. To learn more about how you can help support military families in need, please visit http://www.operationhomefront.net/oregon.

Children’s Relief Nursery

This holiday season, Northwestern Mutual Portland was honored to adopt a family through the Children’s Relief Nursery. Financial representatives, staff, and people from all over the agency donated toys, clothing, and gift cards for meals in order to make the holidays joyous for a family with 1 caregiver and 5 children in the home.  Director of Recruiting and Selection, Stacie Moenning, who organized the sponsorship, said: ““It was really gratifying to be a part of this effort. I really enjoyed coordinating the gift giving and was really touched by the generosity of staff and financial representatives.”

The mission of the Nursery is to end child abuse and neglect in Portland. In 2009-2010 they improved the lives of 138 young children. Working with ages 1-4 and their caregivers, the Nursery provides counseling services, parenting classes, clothing, and other supplies to at-risk families. To find out more, visit the Children’s Relief Nursery online at http://www.crn4kids.org/.

In addition to those featured above, some notable organizations who received hours during Giving Back 2010 were: