Community Causeway The heart of Eugene at the Eugene Celebration BY CINDY INGRAHM Did you know that there are 1,302 registered 501(c)(3)'s in Lane County? This designation is given to nonprofit organizations by the federal government as a tax ID number, which allows donors to receive a tax deduction for their gifts. What exactly is a nonprofit? The bottom line: Profits in these organizations are not distributed to their share holders. They function solely to serve the public good, and meet the needs of the community that governmental programs cannot. And thank goodness for that! There are an incredible number of ways to serve the public good. For many of us, we first think of nonprofits as all social service agencies that provide direct care to the needy, such as feeding the hungry, finding shelter for homeless youth, or providing independent living skills training for clients with developmental disabilities. These social services meet an incredible need, they are not alone in serving the needs of our community. Other busy Eugene programs come from sectors such as health, education and training, arts and culture, housing and community development, international assistance, religious congregations, civic participation and advocacy, infrastructure organizations, and foundations. It's through the collection and collaboration of all of these specialized services that we as a civilized society meet the needs of our community. One organization cannot do it on its own. "Nonprofit variety is the spice of life," says Renee Irvin, director of the Not-for-Profit Management Certificate Program at the UO. "Nonprofits in Lane County are doing all sorts of different things, from healing the sick to producing artistic works of wonder and beauty. We love our nonprofits!" On Oct. 1-2, the 2005 Eugene Celebration will be embracing the Community Causeway and the caring community that it represents like never before. This year the associations, nonprofit organizations, political candidates, clubs and school programs that make up this special component of the celebration will be smack dab in the middle of the festivities surrounding the Saturday Market Park Blocks. "The Community Causeway is an essential component of the Eugene Celebration," says Barry Blanton, Board Chair, Downtown Events Management, Inc. (DEMI), producers of the annual Eugene Celebration. "The organizations that participate in the Community Causeway are representative of the caring community we choose to live in – a place definitely worth celebrating." The Community Causeway is an outstanding opportunity for community organizations to come out and give Eugene a chance to get to know them, build relationships with other organizations with congruent missions, and gather citizen support. And this is a personal invitation to all Lane County community organizations, from small clubs to large governmental programs to come to the heart of the party! Celebration goers, this is a special invitation for you too. I encourage, no, actually I challenge you to get involved and make it a point to explore the Community Causeway. Visit the many colorful booths sponsored by our local nonprofits and community associations. Appreciate them for the often thankless job of serving the public good. Sign-up for mailing lists and stay educated about what's being done and how you can help, make a donation of goods, services or cash, or let your favorite organization know that you care enough to give the gift of time. Volunteer! Elizabeth McNeil, director of the United Way Volunteer Center, an amazing centralized resource for volunteers and volunteer coordinators in Lane County, says "Giving your time to the community is more than just volunteering. It is a form of citizen engagement where people can choose public issues that are of greatest concern to them and make connections with others who share the same interest. In return, this process creates a shared community vision where people can thrive and act with a sense of accountability." Applications for participation in this year's Community Causeway are online at www.eugenecelebration.comFor more information contact Ingrahm at: awecindy@efn.org Cindy Ingrahm is coordinator of this year's Community Causeway at the Eugene Celebration. She is the co-founder of two local organizations, and volunteer/staff at many. She is working on her graduate level certificate in not for profit management at the UO, and her masters in public administration.
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