Sport Oregon Launches Inaugural Annual Fundraising Event, Featuring The Hopscotch Foundation as Co-Beneficiary
Virtual Program will air December 3rd at 6:00 p.m. on KPTV FOX 12 and NBC Sports Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. (November 17, 2020) - In 2019, 1 in 5 youth in Oregon experienced food insecurity, and today the COVID-19 pandemic continues to push more families into financial hardship, increase the threat of hunger across communities, and deepen inequities in access to safe ways to stay physically active. In response, the Sport Oregon Foundation has partnered with the Hopscotch Foundation- a volunteer powered organization combatting food insecurity in Portland- to launch its first major fundraising event.
“Fuel the Future” will include a live virtual program featuring interviews about the work and impact of the Hopscotch and Sport Oregon Foundations from community leaders, students and professional athletes, an opportunity for live giving through a virtual paddle raise; an online silent auction; and a virtual raffle.
The event kicks off on Monday, November 23rd at 9:00 a.m. PST with the opening of the online silent auction. The silent auction is open to public participation and will remain open until December 3rd at 5:00 p.m. PST. View and shop at https://event.gives/fuelthefuture/items beginning November 23rd . A limited number of raffle tickets for a grand prize Oregon Wine Country Weekend Getaway package provided by Stoller Family Estate are also on sale now at https://event.gives/fuelthefuture.
The live virtual program, hosted by former professional track athlete Sasha Spencer-Atwood and John Canzano, Oregonian columnist and host of the Bald Faced Truth radio show, will air on Thursday, December 3rd from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. PST for free online at https://event.gives/fuelthefuture and on television on both KPTV FOX 12 and NBC Sports Northwest. Viewers can participate in live giving during the program by making a donation online or via text message. Further donation instructions will be provided throughout the program. Or, a donation can be made any time now through December 3rd on the event website. While the live virtual program is free to view, viewers are strongly encouraged to RSVP by registering on the event website.
Learn more, RSVP to view the live virtual program, shop, and donate at https://event.gives/fuelthefuture. Fuel the Future’s MVP Level Sponsor is UBS, and broadcast partners are KPTV FOX 12 and NBC Sports Northwest.
About Hopscotch and Sport Oregon
In an effort to address the lack of access to quality nutritious foods many youth and teens face as a root cause of the type 2 diabetes epidemic, Dave Gunderson founded the Hopscotch Foundation in 2015 to start making a difference in his own Portland Oregon community. Dave has since acquired a full roster of volunteers and donors to stock food pantries and distribute “backpackable” food staples to students at 16 Portland Public Schools. COVID-19 has pushed Hopscotch to pivot from its traditional focus on students to helping entire neighborhoods. As schools suddenly shut down this spring, the Hopscotch volunteer team rapidly adjusted their distribution model to work without access to school buildings. This year, they have increased the amount of food they are distributing throughout the Portland community by five times. Sport Oregon is a non-profit dedicated to enhancing Oregon’s economy and quality of life through sport and manages the Sport Oregon Foundation. The Sport Oregon Foundation exists to address the barriers Oregon’s youth face in achieving a physically active lifestyle by conducting programs and proving community grants that support affordable, accessible, and inclusive youth sports activities. Sport Oregon has chosen to support fundraising efforts for the Hopscotch Foundation in recognition that inadequate access to fundamental needs like nutritious food, is a barrier to physical activity now more than ever.
Additional Information
How will funds raised from this event be used?
Sport Oregon Voices Interview with Dave Gunderson
Learn More about the Hopscotch Foundation
Learn More about Sport Oregon
Media Inquiries
Alex Rudd, Sport Oregon
425-891-4986
