DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Yachats Ladies CLub

Our first Donor Spotlight does not focus on an individual. Instead, it features the Yachats Ladies Club (YLC). In an interview, YLC Treasurer Gunnell Nelson provided a history of the organization. This story is in Gunnell’s words.



Formed on January 25, 1927, the Yachats Ladies Club is the oldest nonprofit ladies club in the state, celebrating 93 years. Back then, ladies met in homes. Two years later they purchased a local dance hall for $100 with a down payment of $15. To make payments, ladies sold handmade quilts and held weekly supper dances. 

When the dance hall had to be moved, Sir Robert Perks, an English Lord who owned most of the available land in Yachats, donated the property where the YLC is now located. Members and their husbands cleared the land, built the foundation, borrowed $200 from a local bank and the former dance hall was moved on May 31, 1929. Major renovations were completed in 2008 funded by a donation from the Siletz Charitable Contribution Fund, donations from members and the community, and of course events to raise the money.

We raise money by sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking and craft many items. We have two bazaars a year, three Pie Sale events – with the Fourth of July sale being the largest. We also have several fundraising dinners, including the annual Scholarship Dinner. 

The original purpose of the club still prevails today – TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

We average 45 members, who live from Seal Rock south to the Lincoln County line. Because some of our members have moved away or are part-time residents, we currently have 25 active members. Through everyone’s efforts using what skills we have, we are able to raise money to continue our support of the community – although the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the cancellation of events and meetings in our clubhouse. This means we could not raise money to fund donations to all of the charities in the community who normally receive funds from us. 

We are grateful to the Yachats Farmers Market, which gave us an opportunity to sew face masks and have a booth at the market. A group of nine of us sewed thousands of masks, each sold for a small donation. Our goal was to “mask the community” with safe, comfortable, three-layer, washable masks. Three of our members made a huge mask for the City of Yachats Commons Building Marquee promoting mask-wearing.

Why do we support the OCCC Nursing Scholarship? 

Several YLC members retired from careers in Higher Ed and the Health Care profession and everyone has a strong commitment to young men and women as they pursue this career field. Many graduates stay in the area and help provide the much-needed care that is in high demand in communities with populations of senior citizens. A couple of our members related while they were at the hospital in Newport, they received care from a nurse who had been a student scholarship recipient. We formed a relationship with “our” students through their education at OCCC and even went to their “Pinning Ceremony.” It was our pleasure to see the students complete their goal. We remember when OCCC was in an old storefront and admire how far it has come. 

Most of us are retired (but not tired), and it gives us joy and a purpose to be able to do this. 



The YLC opened the OCCC scholarship fund in 2009. Between 2009 and 2020, more than $30,000 in scholarships have been awarded from that fund and so the Foundation selects the Yachats Ladies Club as a shining example of the great difference a few can make in the community. Thank you, Ladies.

LEARN MORE

Notes from Andi

We are very excited to bring you this first edition of The Rising Tide as a way to share with you the wonderful programs and developments at your Oregon Coast Community College supported by you, our amazing Donors and Friends. 

The e-newsletter will appear quarterly. Each issue will feature an article on a Donor, a Foundation Board member, a faculty or staff member; highlight a department; provide news from the College; announce deadlines and upcoming fundraising events; include a message from our President; news from the Foundation Development Office and include links to other information from OCCC. 

Reflecting on the previous year, I think the word for 2021 is HOPE. We HOPE you enjoy this format. I look forward to your comments. Your ideas of what you would like included in the next issue are important to us. Please send me an email, and thank you for your support. ~Andi~

Andi Spirtos, OCCC Foundation Development Director

andrea.spirtos@oregoncoast.edu | 541-867-8531

A national program at a community college? Unusual, but absolutely true if you are talking about the Aquarium Science (AQS) Program at Oregon Coast Community College. According to Larry Boles, AQS Program Manager and S.T.E.M. Coordinator, the concept began in 2003 as a joint effort between OCCC, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and Hatfield Marine Science Center and has become a nationally known program that attracts students from as far away as Maine and Florida. 

There were few models to follow when designing the curriculum. The founders of the program surveyed hundreds of professionals at public aquariums, fish hatcheries, aquaculture facilities, fish retailers, and research labs to determine what skills were most needed. There are only five schools offering similar degrees in Aquarium Science in the entire nation and our own OCCC is one. Zoo and Aquarium Science programs like the ones at Otterbein University in Ohio and Davidson County Community College in North Carolina are more common but OCCC continues to stand out by focusing solely on aquatic animals.

As Larry explains, for students enrolled in AQS at OCCC, it is like receiving engineering, biology and chemistry degrees. Around 20 students are admitted each year into the program where they learn how to set up an aquarium for animals; how to care for the animals; construct water filtration systems (OCCC makes its own sea water from Newport tap water); how to maintain equipment and make repairs; where to order parts and maintain an inventory; safe food preparation, and so much more. Because of the number and varied types of aquatic animals – from one-inch-long sculpin fish to five-foot-long swell sharks and jellyfish – food prep is like running a restaurant. 

Faculty and staff members for the AQS program include current and former employees of the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Students also work and learn with an aquatic veterinarian from Hatfield. There was no holiday break for these folks, as aquatic animals need daily care and the proper function of their aquarium systems must be constantly monitored. 

Following two years of coursework, students are required to complete an industry internship before earning the Associate of Applied Science degree. Many students enter the program after already having completed a Bachelor’s degree. These students can earn a Certificate in Aquarium Science in one year, greatly enhancing their career options in this growing field, in a relatively short time.

Upon graduation, students are well equipped for positions at major aquatic facilities both near and far. Recent graduates are working in Newport at Oregon Coast Aquarium and Hatfield Marine Science Center but also places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Scripps Institute, Dallas World Aquarium, Seattle Aquarium, and Dolphin Discovery in Australia.  

The cost for the program is approximately $17,000 per year for the student on the two-year degree track and $11,000 for the certificate track. However, many students also need housing. That is why donations to the OCCC Foundation for scholarships are so important. 

Students aren't the only ones who travel here to take advantage of this rare opportunity. “I moved across the country from Wilmington, North Carolina to accept this position," Larry Boles said, "because I knew of the program’s national reputation and what it could become.”

Thank you, Larry, and thank you donors and friends who continue to support this nationally acclaimed program. LEARN MORE

Calling all Sharks!

We want to connect

with OCCC alumni

Are you an OCCC Alumnus? We can help you keep in touch with your fellow classmates. Just send a note to Andi with your name, address, phone number, and year you completed your OCCC education. We will dedicate space in Rising Tide for you to communicate with other alumni. 

“I find that the older I am, the less I need, “ explains Bill Lilley, OCCC Physical Science Faculty member. Here is Bill’s perspective.

I grew up in upstate New York near Cornell University, which was far too expensive for me to attend. Following Mom’s footsteps, I studied at the State University of New York majoring in meteorology and received a MS degree in Geology, specializing in Glaciers. This was back when studying continental drift was new science. So, I have been around for a long time.

My wife and I have two daughters who live in Salem and Portland. After we retired from New York, we decided we wanted to be closer to the girls and moved to Oregon. My wife accepted a position with La Grande Public Schools near Hillsboro for one year. Then five years ago, we moved to Newport. My wife began working for the Lincoln County School District, and still does. I am still consulting on environmental science to law firms. So much for retirement! I keep failing at it. 

One day I was thumbing through the OCCC course catalog and noticed that anyone over the age of 60 could take courses for free. Well, this was for me! I began taking classes from Dr. Bernhardt. In fact, I took all of his courses and his Geology class twice. Through the years we became great kayaking friends.

In 2015 or maybe it was 2016, I was volunteering as a tutor. I like to give back. Dr. Bernhardt wanted to add two new courses to the curriculum but needed help to do so. Since I was certified to teach Geology, joining that staff of OCCC seemed like the perfect solution: wherever I am needed the most.

Thanks to support from the OCCC Foundation, an OCCC Student, Haley Dean and I were able to partner with the Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium in “Project Stardust” collecting micro-meteorites on the Oregon Coast. As a result of Haley’s work, she was asked to apply for an Internship at the Johnson Space Center. There is discussion about the two of us being part of a meteor hunting trip in Antarctica sponsored by NASA next year. (LEARN MORE)

This is the nicest place I have every worked. I love the students. That is why I donate my entire salary to the OCCC Foundation’s Employee Giving campaign. It pays forward in so many ways.

From the OCCC Foundation, thank you, Bill!

Student Pandemic

Support Fund

In the fall of 2020, the Foundation launched the Student Pandemic Support Fund (SPSF) to raise emergency funds for students who were adversely impacted by COVID-19. Thanks to your amazing support, your donations were used to:

·     Pay for electric bills

·     Pay for daycare for children

·     Pay for food

·     Pay for books and educational materials

What a difference you made! OCCC students thank you and so does the Foundation office. Sadly, the pandemic continues and so does the need. LEARN MORE

A Word from the President

Dear OCCC Donor and Friends.

Amidst a very challenging year, it is heartening that you, our OCCC Foundation donors and friends, continue to support our students and faculty. Your generous gifts make a tremendous difference, now more than ever.  In order to demonstrate how giving to the Oregon Coast Community College Foundation changes lives in our community, we are putting out a newsletter quarter, The Rising Tide . This e-newsletter shares the impacts of your giving through student stories and also highlights the nature of giving by donors such as yourself. 

Your input and suggestions are always welcome. Please send article ideas to either me at birgitte.ryslinge@oregoncoast.edu or to our Foundation Development Director, Andi Spirtos at andrea.spirtos@oregoncoast.edu.

We remain hopeful we will soon be able to open the campus. Until then. . .

With great fondness,

Birgitte

News from the

Foundation Development Office

In 2020, the Foundation Board sadly said goodbye to Sharon Beardsley, who moved to Hood River to be closer to family. Sharon had served on the Board since 2016, devoting her energies to the Pearls of Wisdom event and Scholarship Committee as well as voluntarily serving as the Board Secretary. We miss you, Sharon!

Two new Board members joined the OCCC Foundation Board in 2020: Annette Mulee and Sandi Williams. Watch for their comments in future issues of The Rising Tide, along with the other volunteer Board Members: David Bigelow, Chris Boyle, David Gomberg, Julie Hanrahan, Gloria Ingle, Lesley Ogden, Nancy Osterlund, David Robinson, Billie Jo Smith, Steven Spector and Adam Springer.

Besides the SPSF campaign, the Foundation launched an Employee Giving Campaign and challenged OCCC employees to donate for scholarships, academic and student programs and community building events for College employees. To date, 30% of all full-time employees are donating. A big SHOUT OUT of thanks goes to those who already give so much of their time and talent!

The OCCC Foundation also launched a Year-End Appeal before the holidays. Thank you, Michelle Watson, Miguel Gaspar, Dave Price, and Kathy Andrews for their help in creating the greeting card campaign.  

Fibre Federal Credit Union supports scholarships at OCCC.

Shannon Cahoon from Fibre presenting President Ryslinge with a donation in the amount of $2,500.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR. . .

January 18, 2021 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – campus closed

February 1, 2021 – Scholarship Applications Available

February 15, 2021 – President’s Day ­– campus closed

March 6, 2021 – Pearls of Wisdom. Stay tuned for details!

March 15, 2021 – Scholarship Application Deadline

March 29, 2021 – Spring Term Classes begin

Meet your Foundation Board

Adam Springer

Adam Springer serves as the Foundation Board President. This is his second non-consecutive two-year term. As such, it seems appropriate that Adam should be the first Foundation Board member to be profiled in the first Rising Tide.

I’m Adam Springer, and I am a Personal Injury and Real Estate Attorney in Newport, Oregon. I started my firm, Yaquina Law, in 2014 with an emphasis on trial advocacy. Before starting my own practice, I worked as an associate attorney for three years in a local firm representing public entities such as Central Lincoln P.U.D., Lincoln County School District, and the Port of Newport as well as litigating civil cases. I take pride in my work, combining a strong work ethic with integrity to provide excellent representation for my clients. What I also take pride in is my association with Oregon Coast Community College.

Both my parents were school teachers. Growing up in northern Iowa, I saw the importance of a community college.  More than 50% of my high school classmates attended Northern Iowa Area Community College whose motto was “Choose NIACC first!” It was a great way to get started in college. Students could still be close to family, still help with chores and attend at an affordable price. I attended NIACC classes while still in high school enabling me to transfer credits directly the University of Iowa where I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. What a great head start!

I earned my law degree from the University of Oregon in December of 2010. My wife, Teresa, and I met in Newport at a party where there was an Iowa Corn magnet on the refrigerator. Being from Iowa, I had to ask about the connection, and the rest is history. We have been married for 2.5 years have a ten-month old son, Leland, who now sleeps through the night – thankfully.

As a Newport resident, I enjoy taking advantage of the opportunities I never had growing up in Iowa- two of my favorites are deep sea fishing and surfing. 

When asked what inspires me to volunteer and donate to OCCC Foundation, the answer is simple. I enjoy helping people help themselves. OCCC gives students an opportunity to better their life. Education helps the local community thrive.

I am an active member of both OTLA (Oregon Trial Lawyer’s Association) and OCDLA (Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association).

Connect with the Foundation!

Visit the Foundation's website any time to learn more about coming events, connect with the Foundation Board, or learn how to donate conveniently and safely online.