GiveOrcas

Donated funds will support:

• Aviation and flight training for youth
• A school Aviation Club
• Teacher flight training
• A flying camp for new and rusty pilots and
• Extra-curricular classes

The training emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math. Aviation is a confidence building achievement with a long history on Orcas. It can be a vocation, an enjoyable experience, and a practical hobby.

ECEI works to ensure our youngest islanders have access to quality preschool education, regardless of family income. Data shows that 96% of Orcas students who attend a minimum of 12 hours a week at one of our three licensed preschools graduate Kindergarten ready. Families and educators give what they can, now let's give what we can: full day ($80), week ($400), month ($1,600), year ($16,000).

This past February's windstorm downed hundreds of trees in Moran State Park. Let's use those trees to support a sustainable build of the new Mt. Constitution Interpretive Center. The wood is free, but there is a cost to mill and prepare the wood for the build. A local mill is helping but we need your help to get us over the finish line. From fire hazard to studs and beams…let's keep it local!

All families need a safe and nurturing place for their children to be after school. Your support will ensure any Orcas child wanting to participate in the Funhouse Afterschool Program can do so, whatever their family's financial situation is. So far in 2019, island families in need have received $100,000 in program fee subsidies. We anticipate even more families to utilize this service in 2020.

What should island gardeners and farmers begin growing to adapt to forecast changes in our climate such as stormier winters and warmer, drier summers? A spring tasting and seed-and-scion sharing event with old, new, and neglected plant species and varieties that can help us continue to eat more locally, and to eat well—from Camas and Indian Celery to heritage and seedling apples and pears!

Since 2017, our pool of volunteer drivers provided 9000 miles of rides to seniors for medical appointments, shopping, and community events. Your time and financial support help our homebound elderly neighbors stay connected to their Orcas community and in their homes. Your donation will help cover our insurance for volunteer drivers and other administrative expenses.

By giving to Glenwood Springs, you help ensure strong Chinook runs in the San Juans for generations to come. Your gift will make hundreds of thousands of Chinook available to local anglers and orca, provide free educational tours to thousands, and lead major research efforts to improve salmon survival. Please consider supporting salmon recovery with a gift to Glenwood Springs today!

The Music Program needs 30 Chromebooks and a charging/storage cart for daily classroom use. Students use them for instrument practice, performance assignments & play tests. Chromebooks in other OISD buildings are heavily used & difficult to move (outdoors) to/from the Music Wing. A dedicated set of Chromebooks for the Music Department will enable our teachers to teach more effectively. Cost: $8152.

Orcas Choral Society has joined with choral groups across America to commission a new piece by well-known composer Ola Gjeilo. You will hear the premier performance of Gjeilo's new piece in our spring concert! Your contribution will help us fund the commission and hire the instrumentalists required for the performance. For details of the spring program, as well as our upcoming Holiday Concert, visit our web page.

Built by volunteers and hosted and supported by OCS, this agriculturally sustainable "food forest" provides permaculture education, nutritious local produce and economic benefit for the community, students and food bank. Your donation will help us complete our irrigation system and build compost bins, wheelchair-accessible raised beds and a greenhouse to continue growing and giving on Orcas.

As we conclude our fifth season and reflect on the joys and successes of our program, our next dream is to help grow new community agriculture sites. We are receiving inquiries about implementing the OCPA model at other Orcas properties, which would positively impact local food security and resiliency. In order to share our concept, we seek funds to build a website, which will serve as a resource to open new community agriculture opportunities for our island neighbors.

A gift of rental assistance can save a family from homelessness. A ferry ticket can help an ailing Islander access urgent medical care. A gift card for food can put basic nutrition on a worried senior's dinner table. Each year we see an influx of clients in crisis entering winter and the holidays. Join us in helping our neighbors in need. A little help at the right time can make a big difference.

A child’s involvement in sport improves social interaction, self-confidence, physical well-being, listening and time management skills. OIBC ensures that our island youth have access to sport programs that build these qualities and create a positive community environment. Your gift will provide participation fees for students in need, supplemental funding for equipment and supplies, support for athletes who earn the opportunity to compete beyond the local level.

Your gift helps Children's House open an Infant Room for babies age one-month to one-year-old. Your generosity will provide infant care furnishings, toys, teacher training and a new private nursing room. Most importantly, with your support, the new Infant Room will add approximately 6,000 hours of care each year for our youngest islanders - a big impact for working families in our small community.

The Severe Weather shelter was established in 2015. The greatest need at this time is to equip the shelter with a backup electrical generator in order to maintain heat and light. Over the last four years, there have been multiple nights with no power. This is a safety and practical concern. Our goal is to raise $12k for funding this project. Having a generator adds a level of security for sheltering folks in the community lacking suitable shelter in adverse weather conditions.

Help the Orcas Island Lit Fest give Orcas kids and young families access to celebrated children's and Young Adult (YA) authors. Support the OILF Kids' Fest, a beloved FREE annual event to be held in partnership with the Orcas Public Library this April 18, 2020. Reading unlocks kids' imaginations. Help us provide the key!

A mobile cart to take into classrooms, or use in the library to inspire young inventors, engineers and tinkers. The cart would include a Vinyl Cutter, a 3-D printer and one laptop. Other supporting materials to include Squishy Circuits, Raspberry Pi, Snap Circuits, and more.

"Her connection with the Hearts and Hands volunteer and the beautiful friendship they have created is something wonderful," says one adult child about her parent's H&H visits. For 15 years, Hearts and Hands has matched caring volunteers with seniors and individuals with disabilities for in-home companionship and assistance, helping maintain independence and quality of life. Please support H&H.

At Salmonberry, outdoor activities and sports are an important part of our holistic approach to education. As our Elementary Program has grown over the years, the playground that was originally designed for our Early Childhood Program is not equipped for sports and games that require a flat play surface and boundary fencing. With your contribution, you can be a part of this playground renovation project which will be enjoyed by kids for years to come!

Wolf Hollow Wildlife's main building roof needs help. Leaks have developed and need to be stopped before more damage is done. Your financial support will allow us to hire a local island roofer to fix the sub-roof. This keeps Wolf Hollow staff and injured wildlife safe and dry when the rain falls. Thank you!