By Darby Kendall
Behind every fundraiser for OHSU and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is a personal story. Individuals, families and communities across the region raise money and support for OHSU, and they do so in creative, meaningful ways. Here are a few recent examples of people coming together in support of a patient or loved one, all united in the goal of advancing the missions across OHSU and Doernbecher.
Extra Life
Gamers doing good is the bedrock of Extra Life, a program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals that partners with video gamers, live streamers, content creators, podcasters and everyday heroes to raise funds by playing games. Recently, the program reached the milestone of raising $1 million for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
One gamer who gives back is JB Bressler, a Twitch streamer with a penchant for hosting puzzle games. Bressler first became interested in fundraising for Doernbecher after he moved to Portland in 2010. Once he found a community within streaming, Bressler was hooked, and now each November he gets together with friends to stream for Extra Life, playing for four consecutive days with games chosen by his donor audience.
“When we’re streaming, we know why we’re there. We’re raising money for charity and having a good time,” Bressler said. “That’s really the fun of it, shooting the breeze and having some laughs with your friends, but knowing that you’re there to raise awareness and raise money. It’s a great feeling.”
Although he now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bressler still uses his free time to give back to OHSU, often hosting weekly games that raise extra funds for the hospital.
“OHSU has a place in my heart because my late friend Michael had a lot of his treatments for his leukemia done there. They took very good care of him until the battle was over,” Bressler remembered. “I haven’t lived in Portland in a couple years, but it’s still a place that I care about a lot. I don’t have kids, but I have friends who do. If something, heaven forbid, were to happen to them, it’s nice to know that they can go to Doernbecher and be taken care of.”
Drive Toward a Cure
Cars and camaraderie have always gone hand in hand for Deb Pollack, founder of the nationwide nonprofit Drive Toward a Cure. Having decades-long experience as an executive in the car industry, Pollack looked to the community to help her make a difference after she lost her mother to complications from Parkinson’s disease in 2006.
“I realized there were meaningful ways to share friendships with the joy of driving, to support the challenges others may face,” she said. “For me, the most inspiration comes from the relationships we are continuing to build with individuals and organizations.”
Drive Toward a Cure raises funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease research and patient care by sharing their message throughout the automotive community. The organization’s efforts benefit from the philanthropy of both recreational enthusiasts and industry professionals.
The nonprofit has founded a variety of local events to raise funds for OHSU, including fundraising drives through scenic areas of Oregon and Southwest Washington. In 2022, Drive Toward a Cure’s philanthropy helped launch caregiver programs at the OHSU Parkinson Center, which provide caregivers with resources and support as they navigate helping others with the disease.
“By helping those that help others, we can all succeed in supporting those living Parkinson’s,” Pollack explained. “Living with Parkinson’s is not easy, whether for the patient or the caregiver — we are on a mission to help all and for those afflicted to realize, ‘We’re in this together.’”
Blankets and Books for Babies
The School of Medicine Alliance was founded by wives of OHSU faculty members in 1947 as a social group, and now over three-quarters of a century later, the club is doing invaluable work for Doernbecher with their program Blankets and Books for Babies.
Pamela Berg, who serves as chair for the program, explained that Blankets and Books for Babies first came about when an alliance volunteer noticed babies were going home without any clothes of their own, often wrapped in their parents’ clothing instead.
“The program was funded initially by the School of Medicine Alliance with an initial inlay of $500, and to this day the organization has annually supplemented monies at a summer garden party named in honor of the woman, Dorthea Pennington, who started this whole project,” Berg said. “These funds are used to purchase yarn and fabric to make the blankets and hats and to purchase items such as onesies that are given to the families in need.”
The group gives their thoughtfully made packets to patients at both the OHSU Hospital Mother-Baby Unit and the OHSU Virginia Garcia Women’s Clinic in Hillsboro. Included in the packets are a knitted blanket and hat, receiving blanket, onesies, socks, a baby book and literature for the mothers on infant nutrition and care. Approximately 40 packages are delivered to the two locations every month.
The alliance works with residents at retirement homes and other volunteers to create receiving blankets and handmade blankets and hats, with retirees devoting their time and skills to the cause.
“It’s amazing what people can do with a blanket that’s 26 by 30, and they make little hats to match,” Berg said. “It’s very rewarding. On packing days, we all get together and chat about things, and I know it makes great camaraderie. We also feel we’re doing something good for the community.”
Do you have an idea for a fundraiser or creative way to donate to OHSU?
