Oregon
Stroke Awareness Oregon welcomes four new board members, introduces staff – KTVZ
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Stroke Awareness Oregon, a local nonprofit working to eliminate death and disability from stroke, Is pleased to announce the addition of four new members to its board of directors and to introduce the staff.
These additions to the board of directors will assure the organization’s continued success in assuring accomplishment of board goals.
Stroke Awareness Oregon Goals are 1) to educate about the causes and prevention of stroke, 2) to make B.E.F.A.S.T. a household safety word and 3) to support the recovery of stroke warriors and their families. The newly appointed Board members are:
Ralph Cortese – Prior to relocating to Bend, Mr. Cortese was a businessman and business owner. Serving as Vice-President of Advanced Labor he also was the founder and/partner of National Staffing Services. He currently is the Manager of Southside Storage and U-haul. As a dedicated community volunteer, Mr. Cortese has been active with Stroke Awareness Oregon in many capacities including Silver Moon Bingo, Raplh’s Rummage fund raiser and facilitating the men’s stroke warrior group. Ralph is the founder and owner of Stroke Warrior Radio. He is committed to growing Stroke Awareness Oregon and sharing his skills and enthusiasm.
Christin Hunter – Ms Hunter is a principal realtor broker with Duke Warner Realty. A successful businesswoman and graduate of Leadership Oregon she serves on the Oregon State Association of Realtor Government Affairs Committee. A member of the National Realtors Association, Oregon Realtors Association and Central Oregon Association of Realtors, Christin was named in 2016 one of Cascade Business News Accomplished under 40. Having been an involved community volunteer, she has served with The Center Foundation, Healing Reins and Co-Serve International. A practitioner of servant leadership, she plans to use her skills so that those who experience stroke have an opportunity to live their best possible life.
Steve McDonald – A title and escrow professional, Mr. McDonald is the owner/manager of Deschutes County Title. He has been involved in the community as President of Rotary Club of Bend and a board member for Habitat for Humanity. Steve has numerous interests as a board member including finance, education, special events and marketing. He and his business are Most Valuable Partners for Stroke Awareness Oregon and he states “I am a strong believer in what Stroke Awareness Oregon is doing.”
Aryn Seiler – An estate planning and litigation attorney at Lynch, Murphy, McLane LLP, Ms Seiler joins the board willing to do whatever is needed to move the mission of Stroke Awareness Oregn forward. She served on the Portland Independent Police Review Board and the Bend Metro Planning Organization Budget Committee. Aryn’s board interests are special events, policy development, and program evaluation. She is particularly interested in educating communities about the signs and symptoms of stroke and the importance of obtaining rapid medical intervention.
Stroke Awareness Oregon is also pleased to introduce its staff:
Carol Stiles – Interim Executive Director
Joey Drucker – Operations Manager
Kate Eskew – Education Coordinator
Taylor Drusick – Marketing Coordinator
About Stroke Awareness Oregon:
Stroke Awareness Oregon exists to minimize death and disability from stroke through prevention education and to support the best life possible for stroke warriors and their loved ones.
For more information about Stroke Awareness Oregon contact 541 323-5641 or www.strokeawarenessoregon.org.
The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
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