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In honor of their service to the Mid-Willamette Valley this year, 10 Maps members have been selected to receive the first-ever Maps Community Awards from the Maps Community Foundation. The Foundation will donate a total of $10,000 to 10 nonprofits in each winner’s name.
“In a challenging year, we wanted to lift up our community and celebrate the ways our Maps members have been helping in response to the pandemic and wildfires,” said Foundation Executive Director, Kim Hanson.
The winners, nominated by the community and selected by Maps staff, exemplify many of the ways local residents have helped one another in 2020—a year when a pandemic and then wildfires challenged our region and state.
For example, Alice Swanson of Woodburn was honored for finding ways to feed the community after the pandemic caused several businesses to close, and many area residents to lose their jobs. She coordinated a food drive and weekly city-wide dinners hosted at different churches.
“No matter what the situation, it seems like she is always buzzing around town, finding out what she can do for the community,” said Swanson’s nominator. “She inspires not only me, but those around her to genuinely just do better.”
Swanson said she gives back because, “I have been blessed in my life. When I see that I can make a difference by simply reallocating funds or putting my hand to something, it empowers me. This is why I work for my neighbors and my community.”
Swanson asked that the Foundation give $1,000 in her name to the nonprofit A Ray of Hope for their Neighbors Helping Unsheltered Neighbors program.
Another Maps member, Jesse Rodriguez of Scotts Mills, was recognized for supporting the fire line that helped save the Scotts Mills community during the Labor Day wildfires. Not only did he pay his construction company employees to fight the fire, but he stayed on the front lines throughout the battle against the blaze.
“Jesse should receive an award for his bravery and for protecting the homes and lives of so many in our community,” said Rodriguez’s nominator. “He is a true inspiration.”
Rodriguez said he stepped up during the fire because “I feel like it is our duty as citizens to help our community.”
The Foundation will make a $1,000 gift in Rodriguez’s name to the Scotts Mills Community Center, a nonprofit he chose “because they give back to the community.”
The eight other Maps Community Award winners and the nonprofits each chose to receive $1,000 from the Foundation, are:
About Maps Community Foundation
Maps Community Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Maps Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative with 70,000 members and 10 branch locations in Salem, Keizer, Monmouth, Woodburn, Silverton, and Stayton. The mission of the Maps Community Foundation is to “enrich the lives of members and our community by investing in education, economic empowerment, and community vibrancy.” Programs include student scholarships, teacher and community grants, financial education, and nonprofit event sponsorship. The Foundation is funded through Maps Credit Union, which invests one penny each time a member swipes a Maps Free Community Checking debit card. In 2019, members generated more than $94,000 to be distributed locally through the Maps Community Foundation.