OnPoint Community Credit Union Announces 2025 Prize For Excellence In Education Community Builder Winners And Educator Of The Year Finalists (Photo) -05/07/25

Five schools will receive cash prizes for special school projects in the 16^th annual

OnPoint Prize campaign awards

 

PORTLAND, Ore., — May 7, 2025 — Five local schools have won the 2025 OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education Community Builder awards. Each school will receive a cash prize for a special project that positively impacts its school and community.

 

OnPoint also named the eight finalists for its Educator of the Year awards. Each are in the running to have their mortgage or rent paid for one full year and receive $2,500 for their school. The four winners in each category (K-5, 6-8, 9-12, and Gold Star) will be announced on May 22, 2025. The remaining four runners-up in each category will receive a $5,000 cash award and a $1,500 donation to their schools for resources and supplies.

 

“Every year, we are proud to uplift the schools and educators who are making a meaningful difference in their communities,” said Rob Stuart, president and chief executive officer of OnPoint Community Credit Union. “They’re creating inclusive spaces, restoring vital resources and designing learning experiences that connect students to the world around them. It’s our privilege to celebrate their commitment and extraordinary impact.”

 

Since 2010, the OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education has awarded more than $843,000 in prizes to 326 local educators and schools. The 2025 campaign will award an additional $193,000 to deserving K-12 educators and schools.

 

Learn more about the 2025 Community Builder award winners and Educator of the Year finalists below:

 

Community Builder Awards
OnPoint has recognized five schools from across the region with its Community Builder awards. Four schools will receive $2,000 from OnPoint for a special project of their choice, and one school determined by online community votes will receive $5,000.

 

Grand Prize Winner – $5,000 Community Builder Award

 

Morningside Elementary School – Elevating Every Voice (Salem, Ore.)

As Morningside Elementary’s beloved music program continues to grow, outdated and unstable choir risers have made it difficult—and unsafe—for all students to be seen and heard during performances. Thanks to the $5,000 Community Builder Award, that’s about to change. The funding will allow the school to purchase new, portable risers that ensure every student can take their place with pride during concerts, assemblies and other community celebrations.

 

$2,000 Community Builder Award Winners

 

• Abiqua School: Nature Trail: A Path to Outdoor Learning (Salem, Ore.) For students at Abiqua School, the most powerful lessons aren’t always found in textbooks—they’re discovered beneath the trees, along winding paths, and under open skies. With a vision to turn a nearby wooded area into a vibrant outdoor classroom, this project brings science, writing and art into nature’s embrace. The $2,000 award will help clear safe paths, install educational signage, create seating areas, and build interactive learning stations—transforming a quiet forest into a living, breathing extension of the classroom where curiosity can roam free.
• Innovation Academy: Community Garden (Medford School District, Medford, Ore.) With support from local agricultural experts, Innovation Academy is turning part of its expansive acre-and-a-half campus into a thriving garden where students can explore hands-on learning in sustainability, science, and food systems. The $2,000 award will help develop the garden infrastructure and launch student-led projects, allowing young minds to grow alongside the fruits of their labor.
• Sherwood Charter School: H.E.A.R.T Care Closet (Sherwood School District, Sherwood, Ore.) The H.E.A.R.T (Helping Everyone Access Resources Today) Care Closet at Sherwood Charter School helps students show up to school feeling confident, cared for and ready to learn. It provides students and families with essential items like food, hygiene supplies, clothing, school tools and gift cards—all in a welcoming, judgment-free space. The $2,000 award will help stock and sustain this vital resource, ensuring students can access what they need with dignity and continue thriving in and out of the classroom.
• Skyridge Middle School: Skyridge Flood Recovery for Books (Camas School District, Camas, Wash.) When a burst pipe flooded the Skyridge Middle School library, it washed away more than $6,000 worth of books—many of which weren’t covered by insurance. Determined to rebuild their collection, the school is using the $2,000 award to restore and revitalize their nonfiction section with fresh, high-interest titles.   

 

Educator of the Year Finalists (listed by category, then alphabetically by last name)

 

OnPoint also named its eight finalists for its 2025 Educators of the Year awards. Winners will have their mortgage or rent paid for one full year and receive $2,500 for each of their schools. The remaining four finalists will receive a $5,000 cash award and a $1,500 donation to their schools for resources and supplies.

 

K-5 Finalists

• Ricardo Barber – 3rd grade, Faubion Elementary School, Portland Public Schools
• Lisa Lewis – K-1st grade, West Powellhurst Elementary School, David Douglas School District

6-8 Finalists

• Britta Hobbs – 6-8th grade Choir/Music, Covington Middle School, Evergreen Public Schools
• Rhiannon Young – 6-8th grade, Corbett Middle School, Corbett School District

9-12 Finalists

• Sophie Aguirre – 9-12th grade English Language Development, Aloha High School, Beaverton School District
• Katie Ryan – 9-12th grade Science, Academy of Arts and Academics, Springfield School District

Gold Star Finalists (includes pre-kindergarten teachers, school counselors, substitute teachers, librarians, principals or school administrators)

• Hang Jones – Social Worker, Marysville Elementary School, Portland Public Schools
• RJ Tagorda – Principal, Holy Cross Catholic School

 

Click here to learn more about OnPoint's finalists for the 2025 Educator of the Year awards. Winners and runners-up will be announced on May 22, and the announcement will be broadcast live on KGW.

 

Honoring Founders' Legacy of Excellence in Education

Founded by 16 schoolteachers in 1932, OnPoint continues to honor its legacy today by improving access to quality education for everyone. Visit onpointcu.com to learn more.

 

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ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION
OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving over 603,000 members and with assets of $9.9 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union’s membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. OnPoint Community Credit Union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). More information is available at onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932.

 

OnPoint Community Credit Union Invests $100K In Four Local Environmental Nonprofits (Photo) -04/22/25

The funding is part of OnPoint’s Green Horizons initiative and will support nonprofits restoring nature, conserving wildlife and reducing e-waste  

 

PORTLAND, Ore., — April 22, 2025 — OnPoint Community Credit Union is giving $100,000 to four local environmental nonprofits to mark Earth Day 2025. The investment is through KGW’s Good Energy Campaign sponsorship. Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Oregon Wildlife Foundation, Free Geek and The Nature Conservancy in Oregon will each receive $25,000 to help protect natural resources and wildlife in Oregon and Southwest Washington. 

 

OnPoint’s Green Horizons initiative supports organizations whose vital work helps address climate change.  Since 2021, the program has provided green auto and solar financing for members, sustainability perks for employees and more $500,000 in funding for local nonprofits protecting our region’s natural resources. 

 

“Dealing with climate change and preserving our planet isn’t just something that happens at a national or global level. Each individual and organization plays a key role,” said Rob Stuart, president and CEO, OnPoint Community Credit Union. “Our Green Horizons initiative empowers local partners to continue their boots-on-the-ground efforts. We are proud to support the people and organizations that fight to keep our environment sustainable for generations to come.” 

 

Supporting local environment nonprofits with Green Horizons  

 

The Nature Conservancy in Oregon (TNCO) works to conserve the land and waters upon which all life depends. Since 2017, OnPoint’s donations of over $350,000 to TNCO have helped fund projects across Oregon, from restoration of our estuaries and forests to drought-resilient watersheds and community-driven climate solutions.

 “OnPoint’s continued contributions as part of Green Horizons makes a huge difference as we face urgent environmental challenges across the state,” said Derek Johnson, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. “The steady support helps us focus on local solutions and strategies that build toward a better future Oregonians and the lands and waters we cherish.”

 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation drives lasting conservation of Oregon’s fish, wildlife, and citizen enjoyment of natural resources. Since 1981, it has partnered with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to ensure scientifically sound wildlife conservation projects are funded. OWF depends upon strong partnerships to help it use donations efficiently for projects, such as highway underpasses protecting endangered frogs and helicopter-assisted stream restoration. 

 

“OnPoint’s support is a vital part of helping us deliver on our mission to help save and even improve the resources we have here in Oregon,” said Oregon Wildlife Foundation Executive Director Tim Greseth. 

 

Free Geek, founded in Portland on Earth Day 2000, sustainably reuses technology and provides digital literacy education to bridge the digital divide. It diverts tech devices from landfills, refurbishes them and gives them back to the community at little or no cost. Equipment that can’t be reused or refurbished is broken into parts for recycling.  

 

“People know that Free Geek helps people, but they don’t always think about the more than 1.5 million pounds of tech equipment we’ve been able to keep out of the landfill,” said Free Geek executive director Juan Muro, Jr. “OnPoint’s Green Horizons donation will support reuse and recycling that has an immediate positive effect on both the environment and people’s day-to-day lives.” 

 

Friends of the Columbia Gorge led the fight to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area 40 years ago, but that was just the beginning. It continues to protect the gorge’s scenic, natural, cultural and recreational resources through land acquisition and stewardship, advocacy, education, volunteerism, and partnerships. Friends’ current Share the Wonder campaign permanently protects areas such as Heartleaf Bluffs and the Alashík Preserve, restoring habitat at Cape Horn and Catherine Creek and expanding the Gorge trail network.   

 

“This Green Horizons donation helps us carry the torch of Gorge protection to future generations,” said Friends’ executive director Kevin Gorman. “We rely on the strength and diversity of collaborators who share this vision for the Gorge’s future. We’re grateful that OnPoint is championing one of the world’s greatest natural treasures.” 

 

Increasing accessibility with auto and home special rate discounts  

 

OnPoint’s Green Horizons offers special rate discounts for members to make going green more accessible. The Green Auto Discount offers 0.25% Annual Percentage Rate (APR)* off auto loan rates for new or used electric or hybrid vehicles financed through OnPoint. People in the market for electric or hybrid vehicles can also find additional incentives through Oregon and Washington state programs. 

 

OnPoint’s Green Horizons also makes it more affordable for homeowners to produce their own solar electricity. When homeowners apply for an EquityFlex Line of Credit for home improvements, they can fix a portion of their line of credit for the purchase of solar panels and receive a 0.25% discount off the EquityFlex Fixed Portion APR**. Homeowners can find even more savings by looking at incentives and rebate programs in Oregon and Washington. 

 

For more information about OnPoint’s investment in building a greener future, such as telecommuting programs, employee volunteer opportunities, and other donations to environmentally-focused organizations, please visit: OnPoint Green Horizons. 

 

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About OnPoint Community Credit Union 

OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving over 603,000 members and with assets of $9.9 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union’s membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. OnPoint Community Credit Union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). More information is available at onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932. 

 

*Vehicles meeting OnPoint’s Green Auto Discount standards receive a 0.25% discount off stated APR (Annual Percentage Rate). All OnPoint loans are subject to credit terms and approval. Discount does not apply to existing OnPoint auto loans. 

**Receive a 0.25% discount off stated EquityFlex Fixed Portion APR when proceeds are used to purchase solar panels. Review of purchase order or invoice required to qualify. Discount applies to invoice/purchase order amount, not to exceed $12,000.