Harsch Investment Properties Announces $250,000 Donation to VOA Wildfire Relief Fund

PORTLAND, Ore., September 29, 2020 — Harsch Investment Properties announced today a $250,000 donation to Volunteers of America Oregon (VOA Oregon) from The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation in response to the recent Oregon wildfires that continue to have a devastating impact on Oregon and its residents. The donation is earmarked for VOA Oregon’s newly established Jordan Schnitzer Emergency Relief Fund for the distribution of individual grants to individuals, couples or families who reside in Estacada or Molalla and have been displaced or have emergency basic needs because of the wildfires and related smoke.

Funds will be distributed through VOA Oregon’s Whispering Pines Independent Living Facility in Estacada Oregon with cooperation from local government and other community-based organizations. Whispering Pines has been part of the Estacada community since 2003, serving seniors and their families in its 62-room facility.

“All of us in Oregon and across the country are feeling such anguish for the hundreds of Oregonians who have lost so much in the wildfires we have recently experienced in our beloved state,” said Jordan Schnitzer, President of The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation and Harsch Investment Properties. “One can only imagine what it is like to run out of your house with what you are able to carry in your arms, knowing that all of your family pictures, mementos, and decades of objects that carry meaning, can be lost. While we can’t replace those items, all of us at Harsch Investment Properties and The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation want to reach out, both financially and in spirit, to help them rebuild their lives.”

VOA Oregon has been providing essential social services in Portland and Oregon for over 124 years. Founded in 1896 in New York City as an organization providing services to the poor and aging community with a volunteer workforce, today in Oregon it provides services to over 11,000 individuals and families primarily in the tri-county area with a professional workforce of over 320 employees. Their service delivery system is enhanced by an additional 600 volunteers.

With a strong mission of promoting self-determination, building strong communities, and standing for social justice, VOA Oregon provides evidence-based early childhood services, youth prevention services, and offender re-entry services. It has one of the most effective, result-oriented substance use and mental health treatment programs in our area. Through its housing and senior division, services are provided to the aging community in an independent living facility in Estacada Oregon as well as services to seniors through a partnership with Providence Elderplace.

“The opportunity to provide critical relief to families that have experienced such devastation over the last few weeks is so rewarding,” said Kay Toran, CEO VOA Oregon. “We continue to feel deep gratitude for the generosity of those who have the capacity to help and do! We are deeply indebted to Jordan Schnitzer as president of The Harold & Arlene CARE Foundation and the employees from Harsch Investment Properties for stepping up to provide some relief during a very difficult time.”

“We can’t thank Kay and Volunteers of America enough for helping us get these funds to those in need and we continue to be in awe of the amazing things that Volunteers of America Oregon does for our community and the state,” said Jordan Schnitzer.

Harsch Cares matching program
In addition to this emergency relief fund, employees of Harsch are encouraged to participate in Harsch Cares, a charity matching program where The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation will match, dollar for dollar, donations made to qualifying non-profit organizations in Harsch regions, up to $1,000 per employee per calendar year through the Benevity platform.

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About Harsch Investment Properties
Harsch Investment Properties is a privately-owned real estate company that acquires, manages and develops properties for its own portfolio. The company owns and operates 27 million square feet of office, multi-tenant industrial, multi-family and retail properties in six western states. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Harsch has regional offices in Portland, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Las Vegas, San Diego and Arizona. Harsch Investment Properties employs more than 150 team members in Oregon within the corporate headquarters and regional office and serves 522 commercial tenants in the Portland Metro Area. To learn more about Harsch Investment Properties, visit www.harsch.com.

Contact: Christina Blaser
Phone: (626) 318-7508
Email: christinab@harsch.com

About Volunteers of America Oregon
Helping Oregonians since 1896, Volunteers of America Oregon is one of the oldest non-profit service agencies in the state. That means more than 124 years of continuous service and countless success stories from the people whose lives have been changed and the families that we help strengthen.

Our ongoing endeavor to determine our community’s needs, and developing services for meeting those needs, will help us to continue our mission to change lives by promoting self-determination, building strong communities, and standing for social justice. To learn more about Volunteers of America Oregon, visit www.voaor.org.

Contact: Kelly Hartley
Phone: (503) 997-8761
Email: khartley@voaor.org
3910 SE Stark Street Portland, OR 97214

Download: Press Release