Expansion planned for suicide prevention campaign signage
CAMAS — Signs of Hope, the Our City Cares suicide prevention campaign, will soon appear across three Southwest Washington school district campuses. Donations from 100+ Women Who Care Clark County will ensure that those signs have a broader reach than ever before.
Members of the local giving circle met, Aug. 7 at Grains of Wrath Brewing in downtown Camas. Sheryl Stephens, Founder of Our City Cares, nominated the nonprofit. Its purpose statement is to unite communities to combat the tragedy of suicide. Stephens asked for help in expanding the Signs of Hope outreach. The signs feature messages of reassurance, along with the Regional Crisis Line phone number.
Three school districts will receive the signs: Camas, Washougal, and Evergreen for a total of 66 campuses.
Members voted to support Our City Cares with their donations after hearing about two other Clark County nonprofits as part of the nomination process. The other nominees were Knights of Pythias Active Retirement Center, and the 2019 Dinner in White, benefitting the Washougal Library Building Fund.
100+ Women Who Care Clark County is a giving circle that meets quarterly. Members who attend are eligible to nominate local nonprofits to be considered for the quarterly donation.
Members commit to a $100 donation to the charity voted upon by the members at each meeting.
The next meeting takes place Wed., Nov. 6 from 6-7 p.m. at Grains of Wrath Brewing in Camas. There is an optional social hour before the meeting from 5 to 6 p.m.
Police Activities League of SW Washington also a recipient
The Police Activities League of SW Washington (PAL) announced on Friday that an $18,000 donation was received from 100 Women Who Care SW Washington.
The organization, 100 Women Who Care SW Washington is comprised of women who care about SW Washington and who want to make a huge impact in their community. They meet once quarterly and hear about the work of three local charities. Members vote and the charity with the most votes walks away with a $100 check from every member.
PAL was nominated by member Jen Dawson and the donation aligns with PAL’s growth in a crucial way. PAL has been focusing on building additional relationships with local law enforcement agencies and as of now PAL has eight active law enforcement partners. The Vancouver Police Department was the original partner and has been active for 16 years. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has been an active partner for four years. Additional partners now include: Camas Police Department, Washougal Police Department, Battle Ground Police Department, Ridgefield Police Department, Washington State Patrol, and Washington State Department of Corrections.
With the money from 100 Women Who Care SW Washington, PAL will continue to bring programming to Vancouver, but can also focus on adding programming to include North and East County.
For more information on 100 Women Who Care SW Washington visit: http://www.100womenwhocaresww.org. To find out more about The Police Activities League of SW Washington visit: https://palofswwa.org.
