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News Release
INFORMATION: Cristina Sanz, The Oregon Community Foundation, [email protected]
(541) 773-8987 or (541) 301-2797 mobile
$75,000 OCF Grant Boosts Oregon Caves & Chateau
Medford, Ore. – June 19, 2017 – The Board of The Oregon Community Foundation (www.oregoncf.org) approved several special grants this spring, including a significant one in Southern Oregon.
The Friends of the Oregon Caves & Chateau (www.FriendsOCAC.org)
received $75,000 toward renovation of Little D (Little Diner) a former staff cafeteria in the Oregon Caves Chateau, to create a year-round community meeting space and classroom. This project is part of the first of the four phases of the full historic restoration of this National Historic Landmark Lodge, located 20 miles east of Cave Junction.
The renovation of Little D began on May 30, 2017 and should be completed by the end of September. Total construction cost is $249,052 and the work is being done by the Ausland Group of Grants Pass. Many funders including Travel Oregon, the Ford Family Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Braemar Charitable Trust, and the ESCO Foundation have contributed to the project.
“The OCF Board felt strongly about the Little D project and allocated the money to put the fundraising effort over the top.” said Cristina Sanz, OCF regional director for Southern Oregon. “The restoration of the Oregon Caves Chateau is a very important revenue generator, and serves as a great economic development asset to this rural region of Josephine County - and to the surrounding areas as well.
According to Sue Densmore, Executive Director of the Friends, “With the multiple upgrades, the Little D kitchen will serve as a backup to the main kitchen and can be used for culinary training, educational opportunities, meetings and retreats. This will lengthen the facility’s season by allowing meetings to be held even when the Chateau is closed.
“One of the next phases of restoration of the Chateau will include the re-creation of the three balconies – original to the Chateau. Little D will have a balcony overlooking the canyon. This will be a wonderful place to have a business meeting, reunion, or family gathering.”
Additionally, this project is a part of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition – Capital Construction request to the 2017 Oregon Legislature. The 8 projects in that effort cross the state supporting both rural and urban communities, show quantifiable economic impact, community support, and in each case create a multiplier that will bring jobs and enhance the economy of each area.
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About OCF. The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life for all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awarded more than $108 million in grants and scholarships in 2016. For more information about OCF, please visit: www.oregoncf.org.