2015 Adopt-a-Bear Effort Raises $2,034 for Healthy Beginnings
The 2015 Adopt-a-Bear promotion at Mid Oregon was very successful, thanks for the staff and volunteers of Mid Oregon and Healthy Beginnings! Over $2,000 was raised through donations in the branches and at our Free Shred Day on Saturday, April 18.
Members were especially generous at our Olney ($1,032.02) and Redmond ($680.50) locations! The total of $2,034.68 will will go a long way in helping Healthy Beginnings with their free screening clinics to families in Central Oregon.
Adopt-a-Bear
Since 2004 Mid Oregon has supported Healthy Beginnings by giving our members the opportunity to Adopt-a-Bear. Traditionally we put their names on a bear (if they choose) and hang them up in our branches so we can show our support. Starting on April 6 and going through Friday, April 24, members and the community will be able to support Healthy Beginnings by Adopting a Bear.
Healthy Beginnings, a Central Oregon Non-Profit provides access to health, education and behavior services for young children and their families.
Free Screening Clinics
Did you know there is a program in Central Oregon that can help children with health and development issues succeed? Healthy Beginnings offers FREE, that’s right, FREE screening clinics all throughout Central Oregon for 
The screening clinics have 12 stations – each hosted by an expert in their field of work – where parents can sit and have time to discuss their concerns about the child’s behavior, health, nutrition, motor and concept skills, hearing, vision and other areas. If an expert does detect a concern, Healthy Beginnings staff partners with community organizations to help parents connect with resources like an audiologist or Early Childhood Special Education to ensure that their child will enter kindergarten prepared and ready to learn at the same rate as their classmates.
Adopt-a-Bear Funds
All the funds raised through the 2015 Adopt-a-Bear program will ensure that all children will have a healthy beginning by attending our screenings. The state has identified universal community screenings as best practice, providing consistent, reliable, valid, evidence based screening for young children – but there is no state funding available. Instead, Healthy Beginnings relies heavily on community support to keep the screenings available to children and their families free of charge. By encouraging your members to purchase a bear in honor of the young children in their life, they are in turn providing a bright future to the children of Central Oregon.
To donate online or get more information, visit the Healthy Beginnings website.