Congratulations to Molly O’Donnell, Executive Director for Save First Financial Wellness,  for her appointment to the Board of Directors of Lighthouse Financial Foundation. Lighthouse Financial Foundation provides financial services, counseling, and training to underserved populations in our community. With Molly’s expertise and passion for helping families and individuals become financially stable, she is the perfect…

Catholic Charities of Oregon, along with other partners, will be providing referrals and services for a new housing project called, “The Lawrence”. This affordable housing project is being developed by Home First Development and Green Light Development, whose primary focus is to serve the Zomi community. Construction for The Lawrence is expected to be completed…

After reading an article about Oregon wildfire survivors, couple Rob and Sharla Walsh were inspired to lend their support and call others to do the same. To learn more about the story that sparked their generosity, visit: https://www.catholicsentinel.org/Content/Default/Homepage-Rotator/Article/Couple-issue-challenge-grant-to-help-fire-survivors-/-3/382/45760?s=1  

Catholic Charities of Oregon’s Healthy Housing Initiative has become a model for other Catholic Charities across the United States. “At its heart, the Healthy Housing Initiative (HHI) is about seeing the dignity of every person. A person-centered, comprehensive approach to chronic homelessness, the program meets people where they are and moves them into permanent supportive…

Most of us were taught never to talk about politics, religion, or money. As a culture, this old-school mentality hasn’t been serving us very well (see modern social/political discourse). We need to talk about these things because they ARE complicated topics. Ideally, we are the ones role modeling for our children how to have these…

Save First Financial Wellness, a social enterprise of Catholic Charities of Oregon, provides financial wellness services including financial coaching, workshops, credit building, Rentwelll classes and more. Throughout the month, our team at Save First is sharing their expertise on various financial topics. Neal Mckeever, Assistant Director of Education at Save First, has several tips for…

Any parent of small children will tell you that the days are long, but the years are short. Now that my children are ten and thirteen, I can attest to this old adage. Where has the time gone? And, yet can I even remember my life before they entered it?

Toc Soneoulay-Gillespi, has been appointed Director of Oregon’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement. Soneoulay-Gillespi shares with OPB about the new office, who it serves, and what this development means for the state of Oregon. Toc Soneoulay-Gillespi came to the United States as a refugee with her family 40 years ago. She went on to…

Hear the story behind the Executive Chef and Lead Instructor of Germaine’s Kitchen and Café, Jon Wirtis. A Californian native, Chef Jon Wirtis always had a heart for cooking. Starting out in his father’s restaurant, Chef Jon worked his way up in the culinary world. Chef Jon believes in the power of food: to help,…

Happy Financial Literacy Month! With inflation at record levels and employee wages not keeping pace, many of us are attempting to make our dollars stretch as far as possible. Throughout the years, I am sure you have heard the phrase, “you get what you pay for”, however, oftentimes this is not true as many lower cost items…