Raise the Blues Endowment Campaign

Providing for a thriving future

The People Leading the Campaign

Honorary Co-Chairs: Art Griff, Dolores Peery, John Reese, Mary Lou Tillay

Campaign Co-Chairs & Walla Walla Co-Chairs: Shannon Bergevin and Dan Reid

Garfield County Chair: Bob Cox

Columbia County Co-Chairs: Kris Takemura and Cathy Haight

Umatilla County Chairs: Dennis Barnett, Cindy Middleton, Kol Medina, Sara Archer

See the links at the bottom of this page to take you to pages that list the full Leadership Teams for each County.

The Purpose

To create more unrestricted community endowment funds, and some scholarship funds, that will permanently support needs and opportunities in the Blue Mountain region as those needs change over time - today, tomorrow, and for future generations. The focus of the Campaign is Umatilla, Walla Walla, Columbia, and Garfield Counties. See the links below for an explanation of the campaign in each County.

"Community endowment funds" are funds that will exist in our communities forever and be used to make grants each year to support the needs in our communities as those needs change over time.

The Goal

Raise $40 million by December 2024. This $40 million goal is broken into two parts: (1) $10 million donated into endowments during the campaign (“today dollars”); and $30 million that will come from at least 100 commitments from people to leave money through their estate to endowments (“tomorrow dollars”).

The Match

A generous donor has offered a $3,000,000 matching fund for community endowment donations. $1,000,000 is offered as a match for "today dollars," on a 50% basis. So, if you donate $100,000 to a community endowment today, this donor will add $50,000 to that community endowment. $2,000,000 is offered as a match of $20,000 for each "tomorrow" community endowment gift of $100,000 or 5% of a donors estate. In other words, if you commit to leaving at least $100,000 or 5% of your estate to a community endowment, this donor will add $20,000 to the same community endowment fund today.

The County Teams

Raise the Blues is a campaign that is being run by and for each County. This is not a Blue Mountain Community Foundation campaign. It is four separate county campaigns, each led by a volunteer team in the county and each working to raise dollars that will permanently benefit their communities. Learn about each team and each campaign by following the links below.

Columbia County campaign - click here

Garfield County campaign - click here

Umatilla County campaign - click here

Walla Walla County campaign - click here