Students select The Freshwater Trust as grant recipient

The Freshwater Trust received a $1,500 grant from the Community 101 program at Centennial High School in Gresham, Oregon.

The funding will be used to purchase two tablets to help staff collect data on our river restoration projects. The Freshwater Trust uses its patented, tablet-optimized StreamBank monitoring app for collecting data in the field, and compiling it for long-term analysis and reporting.

“Having the right equipment, and enough equipment, to track the information we need with ease is critical,” said Hilary Cosentino, habitat monitoring coordinator with The Freshwater Trust. “Data is at the heart of what we do. What we collect is used to ensure every project is having its intended positive outcome.”

Each trip to monitor a restoration project requires two staff members and two tablets. The new devices purchased through this grant will minimize scheduling and coordination issues that arose from having too few tablets dedicated to these activities.

“This award helped us fill an important need for monitoring equipment that can be difficult to fund from other sources,” said Cosentino. “It may not seem like a lot, but these two tablets will go a long way toward helping our staff continue restoring waterways effectively and efficiently.”

Centennial High’s Community 101 program teaches students about volunteering and grantmaking. Grants are made possible through collaborative efforts between The Oregon Community Foundation, the PGE Foundation, the Collins Foundation and the school.

The Community 101 class receives a $5,000 allocation, and the student body votes upon an area of focus. This year, students chose the environment, and grants were awarded to projects that will help ensure a sustainable future. As part of the program, students must volunteer two to five hours per month at a local nonprofit, which brings them even closer to community issues.

“Through the Community 101 program, youth are involved in real life experiences that engage their hearts and minds, to see the world around them, to understand why and how decisions are made, and to become advocates in their communities,” said Jennesa Datema, associate program officer of youth philanthropy at The Oregon Community Foundation. “Handing over the philanthropic reins to young people, reversing the role so they are donating money to services they think are important – and possibly services they receive – gives them pride and a sense of responsibility to a pay it forward.”