Bend, Ore. – St. Charles Health System has awarded more than $143,000 in Community Benefit grants to 34 local organizations across Central Oregon, funding programs focused on basic needs, community connection, and reducing loneliness and social isolation.
According to St. Charles, the grants support a mix of services and events, including food and housing assistance, community gatherings, and initiatives aimed at fostering inclusion and belonging. The funding also includes awards made through the health system’s Priority Grant program, which targets efforts to reduce isolation and strengthen community ties.
Among the recipients is a newly launched nonprofit, Unity4Inclusion, founded by Sam Robinson of Madras. Robinson, who is autistic, established the organization to support individuals of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Unity4Inclusion received a $5,000 grant, which Robinson said will help cover startup insurance costs and allow the nonprofit to begin offering programs in the near future, including an inclusive community dance.
“I want to give a big thank you to St. Charles because this will be a huge help for the nonprofit,” Robinson said in a statement. “We are all about uniting communities and breaking down the barriers that people with disabilities face.”
The organization is also partnering with the High Desert Self Advocacy Group to help individuals with disabilities develop skills to better advocate for themselves and navigate community systems.
Carlos Salcedo, manager of Community Partnerships for St. Charles, said the grants reflect how smaller, locally rooted organizations can play an outsized role in addressing social isolation.
“This grant is just one example of how small organizations are hoping to make a big difference for people in our community to reduce isolation and create a sense of belonging,” Salcedo said.
St. Charles’ Community Benefit program distributes funding annually to nonprofit organizations whose work aligns with identified regional health and social priorities. More information about the program and funded initiatives is available through St. Charles Health System’s website.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
