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afo is Celebrating
Reflecting on 2016 has given us reason to celebrate and thank you for your participation in afo’s success. Here are a few reasons why.
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There was that $200,000 planned gift and $100,000 challenge grant that Brooks Gunsul contributed to the afo Endowment Fund! We were bowled over by Brooks’ generosity, and have continued to be excited about the response to his challenge. With a December 31, 2017 deadline, the afo endowment committee is over halfway to the goal of matching Brooks’ $100,000 challenge. Seeing the endowment fund grow gives us confidence in the long-term future of afo programs and services and optimism for Oregon’s children of tomorrow.
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Oregon’s children, in fact, are our second reason for celebration. 2016 saw record numbers of young people enrolled in Architects in Schools – and record numbers of classroom teachers and volunteer design professionals laying out 6-week plans to introduce kids to the designed and built environment. From the Alphabet District to Ashland and Beaverton to Bend, students are learning to really see what they walk (or run) past every day, to consider design choices and their impacts on our beautiful state.
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Seeing the newly remodeled interior of the former Oregonian building, originally designed by Pietro Belluschi in 1949, was a special treat for designers and design aficionados who attended afo’s inaugural REFRESH event in June. We were honored to have such a robust turnout, and we look forward to reprising REFRESH in another exciting location in 2017. We hope you will be there!
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Hearing design discussed regularly on the radio and podcasts is refreshing, too! afo's long-standing partnership with the Janet M. and Van Evera Bailey Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation this year named Randy Gragg as our 2016 Van Evera Bailey Fellow. Randy’s Fellowship created a series of broadcasts and podcasts for “a year-long journey through architecture, planning and design” with April Baer of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s State of Wonder. Take a listen!
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Celebration was the key word in October when afo paid tribute to 2016 Honored Citizen, Lee Kelly. Nearly 700 of Lee’s and afo’s best friends came out to honor this living treasure and remarkable man. If you have not seen Jeff Gianola’s video story of Lee’s life and his accomplishments, it would make excellent holiday break viewing. Bonus: there’s even a drone flyover of Leland Iron Works, where Kelly creates and displays his monumental magic. Watch them here.
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Cheers to everyone who helped make afo’s 2016 so exciting. And cheers, again, to you for a stellar 2017!
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