The Next Door Inc. Receives Women’s Giving Circle Annual Donation
Women’s Giving Circle member, Hayley Drader (left), presents $5,883 donation to Janet Hamada (right), Executive Director of The Next Door Inc (TNDI). Also pictured: Festival of Trees Christmas tree decorated by Columbia Gorge Community College, purchased by Pray Electric, and donated to TNDI’s Kelly Avenue School.
Each year, the Women’s Giving Circle, a membership-based group with the Mid-Columbia Health Foundation, donates their dues to local nonprofits. Since it began in 2019, the group has raised over $46,000 for community organizations. For their 2023 annual donation, the Women’s Giving Circle generously selected The Next Door Inc. (TNDI) as one of two recipients!
Hayley Drader, Giving Circle member and former employee of TNDI, nominated TNDI’s Healthy Families home visiting program for the donation. She advocated for the vital Family Services program that supports parents who are pregnant or caring for a newborn, all at no cost to program participants. At the end of December, the Women's Giving Circle submitted their votes and Drader presented the $5,883 donation to Janet Hamada, TNDI’s Executive Director, for Healthy Families as a result.
“In Family Services, we believe that every parent deserves support,” says Program Manager, Karin Tauscher. “We are so grateful for this generous donation from the Women's Giving Circle! These funds will go a long way in supporting our community's families who are expecting or caring for a new baby, as well as helping our outreach and education efforts so that more families in our communities can learn about how to get a fabulous home visitor through our Healthy Families program.”
The Mid-Columbia Health Foundation also hosts an annual charity fundraiser called the Festival of Trees in The Dalles. Local families and businesses come together to decorate themed Christmas trees that are then auctioned off at the foundation’s gala. Each year, proceeds from the main event support Adventist Health and other local organizations.
In 2023, the auction raised over $51,000 for the hospital and the Mid-Columbia Health Foundation. Pray Electric, owned by Larry and Mandelynn Pray, purchased a Nightmare Before Christmas themed tree decorated by Columbia Gorge Community College’s Associated Student Government. The Prays then donated the tree to the Kelly Avenue School, TNDI’s alternative school in The Dalles.
The Next Door would like to extend our sincerest thanks to our supporters for the outpouring of generosity toward our organization and our programs. We are so moved by the circle of giving that takes place in our community!