Compass Commercial announces 3 new ‘Compass Cares’ charities

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Compass Commercial announced Thursday that Kôr Community Land Trust, St. Vincent de Paul, and Hearts and Hands for Humanity have been chosen as the three Compass Cares charities for 2021 and 2022.

Here's the rest of the announcement, in full:

Each of our charities will receive $2,000 per year of the two-year term.

As Bend continues to grow, affordable housing is increasingly difficult to find for those who need to live and work here. Kôr and St. Vincent de Paul are helping to provide a solution for this challenge by creating more affordable housing. Hearts and Hands for Humanity is a locally founded charity focused on drilling wells to provide potable drinking water for villages in Uganda.

“One of our main focuses here at Compass Commercial is to give back. Not only do we donate as a company, but we encourage our team members to make personal donations in areas they feel passionate about,” president and broker Dan Kemp said. “Compass holds an annual fundraising event to encourage our clients who have the means to participate in supporting these charities as well. We have been very successful at raising funds for our selected charities in the past. The needs of not only our local community but also communities across the globe were the focus in selecting our Compass Cares charities this year. Our local workforce isn’t able to live and work in the area due to the rising real estate prices, which is why affordable housing is so important. And there is no better cause than providing clean drinking water to villages who need it.”

Learn more about each of our charities below:

Kôr Community Land Trust seeks to make homeownership attainable for all of Bend’s citizens. They provide environmentally sustainable and permanently affordable homeownership opportunities for those who contribute to the fabric of the Bend area economy and community.

“Kôr builds permanently affordable homeownership units with a net-zero goal to ensure that Bend’s workforce can afford to live in the community in which they work. Together with Compass Cares, Kôr plans to grow so we can better meet the community’s affordable housing needs,” Jackie Keogh, Executive Director of Kôr stated.

St. Vincent de Paul of Bend assists and empowers people living in low incomes without discrimination. Through donations by individuals and local businesses, they provide food, clothing, utility, propane, prescription, and transitional housing to help families and individuals who are in need. St. Vincent de Paul is increasing its affordable housing program to include a micro village shelter named St. Vincent’s Place.

“We are so thankful for the gift and support offered by Compass Commercial,” Gary Hewitt, Director of St. Vincent de Paul said. “Homelessness is a community problem requiring community solutions. We are only able to tackle this problem with broad involvement and commitment by both individuals and commercial entities. Because of the commitment by the Compass Cares Program, the lives of many people will be greatly improved. With each donation, our resolve is strengthened, and our determination is bolstered.”

Every minute, in Africa alone, a child under the age of 5 dies due to water-related disease. Hearts and Hands for Humanity provides clean water to communities in Africa using an innovative tool: The Human Powered Drill, which can drill up to 250 feet below the earth’s surface, creating wells that reach clean water buried underground. Bruce Kemp, a former partner, broker and past president of Compass Commercial is leading this clean water effort.

Bruce Kemp stated, “it is with gratitude we accept Compass Commercial’s support and kindness. Their donation will provide clean water for hundreds of school children, saving some of them from water-borne illnesses and death. A remote village in Uganda will be blessed by your generosity.”

If you would like to learn more about each of these charities and how you can get involved, you can visit our Compass Cares page or call us at 541-383-2444.