Madras hospital, Heart of Oregon Corps partner
Mountain View Hospital announced Friday that their 5th Street Thrift Store will be operating in partnership with the Heart of Oregon Corps, beginning September 1.
Heart of Oregon Corps provides employment-based programs that help address the needs of disconnected young adults in Central Oregon by providing them with opportunities to acquire job skills. Currently, Heart of Oregon operates training programs in the tri-county region of Central Oregon. They will utilize the store as a new training site to teach young people how to work in a retail environment.
“It’s a great solution to an ongoing problem,” stated Jeanine Gentry, CEO of Mountain View Hospital. “Our volunteers have worked so hard, but we have struggled to get enough volunteers to keep the store open. Now, the Heart of Oregon will bring in a whole group of young people to run the store. It will still benefit the hospital while benefitting youth who will be better prepared for employment because of this program.”
Heart of Oregon has worked in Jefferson County for 10 years to provide job skills training for youth who may not want to pursue a college route to employment.
Dan Saraceno, Education Director for Heart of Oregon Corps stated, “Heart of Oregon Corps is a natural link between education and employment for young people. It’s imperative that youth receive real-world experience and training in preparation for a fiercely competitive job market, particularly during the final phases of their secondary education.”
A portion of the proceeds from the store will still go to support the hospital foundation and the remaining funds will support the ongoing training and programs of Heart of Oregon Corps. Gentry said that hospital volunteers will have the option to remain working at the thrift store or may choose one of the many other volunteer jobs at the hospital if they desire.
“Our volunteers are instrumental to our mission of serving the community. It’s important to us that we continue their legacy with this partnership for the thrift store. We always have ways for people to support the hospital and hope all of our current volunteers will stay engaged,” shared Gentry.
The store will close on August 15, so that upgrades can be made to the facility for the new program. There will be a store wide sale from now until the closure on August 15. Heart of Oregon Corps is planning to host a grand reopening of the thrift store in September.
About Mountain View Hospital
Since 1967, Mountain View Hospital District, in Madras, Oregon, has been providing quality medical care to the citizens of Jefferson County. Mountain View Hospital employs more than 240 caregivers, making it the 5th largest employer in Jefferson County. MVH operates a 25-bed acute care facility and is designated as a Critical Access Hospital. Mountain View Hospital holds a management partnership with St. Charles Health System in Bend. For more information about Mountain View Hospital, visit www.mvhd.org.
About Heart of Oregon Corps
Since 2000, Heart of Oregon Corps has worked to empower and inspire positive change is the lives of young adults through jobs, education and stewardship. The vision of Heart of Oregon Corps is to improve economic and social vitality while increasing pathways out of poverty. Heart of Oregon Corps is dedicated to operating employment-based programs that help address the needs of disconnected young adults in Central Oregon and provide them with opportunities to acquire job skills and be productive members of our society. Over the past 12 years, Heart of Oregon Corps has served more than 2,000 young people, with an estimated 81% exiting the program into full-time education or stable employment.
