New Redmond youth workforce campus completes $8 million campaign
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- An anonymous $400,000 donation has enabled Heart of Oregon Corps to reach its capital campaign goal for a new youth workforce development campus on 3.4 acres in Redmond.
The gift concludes the organization's five-year Legacy 25 campaign, which has raised more than $8 million since launching in 2021.
Heart of Oregon Corps provides job training, GED support and certifications for young people ages 16 to 24 in Central Oregon, engaging participants in conservation projects, affordable housing construction and child care. The organization pursued the centralized campus to expand its capacity beyond its previous reliance on aging and borrowed facilities.
The Legacy 25 campaign kicked off in 2021 with a $2 million grant from the State of Oregon and ultimately received support from more than 420 individuals, businesses and foundations. The fundraising effort completed within 2% of its budget and without debt, despite facing site acquisition hurdles, rising construction costs and the loss of a potential $1 million federal appropriation in 2025.
Executive Director Laura Handy praised the community support that helped complete the campus. “We couldn't be more grateful for the ways in which community members have shown up in support of Heart of Oregon, our youth participants and the future of our programs,” Handy said. “We set out to build a central campus because our community's need for a stronger workforce pipeline outpaced our capacity in aging and borrowed facilities—and the community understood this. Thank you to everyone who saw the vision and stepped up alongside us to make it reality, it has been an honor to work together.”
Located at Highway 126 and Southeast 9th Street, the facility includes a 6,600-square-foot campus center featuring classrooms, offices, meeting spaces, shower facilities and laundry rooms. The site also houses a 14,000-square-foot training warehouse for hands-on workshops alongside six equipment bays totaling 10,000 square feet to store wood chippers and trailers.
Renewable energy infrastructure on the property includes 88 solar panels, 12 electric vehicle chargers and battery storage, funded by $420,000 from Oregon State renewable energy grants and Energy Trust of Oregon incentives. The system is expected to save the organization $320,000 in power costs over the equipment's lifespan. Heart of Oregon acquired the property through an off-market agreement with Opportunity Foundation in 2025 and developed the site in coordination with BBT Architects and R&H Construction.
Leanna Aper, development director for Heart of Oregon, reflected on the local impact of the project. “Being born and raised in Redmond, I've seen firsthand the impact Heart of Oregon Corps has on young people and our community,” Aper said. “It is incredibly meaningful to see so many funders, businesses and community partners come together to make this campus possible. Our team is deeply grateful to have a space that will support the important work we do and help prepare young people for their futures for generations to come.”
Ahead of the official campus opening, Heart of Oregon will participate in the Endless Summer Nights street fair from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Bend Park and Float.
A public grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new central campus is scheduled for Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. Additional funds raised through the campaign will be allocated toward facility maintenance, fleet electric vehicle upgrades and ongoing youth programming.
