Philanthropy

Have a Heart for Community Service?

Seaside / Cannon Beach / Gearhart /

Arch Cape / Manzanita

If you have a passion for community service, consider combining your trip to the beach with the opportunity to help make the world a better place! Do you love the beach and have a desire to preserve its beauty for future generations? Do you have a heart for animals? Care deeply about the unique needs of small, rural communities? Whatever your interests, Seaside, Gearhart, and Cannon Beach have innumerable opportunities for you to get involved!

The Ocean & Forest

The North Coast has a great need to protect our unique environment and our wildlife, as well as to preserve its beauty for all to enjoy both now and in the future. Here are some ideas for getting involved:

SOLVE Beach Clean-up: Twice a year you can join thousands of volunteers to pick up trash along the entire Oregon coast. This is a particularly important event after the recent tsunami in Japan. In addition to keeping our beaches clean and beautiful, cleaning up the beach protects wildlife. Check their website for yearly dates.

Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP): This organization strives to use education to protect the intertidal (tide pool) and bird ecology of the Marine Garden and Wildlife Refuge at Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock. HRAP welcomes volunteers to participate in the yearly training and then schedules with them to greet Haystack Rock visitors on the beach at low tides during the summer months. If you prefer indoor activities, The Friends of Haystack Rock raise money to help educate visitors about Haystack Rock's sensitive ecology. Visit their webpage on the City of Cannon Beach website.

North Coast Land Conservancy has many events throughout the year: https://nclctrust.org

Wildlife Center of the North Coast always needs help. They care for injured animals and birds, and whenever possible, release them back into the wild when they are healed. Animals need to be fed daily, and treatment areas, pens, and cages need to be cleaned. Call them at (503) 338-0331.

Community Service

Every community needs and deserves for its residents to get involved to help make their community a great place to live! The North Oregon Coast is a wonderful community that works together and supports its members wherever needed, and many local residents are regularly involved in all kinds of volunteer service to keep it that way. Seaside and the surrounding area also welcomes involvement from anyone who may have to live and work outside of our area but still wants to feel like part of our small towns. While there are many areas in which to get involved, here are a few diverse suggestions to get you started.

Helping Hands is a fantastic re-entry program that helps homeless people in the Seaside area. Most of us have probably heard the old proverb, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day...." Helping Hands does "teach a person to fish." They don't merely provide a bed and a meal. Each participant is individually assessed and has a plan in place for reintegration into the community. They have various opportunities for involvement, and in addition, they run a thrift store and accept "second chance" furniture for their vocational training center. Call them at (503) 470-0799.

Providence Seaside Hospital Foundation: Among their fundraising efforts is the yearly Festival of Trees each December. This gala includes an hors d'oeuvres and dessert buffet, concert, and silent auction that includes beautifully decorated holiday trees.

Seaside Scholarships, Inc.: Each year individuals and civic organizations grant nearly $100,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Gearhart. If you have roots in the Seaside area or have a passion for helping underprivileged youth further their education, consider getting involved in their fundraising events.

Clatsop Animal Assistance, Inc. is dedicated to promoting and providing for Clatsop County Animal Shelter's homeless pets. They sponsor or participate in multiple adoption and fundraising events throughout the year. Send them an email at info@dogsncats.org to see how you might be able to volunteer. Dog walkers, groomers, and vet techs should apply at the Clatsop County Animal Shelter itself.