For 15 years, Portland Monthly’s Light a Fire awards have celebrated the nonprofits, organizations, and volunteers heeding the call to action. Meet the 2019 winners.
We’ve Honored More than 200 Nonprofits with Light a Fire Awards Since 2005
The real winners in this annual nonprofit and volunteer spotlight? All of us.
This Tiny Group Makes Oregon Schools Safer for LGBTQ Students
Oregon Safe Schools is advocating for the city's LGBTQ students.
This Portland Charter School Is Closing the Achievement Gap for Black and Brown Kids
KairosPDX is already seeing results.
This Nonprofit Brings Women Together to Invest in Women
The Women's Foundation of Oregon lifts women and girls throughout the state.
Meals on Wheels People Made a Hip, Midcentury-Mod Diner for Seniors
The nonprofit café serves community connection along with Reubens and house marionberry pie.
How a 30-Year-Old Conservation Group Is Thwarting Developers and Protecting Pristine Forest Land
Columbia Land Trust now controls 45,000 acres along the Columbia River—where nothing will ever be built
Bringing Music Education Back to Oregon Schools
Through her nonprofit Music Workshop, Portlander Amy Richter harnesses the power of technology to lighten the load for strapped educators.
How One New Portland Nonprofit Amplifies Immigrant Voices
The Immigrant Story shares the stories of some of the area’s new (or not so new) arrivals from afar.
This Volunteer Has Fostered 18 Guide Dogs for the Blind Just Since 2016
Says Debi Hays: “They give me the dogs that are a ‘challenge.' I call them misunderstood.”
Becky Blumer Delivers Groceries and Kindness to Seniors and People with Disabilities
“I grew up in a small community where it felt like a given that people took care of each other.”
Shari Dunn Helps Empower Oregon Women for Professional Success
Since 2015, Dunn has steered Dress for Success Oregon, offering women career coaching, interview and résumé preparation, and access to a professional wardrobe.
This Woman Is Making College a Possibility for a New Generation of Portlanders
Margarita Gutierrez Lemus is the cochair of College Possible’s joint Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
This Portland Illustrator and Activist Has Been Working for LGBTQ Rights Since… Well, Forever
Rupert Kinnard joined the Portland Town Council, the first LGBTQ-rights umbrella group in Oregon, in the early ‘80s as its first black member.
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