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Left to Right: Loren Dixon, Gary Dodge, Janet Balzer |
Gary Dodge, Vice President and Commercial Branch Manager for our Tualatin Branch, was presented with the 2007 2nd Quarter “Doing the Right Thing” award as a result of his involvement with the Edwards Center, the Housing Development Corporation and the Cornell Corners Fundraiser for The Hillsboro Library.
Created in 1972, the Edwards Center was one of the first non-profit organizations dedicated to the independence and dignity of people with autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and other debilitating conditions. Today, the Edwards Center provides homes, jobs and activities to give people with disabilities the chance to live and work as most other Americans do, in non-institutionalized settings. Gary has a personal connection to the Edwards Center, his late brother-in-law, who was autistic, was one of the first residents. This helped Gary to understand the invaluable service that the Center provided. About eight years ago, he heard the agency was actively seeking board members, and decided to join. Today, he serves on the Board of Directors, the Finance Committee and is chairman of the Resource Development Committee.
Gary is also involved with the Housing Development Corporation of Northwest Oregon. He became involved several years ago after Banner’s Community Outreach Officer Loren Dixon introduced him to the Project Development Committee for the Housing Development Corporation. For over 25 years, the Corporation has been one of the largest workforce housing organizations in the region. Its mission is to provide quality housing and services to empower working families in the communities of Northwest Oregon with the greatest barriers to stability and prosperity. After serving on the committee for a year, Gary was voted on to the Board of Directors and became President of the Board last year.
In recognition of Gary’s community involvement, Banner Bank has presented him with a plaque, a day off with pay and a $1,000 donation to the charity of his choice. Gary chose to give his donation to the Edwards Center.