​Just a few Sundays ago, while enjoying Central Oregon’s perfect fall weather, 160 community members came together to both dine on impeccably prepared food and raise funds for local non-profit, Heart of Oregon Corps. The second annual Farm to Fork Dinner & Fundraiser: Sunset at the Green was held at Pronghorn Resort and hosted by Aperion Management Group. The dinner featured farm fresh food, prepared by local chefs and served by Heart of Oregon youth.
 
Two local chefs, Kevin Linde, Pronghorn Executive Chef, and Corey Whalen, One Street Down Café Chef, collaborated on the menu, which featured a “snout to tail” perspective. One hog and many of the side ingredients were purchased from Gigi Meyers of Windflower Farm. Another hog and the processing was donated by Cameron Gunther of Home Farm Foods. The food that the chefs and their teams prepared included delicious items such as Fall Squash Soup with Pepita Seed Brittle and Cider Creme Fraiche and Piggy Skin Chicharrones with Ginger Cider Gastrique.
 
 “It’s really about the youth, and while the food, the location and the overall event are amazing, we’re here to help Heart of Oregon Corps continue to find success,” said Chef Corey Whalen, who donated his time to the event.
 
The impact of Heart of Oregon Corps (HOC) through their ‘work, earn, learn’ model was on display that evening when three alumni eloquently spoke about their personal journey and positive and transformational experience. HOC’s youth servers performed gracefully under pressure and HOC’s alumni table ambassadors bravely networked and shared their incredible stories at HOC. Through these person experiences, guest were able to really see the impact HOC has in the lives of local youth.
HOC’s goal of doubling the amount raised last year ($15,000) was achieved and the total amount raised was over $37,000! This type of support from the community is critical to HOC’s sustainability and successful operations to train tomorrow’s workforce today. Both Heart of Oregon Corps and Aperion Management Group would like to extend the biggest heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated, participated, and attended this year’s Farm to Fork and look forward to seeing you again next year!
 
About Aperion Management Group, LLC
 
Aperion Management Group, LLC is Central Oregon's first and only Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) that specializes in Homeowners Association (HOA) management in Central Oregon. With over fifty years combined experience in management, building and development, Aperion strives to create a more responsive and efficient management process for communities in and around Bend. To learn more visit www.aperionmgmt.com, or call us at 541.389.3172.
 
About Heart of Oregon Corps
 
Heart of Oregon Corps is a nonprofit organization invested in inspiring and empowering positive change in the lives of Central Oregon youth through jobs, education, and stewardship. Their programming creates pathways out of poverty while stimulating regional economic growth. The “work-learn-earn” model invests in local young people, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, to prepare them for the workforce and to encourage their self-sufficiency. Every year, Heart of Oregon Corps provides job skills training, education, and leadership development to over 300 local young people ages 16-24 that face major barriers to success.

​On Thursday evening, October 5, more than 250 attendees gathered at the Riverhouse Convention Center to celebrate the region’s finest citizens and businesses at the Bend Chamber’s 28th annual SAGE Business Awards event. Emcees for the event were none other than local celebrities Dave Clemens and Bob Shaw.

“The SAGE Business Awards are known for showcasing the achievements and entrepreneurial spirit of our region’s brightest businesses and citizens,” said Robin Rogers, Executive Vice President of Programs and Events for the Bend Chamber.

The awards gala returned to the Riverhouse this year with a comfy/chic look that included several lounge areas with upscale furniture provided by Ashley Homestore. Many attendees commented, ”Wow! This is nice!” when they first entered the ballroom and mentioned how spacious yet intimate this year’s setting was.

The Bend Chamber received more than 40 nominations this year. Nominations were open to Bend Chamber members with exception of the Citizen of the Year Award, which was open to both members and the community at large. All nominees, with the exception of the People’s Choice Award, were judged by an independent panel of judges comprised of past winners, business owners and community dignitaries.

“This was a really special occasion as we salute the stand-out businesses, non-profits, and individuals that make up our truly unique business community here in Central Oregon,” reiterated Rogers. The notion of Bend being a unique business community was echoed throughout the evening, starting with Katy Brooks, CEO of the Bend Chamber, and her introduction to the Equity Award. In addition to explaining the need for opportunity and diversity, she laid out a framework for what it means to do business in Bend. She termed it how to “be Bend.” To shed some light on how Bend’s unique business community came to be, a short video was shown showcasing Bend’s past drawing positive accolades from the audience.
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The announcement of the winners for each award category was the highly anticipated portion of the evening, culminating with the Citizen of the Year Award going to Dr. Rod Ray. The complete list of winners are as follows:

• Citizen of the Year: Dr. Rod Ray
• Large Business of the Year: G5
• Small Business of the Year: Aperion Management Group
• Nonprofit Organization of the Year:
  • Small: Latino Community Association
  • Large: Family Access Network
• Startup of the Year: Oregrown
• Young Professional of the Year: Carrie McPherson Douglass
• Equity Award: Moementum Inc.
• People’s Choice Award: IBEX Global

Congratulations to all who were nominated and to the winners!