CASCADE GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY/PORTLAND UNDERGROUND/

                                                SHANGHAI TUNNELS

                                              FIRST-EVER FUNDRAISER 

                        VIRTUAL/ONLINE/FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME!

                                                    JUNE 2, 2022
                             6:30 p.m. PRE-SHOW 7:00 p.m. FUNDRAISER
     
                                              www.avcast.me/cgs2022

            Direct link for donations:  cgsi.betterworld.org/donate
       

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Our raffles and auctions include unique, hand-crafted jewelry, tunnel tour memorabilia, framed artwork, and more.  Please check it out and make this a win-win for everyone!!


Cascade Geographic Society is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization, dedicated to the preservation, education, and promotion of the cultural, historical, and natural resources of the Cascade Mountain Range. We are an all-volunteer organization, founded in 1979 by Michael P. Jones, whose vision and perseverance created an historical legacy unparalleled in regard to Oregon history. Tragically, Michael died suddenly in March, 2020. Our organization is committed to continuing his lifetime of accomplishments.
We will be holding a live virtual fundraiser on June 2, 2022, where we will be presenting Cascade Geographic Society’s educational mission and projects, as well as holding an online raffle and silent auction. We are earnestly seeking sponsors for this event, and are reaching out to those with whom we have had connections over the past thirty years and/or those we hope may be interested in keeping our role as local historians alive and well into the future. We respectfully ask that you consider the sponsorship opportunities (attached); in this role, we would gladly promote your business as an event/organization sponsor, not only for this event, but into the future.
Following a decade of excavating/preserving/restoring an important segment of the Portland Underground, we began educating the public via tours (1995), and eventually (2013) were able to open our Museum of the Shanghai Tunnels in Old Town Portland. We concurrently worked on preserving and restoring a section of the old Barlow Trail (Oregon Trail) in Rhododendron, including the restoration of an 1880s logging camp. We host festivals on this property, as well as school and community groups.
Due to the Covid shutdowns, as well as the sale of buildings/changes in ownership and management, we lost access to the painstakingly restored section of the Underground that we utilized for more than a quarter century. We guided close to 200,000 people during that time, from all over the world, along with dozens of school, senior, and community groups.
We are currently in the process of restoring a ‘new’ section of the Underground and acquiring the necessary permits to allow us to once again provide, to those who are curious, the accurate, authentic, historical information about this part of Portland’s past. As we move toward the resumption of in-person Underground tours, we are excited to reopen the (free admission) Museum of the Shanghai Tunnels to allow people to view hundreds of collected artifacts, as well as to continue our ‘Breaking Through the Silence: Human Trafficking Education Project’ which is housed at the Museum as well. We are also hoping to resume our annual festivals in Rhododendron, which have been on hiatus due to Covid, but were staples of the Mount Hood area for 35 consecutive years prior.
We have depleted most of our savings over the past two years of having no tour income, yet continuing to pay the lease of our Museum and the insurance, utilities, and maintenance needed for the upkeep of the 18-acre Oregon Country Settlement in Rhododendron (which we own outright). Now we need financial help to continue to pay these ongoing expenses and to complete the new tour section, sanctioned by the building owner, Innovative Housing, Inc., which is also the landlord for our Museum.
This is a first for us: until now, we’ve built our organization via grassroots, volunteer brains and muscle, and a few grants along the way. Many of our volunteers have been with us for twenty-plus years, an indication of their dedication to preservation and education. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished, and hope that you’ll be willing to join us in continuing our educational missions. We know that requests are many and resources are limited, so any sponsorships or donations you choose to make would be greatly appreciated.
Please check out our websites for more information about us at portlandtunnels.com and cascadegeographicsociety.com. We’re also happy to answer any and all questions. Thank you for your time!

With regards,
Nita Kreuzer and the Board of Cascade Geographic Society