We regularly team with local non-profit organizations to help better serve our community’s needs. Over the years we have supported groups as diverse as the Gospel Rescue Mission, Family Friends, SOASTIC, Options, Heart2Heart, Josephine County Canine Club, the Boys and Girls Club, College Dreams, the Boy Scouts and WildLife Images to name a few.

Brookings BruinFest (2009-2010) The Brookings Bruin Fest was a hands-on touchable art event. Twenty five life-sized fiberglass bears painted by Southern Oregon artists left Evergreen’s Bear Hotel to visit the Oregon coast. The bears, originally created for BearFest in Grants Pass, gained such popularity it was brought back for three consecutive years. A contest was held inviting the public to find the bear with a special message. The winner received a $1,000 shopping spree to be spent within the Brookings downtown stores. The bears remained on display until the New Year. At the end of the event Evergreen auctioned off one bear to benefit  the Brookings-Harbor Community Food Share, a local non-profit in Brookings.

	Library Story Time at The Bear Hotel (2009) Evergreen hosted Library Story Time at the Bear Hotel on December 19 to benefit the Josephine Community Library. Librarians read Christmas stories in six unique settings in the Bear Hotel. Stories were read in the Bear Ti Pi, the Penguin Ti Pi, the Dinosaur Corral, the Wild Bunch Clubhouse, the Winter Trolley and the Polar Bear Car. We also had games, refreshments, coloring books and a photo op with Santa on a Harley.

Unveiling of the New Magical Musical Christmas Mural House (2009) On Monday, November 23 the community came out to witness the unveiling of the new Magical Musical Christmas Mural House. This event helped to raise funds for the Josephine Community Library. Librarians read the “Twas the Night Before Christmas” poem of 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore. Children from the community helped to unveil the Christmas Mural and turn on the lights in Evergreen Park. Hot Cider was served and provided by Taprock Northwest Grill. In addition, a video camera was set up in the Evergreen Room for the National Guardsmen families who taped personal messages to their loved ones serving overseas. The messages are currently being made into a movie, and will be sent to Delta Company soldiers in Iraq.

	Evergreen Park Open House/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (2009) May 16, 2009 marked the grand opening of Evergreen Park. A beautiful park with bronze sculptures, murals and a waterfall right on the Rogue River. Children of all ages from the community, as well as Congressman Greg Walden, cut the ribbon, which officially opened the park.

The Best Door in All of Oregon (2009) Beautiful, original artwork can be seen everywhere you look at Evergreen Park, but perhaps one of the most spectacular is “The Best Door in All of Oregon” by local artists Peter Sedlow and Lindi Ledger. Standing over 12-feet tall, the massive bronze doors depict bears fishing a waterfall while salmon jump through rushing water. Be sure to look for the wildlife critters hidden throughout the door.

The Doors of Oregon (2009) Grants Pass is celebrating 150 years of Oregon Statehood with a new public art project called “The Doors of Oregon.” Oregon was the 33rd state admitted to the Union, so 33 doors were given to local artists and they were asked to paint both sides of the doors with their impressions of our great state. In May 2009, these doors were placed on the sidewalks in downtown Grants Pass where they will remain until September when the doors will be auctioned off to support Wildlife Images – a local wildlife rehabilitation center.

Heart 2 Heart “Get Ready to Save Lives” (2008 – 2009) Evergreen Federal Bank along with Impact Physical Therapy was proud to host the Heart 2 Heart “Get ready to save lives” project. The event, which invited the public to decorate thousands of blank wooden hearts, was a huge success. Evergreen handed out over 5,000 blank hearts for the public to decorate and bring back to the bank. For every heart brought back, Evergreen donated a dollar to the local non-profit Heart 2 Heart to help them purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for Josephine County public schools. The event raised even more funds when hearts were put on display in the bank lobby and sold for Valentines Day. Hearts that were not purchased were taken to local nursing homes on Valentines Day. Other remaining hearts were given to local hospitals and sent to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of the event, the “Get ready to save lives” campaign raised $34,500. As a result, Heart 2 Heart was able to purchase 23 AED devices for Josephine County public schools.

	Merlin National Guard Soldiers Salute (2009) On Monday, May 10th community members gave our troops a big send-off. Citizens of all ages gathered at the Merlin National Guard Armory to show their support and wish the 138 soldiers well as they deployed to Iraq. Local citizens held 1,000 full-size flags and formed a corridor for the departing soldiers.  Currently, we are collecting “Care Package” items and accepting donations for the National Guard troops.  Please see our Current Events page for more details.

Murder Mystery Weekend (2008) Murder Mystery Weekend was an interactive murder mystery event. The event invited wanna-be Sherlocks to uncover the lost gold mine buried under one of the downtown businesses and solve a very unusual murder. Participants received clues from downtown businesses to help them solve the crime. A performance, from the local theatre group, closed the event revealing the mystery and the winner.

Home Holidays Hometown (2008) Home Holidays Hometown was a series of events during the holiday season in the month of December. Cinnamon Toast Stands were erected downtown and Evergreen Cinnamon Bears served free cinnamon toast and hot chocolate to the public.

Winter Wonderland (2007-2009) Winter Wonderland is an annual customer appreciation event. Evergreen transforms the Bear Hotel into a magical Winter Wonderland which featured a sneak preview of BearFest 2010 “The Wild Bunch, Bears on Harleys.” Santa Claus was there as well as interactive games, gifts, prizes, music, food, refreshments and fun for the whole family.  There were many one-of-a-kind photo opportunities available.

	Santa’s Can Castle (2008) Santa’s Can Castle was a large castle made from food cans donated to the Gospel Rescue Mission and SOASTC (Southern Oregon Adolescent Treatment Center). It was installed inside Blind George’s Ice Cream Parlor. The Castle reminded us to help those who need food during the holiday season by bringing canned food items to Blind George’s. Donated canned food was then given to our local Josephine County Food Bank. For every can received, Evergreen donated $1.00 to the Christmas Basket Program to help even more needy families. As a result 5,000 food baskets were created and given to various families in Josephine County.

Celebration of America (2006) Twenty-three monuments were displayed downtown in celebration of the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. On the face of each shield is an original painting of a significant event for each decade since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These shields are on permanent display at the Bear Hotel.

The Grants Pass Community Book Drive (2005) Evergreen sponsored a book drive to benefit local non-profits. Community members were asked to donate their used or unwanted books. Each person who donated a book received 1 quarter in which they deposited in a non-profit jar of their choice. As a result, 41,828 books were collected and through the community’s efforts $10,711 was raised to benefit the following local non-profit organizations: Josephine County Library Foundation, SPARC/Stepping Stone, Josephine County Literacy Council, College Dreams, Grants Pass Sister City Committee and Gospel Rescue Mission.

Radio Days (2005) Evergreen presented Radio Days, a live Radio Broadcast from the Golden Age of Radio. Evergreen customers had the opportunity to see the reenactment of the classic radio show, The War of the Worlds, on the stage at the Redwood Theatre. The show was also broadcasted live on KAJO radio, just like it was in 1938. Other radio shows included The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, The Green Hornet and Suspense Theatre. All of the money raised through ticket sales went to “College Dreams.” College Dreams is a non-profit that focuses on providing incentives to kids to stay in school.

A Cause for PAWS – Grants Pass is Going to the Dogs (2005) Thirty local artists brought their creative magic to create beautiful one of a kind doghouses. These doghouses were on the sidewalks of downtown Grants Pass. This project was co-sponsored by the Grants Pass Daily Courier and Evergreen Federal Bank to raise money for the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit. The doghouses were then auctioned off and all of the proceeds were given to the K-9 unit. The K-9 unit is an important part of the public safety system. The unit does not receive tax dollars to support the dogs. The dogs are supported by public donations. The funds raised through the auction helped provide some of the money needed to feed, provide care and equipment for the dogs.

Heritage Days (2005) Josephine County Heritage Days provided fun and learning about our local history while benefiting half a dozen local nonprofits. The event highlighted such great community assets as the Wolf Creek Inn where they saw ladies looming a quilt in the old-fashioned way; they toured the Applegate Trail Museum in Sunny Valley; and witnessed the renewal of vows in an old church in Golden, which is the best ghost town in Southern Oregon. Participants also had a chance to enter into a drawing to win a real gold nugget.

Magical Christmas Murals (2004-present) Starting the second week of November and running through the first of the New Year, the downtown area sparkled with the fiberoptic dazzle of 18 gigantic Magical Musical Christmas Murals, which played old-fashioned Christmas music.

Crocodile Rescue (2004) As part of the celebration of Evergreen Federal Bank’s 70th Anniversary, we donated $15,000 to “Wildlife Images” in honor of Steve and Terri Irwin of the “Crocodile Hunter” fame. The Irwins have devoted their lives to help wildlife around the world. “Wildlife Images” is a great local non-profit that helps rehabilitate animals and provides wildlife education in our area. Our donation is a small way to say “Thank You” for all their good work. Rather than just give a boring check we created a fun community event. We invited Terri Irwin to Grants Pass to lead the event. Participants obtained a free “Crocodile Rescue Permit” from downtown businesses, which then entered them into a free drawing to win a trip for two to Queensland, Australia, to visit the “Crocodile Hunter’s” Zoo.

The Shoe Tree (2004) The Shoe Tree Project was created when a Gospel Rescue Mission volunteer, requested a shoe barrel placed at the Evergreen branch. What “grew” from the request, were three live oak trees in the center of the bank lobby loaded with thousands of shoes donated by the community. Shoes filled the trees and piled into several shoe mountains. Evergreen matched every pair of shoes with a dollar donation up to $10,000. The shoes were then sent to Africa to help families in need.

Imagination Village (2004) Imagination Village was a collection of miniature houses in a village setting created by local artists and builders. Each house had a unique theme, was artistically adorned both inside and out, and was enhanced by professional landscaping. The proceeds from the auction of the various village structures directly benefited the Grants Pass Association of Realtors (GPAR) “Family House” that is located at Three Rivers Community Hospital. The GPAR Family House provides an affordable, convenient, and supportive environment for out-of-town patients and their families who are receiving medical treatment at Three Rivers Community Hospital.

	BearFest (2003-2005) Local artists decorated, embellished, bejeweled and painted larger than life size bears. BearFest is a hands-on touchable art event, proving that art doesn’t have to be “serious” to be great. Proceeds from the auction of these loveable bears directly benefited various local non-profit organizations. Some of the bears from previous years are now on permanent display at the Bear Hotel.

Antique & Collectibles Appraisal Fair (2001-2003) Evergreen customers received estimated values from Twenty-Eight appraisers specializing in: furniture, books, coins, violins & musical instruments, art & prints, toys, Disney collectibles, stamps, records & phonographs, jewelry, watches & clocks, advertising, dolls & bears, tools, lamps, vintage clothing, glass, china & pottery and anything else they were curious about. There were refreshments and entertainment from the Josephine County Historical Society’s “History Players” portraying historical people from our community.