Soroptimist awards $50,000 in Union County community grants

About $50,000 is headed to Union County programs that reach babies, students, families and vulnerable adults, with awards flowing to groups from Island City Elementary School to Shelter from the Storm and the Youth for Christ Drop in Center. Soroptimist International of La Grande used its recent grant announcement to show where local charitable dollars are going next, and which community needs will get a lift in the year ahead.

The 2026 Community Benefit Grants went to Babies First/CaCoon, Blue Mountains Conservancy, Elevate Gymnastics, Friends of the Opera House, Island City Elementary School, La Grande Main Street Downtown-Shamrock Shuffle, Les Schwab and Elkhorn Media Toy Drive, Next Step Pregnancy and Relationship Center, Shelter from the Storm, Training and Employment Consortium, Tribe MC Nomads Christmas Toy Drive, Union County CARE-Elgin Pool Passes, Union County CASA, Union County Special Olympics and Youth for Christ Drop in Center. Together, the awards point to a broad set of local needs, from early-childhood support and youth fitness to arts, basic-needs aid, recreation access and volunteer-backed services.

Soroptimist International of La Grande said the grants are designed to support educational, vocational and social opportunities for women in Union County, while also backing projects that improve quality of life for families and children. The club said applicants had to be based in Union County and align with its mission of helping women and girls realize their goals through education and access to resources. The chapter says its Community Benefit Grants Program has now returned more than $1 million to the community since it began, making it one of the more durable local funding streams for small nonprofits and civic projects.

The club’s local footprint is substantial for a volunteer organization. Soroptimist International of La Grande says it has about 45 local women members on average, and the La Grande club was chartered on October 16, 1941. The international organization says it includes about 80,000 Soroptimists in 130 countries and territories, and the name Soroptimist means “best for women.”

This year’s awards follow a grant cycle that opened January 1, 2026, with review dates on March 1 and May 1. The club also said it funds scholarships alongside community grants, including continuing-education, university senior, trade and vocational, medical-career and Live Your Dream awards. In 2024, the club distributed more than $41,000 in grants, and in 2023 it awarded more than $39,000 to 18 community groups. That track record shows the grants are not symbolic gestures; they are recurring dollars that move directly into local programs residents will see in schools, service agencies and neighborhood projects across Union County.