Visit Hood River’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Efforts Receive a Major Boost with a $50,000 Grant from Travel Oregon
In addition to staff and board training, funds will help support a language, culture, and representation educator to further inclusivity among the many cultures of the community
(HOOD RIVER, Ore.) – The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce dba Visit Hood River received $50,000 in grant funding from Travel Oregon to support staff and board training in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to better incorporate the voices and perspectives of the community’s cultures and populations in unique and impactful ways. Of the $1.4 million dollars awarded to 45 Oregon organizations by Travel Oregon, the Visit Hood River was one of only 12 organizations to receive the maximum award of $50,000.
“Visit Hood River is committed to helping build an inclusive culture among residents, business owners, visitors, and other members of our community,” said Katie Kadlub, CEO of Visit Hood River. “The grant funds awarded by Travel Oregon will supplement existing efforts with additional programming, allowing us to further celebrate all voices and perspectives through outreach, education, best practices for businesses, and more.”
Additional programming will include equity and bias coaching, and a language, culture, and representation educator for staff, board, and member businesses. The language, culture, and representation educator will focus on how the organization and its members can be better inclusive of cultures of the community, specifically the primary Spanish language speaking population.
Preference for Travel Oregon’s Capacity and Small Project Grants was given to proposals that focused on capacity building to provide an opportunity for awardees to set the organizational foundation to successfully move future projects forward.
For more information on Visit Hood River and Hood River County Chamber of Commerce, visit www.visithoodriver.com.
About the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce dba Visit Hood River:
The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce dba Visit Hood River is a nonprofit business association serving our tourism and business Stakeholders. Located at the crossroads of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and the magnificent Cascade Range and just
an hour from Portland, Hood River is truly breathtaking, offering outdoor recreation, dramatic views, vistas, historic landmarks, bountiful fruit, and fantastic food, wine, beer, and cider. With accommodations ranging from luxury hotels to historic B&Bs, Hood River is a four-season destination for families, outdoor enthusiasts, weddings, corporate events, and more. It was named the West’s best “Nature Lover’s Destination” in the 2021 Sunset Travel Awards, a “Top 10 Best Small Town Beer Scene” in the 2021 USA Today 10Best Readers Choice Awards, a Top 10 Wine Destination for 2017 by Wine Enthusiast, and 2015 “Best Adventure Town” in the West by Sunset magazine. Visit Hood River supports economic development, community development, and destination marketing for Hood River, Cascade Locks, Mosier, Odell, Parkdale, Pine Grove, and Mt. Hood. For more information, call 800-366-3530 or visit www.visithoodriver.com.
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