Our Programs – Mudd Nick Foundation

Mudd Nick Foundation’s Learning Experiences

With approximately 3,000 opportunities annually for children to participate in life expanding activities, the Mudd Nick Foundation focuses on developing Learning Experiences for children that complement, enhance, and broaden what they learn in the classroom. We direct our efforts and energies on delivering impactful, stimulating, fun and meaningful experiences. In close partnership with the North Tillamook County schools, we identify and fund opportunities to which local children would not otherwise have access.

These Learning Experiences focus on providing children:

access to the arts and cultural activities both within their local area and beyond
opportunities to participate in athletic programs
ways to build self-esteem and self-reliance
a chance to give back to their community.

Learning Experiences 2018 – 2019

The MNF will allocate over $123,000, which includes over $12,000 for children with special needs, in Learning Experiences for the 2018-2019 School Year and 2019 Summer. In addition, we expect two students to qualify for the Costa Rica foreign exchange program which is separately funded by an anonymous MNF donor.

The two charts below show the funded Learning Experiences by Category and by School. Multi-School includes our marque PX-2 three-day camp, 4-H camp, Summer Art Program, the Missoula Children’s Theatre camp, and Forest-to-Sea camp operated by North County Recreational District.

Treasurer’s Corner

The week following our 2018 annual Event, Jim was overwhelmed to learn our Event revenues were $83,600. A tremendous THANK YOU to those who attended and bid on the outstanding assortment of live and silent auction items including the numerous $250 Help a Child donations, bought Blinkies and 50/50 raffle tickets, and from our generous Event sponsors. Jim wanted to know if I thought we would have a record revenue year. I told him it was unlikely we would eclipse our 2016 record year of $203,000; but we could now expect a GREAT year, to which he said “WOW, isn’t that wonderful!” Thanks to the $16,555 the Foundation has received to date in donations to Jim’s Remembrance, our revenues, with year-end In-Kind donations, reached a record 210,000! Jim would be blown away by the amazing support given to provide live changing experiences to children in North Tillamook County.

Thanks to the numerous volunteer hours donated by our Board and other wonderful people, around 80% of our donations go directly to fund our Learning Experiences and provide a reserve to maintain the quality of life-changing experiences for our children.

2018 – 2019 Learning Experiences (No. of Participants)

Elementary Schools

• Community Arts Project (170) – School-wide learning about artists and time periods, and the opportunity for students to use their creative skills in creating art through guided art lessons

• STEM & Science Fair (170) – School-wide science fair to inspire students with science, technology, engineering, and math activities and stations

• Portland Newmark Theatre & Lunch in the Park (64) – 2nd and 3rd graders

• Train Ride (Garibaldi to Rockaway train ride) Around our Community (64) – 2nd and 3rdgraders

• Exploring the World Around Us (40) – Kindergarteners and 1st graders

• Oregon State Capitol (73) – 4th and 5th graders learning how laws are made and state history

• Battle of the Books Competition (50) – 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders reading books from list provided by State of Oregon and team competition about their readings

• Tillamook Forestry Center (73) – 4th and 5th graders learning about the life cycle of salmon and forests

• Oregon Bird Man Assembly (170) – School-wide assembly learning about the habits of wild birds

• Restaurant Invasion (195) – Exposure of students at all grade levels to finer dining and new foods as taught by local chefs

• Oregon Children’s Theatre Jason and the Argonauts, lunch, buy books at Barnes & Noble (42) – 5th graders

• Art Moms (195) –monthly art instruction from local artists for all grade levels

• Gilbert House Children’s Museum in Salem (25) – 1st and 2nd graders

• Science Field Trip to OMSI (66) – 3rd and 4th graders

• Columbia Maritime Museum & Haystack Rock Awareness Program (25) – 1st and 2ndgraders

• Raise Fish Fry (25) – 4th graders raising fish fry in class and releasing them in local streams

• Fire Department, Tillamook County Library, Nehalem Bay State Park (45) – Kindergarteners and 1st graders

Middle Schools

• Oregon Children’s Theatre Jason and the Argonauts, Lunch (81) – 7th graders

• Oregon State University (65) – 8th graders experiencing campus life and learning about STEM careers

• Newport Aquarium (70) – 6th graders

• Talented and Gifted Camp (20) – 7th and 8th graders given unique learning experiences by Portland Saturday Academy Group

• Trail Blazer Game (25) – students attending pre-season game at Blazer skybox arranged by Bucky Buckwalter and hosted by the Blazers

• OMEA District III Band Festival (32)

• Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital (20) – giving Honor Society students who have raised money for Doernbecher to see children with dire medical needs

• Women in Trades (30) – giving 8th graders exposure to trades traditionally under-served by women

• Tech Club Lego League & Mini Maker Faire (20) – supporting after school robotics club’s competition and attending Faire showcasing inventions, creativity, and resourcefulness

High Schools

Future Business Leaders Association State Tournament (30) – participation in the Oregon FBLA State Conference

• Robotics (15) – students who have developed robots participating in FIRST Tech Challenge League

• Talented and Gifted Camp (8) – exposing students to high-level thinking activities with like-skilled peers

• Career Expo in Portland (120) – exposing students to careers and post-secondary options

• In-School Music Workshop (30) – guest musicians coming to the school to enhance students’musical instrument abilities

• Western Oregon University Anatomy Visit (12) – giving 11th and 12th grade students exposure to a real human cadaver as part of their health science studies

• Oregon State and Volleyball Game (25) – NKN girls volleyball team watching OSU match and meeting players and coaches

• ASPIRE (70) – series of experiences helping students prepare for post-high school life

• Art Literature Partnership (12) – broadening students understanding through visual and written artistic creation

• Oregon Music Education Association District III Band Festival (30)

• CTE Field Trip (15) – helping students learn about careers in the construction trade and training opportunities

• Mock Interviews (230) – providing practice and building confidence in completing job applications and interviewing process

• Cezar E. Chavez Leadership Conference (15) – providing cultural awareness, pride, and how to make college an option for Spanish-speaking students

• Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference (1) – student with leadership skills meetingsimilar gifted students from around the state

• Medical Explorers (5) – observing and experiencing careers in the medical field

• Outdoor Club (14) – connecting students’ understanding and appreciation of the outdoors to enhance their nature writing skills

• Engineering Expo at Oregon State University (5) – seeing senior engineering projects and learning about engineering careers

• Fish Hatchery (17) – 11th and 12th grade students augmenting their classroom studies of salmon life cycle and survival by visiting the Nehalem River fish hatchery

Multi-Schools

• PX2 Weekend Camp (30) – available to all 7th graders interested in learning the power of positive thinking and ways to open the door to positive thinking and creating an avenue to make and reach goals

• 4H Camp (30) – week-long summer camp in the Salem area for boys and girls

• Missoula Children’s Theatre (60) – open to all children interested in having a week-long theatre experience including auditions, rehearsals, and a final production attended by the community

• NKN Youth Athletics (100) – donation to an organization providing structured competitive sports for children from 3rd to 6th grades

• Summer Art Camp (65) – three, one-week camp for campers age 5 to 12 with hands-on creative art projects and team building activities

• Roland Smith Author (580) – assemblies at the elementary and middle schools providing literacy enrichment in both reading and writing which is followed up by teachers incorporating these learnings into their teaching curriculum

• Oregon Writers Festival (30) –

• Portland Opera to Go (440) – middle and high school English Language Art classes receiving30 minutes of instruction by the actors prior to the performance of Puccini’s La Boheme at the school

• S.H.E. Warriors (20) – girls recreational running group providing training for 5K races and instruction on developing a healthy lifestyle

• NCRD Swim Program (200) – donation to support swim instruction for children at NCRD

• Forest to Sea Summer Camp (25) – Children ages 7 to 10 learning about the connections between people and the natural world

• Gardening and Cooking Day Camp (24) – introducing children to farm-to-table concept, plus hands-on activities, and exploring the science behind food

• Emergency Preparedness Camp (15) – giving children the skills to handle emergencies.

Special Needs

• Great Big Art Bash (18) – Funded by MNF, Bay City Art Center and volunteers providing acomprehensive art education to youth with special needs, while providing nearly 25 hours of respite care relief for parents

• Paddle Boat Trip on Nehalem Bay (12) – giving children experience in paddling kayaks and teaching water safety

• Think College Inclusion Oregon (6) – trip to Portland State University to learn about its special program for students with special needs

• Newport Aquarium (12) – fun outing to enjoy and experience this outstanding aquarium

• Gales Camp (1) – children and teenagers with Type 1 diabetes from all over the Pacific Northwest have a blast while connecting with other kids living with the same challenges

• Camp Taloali (1) – camp for the hearing impaired