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Two Grants Pass Seniors Earn Prestigious Beat the Odds Scholarships for 2025 By John Oliver Two Grants Pass High School seniors have been selected as recipients of the 2025 Beat the Odds Scholarship, a statewide program that recognizes students who rise above personal hardship to excel academically and contribute meaningfully to their communities. This year’s honorees, Bobby Dishmon and Sophia Rueles, represent the perseverance, leadership, and vision that Stand for Children Oregon and The Renaissance Foundation seek to uplift through this long-standing partnership. Both students faced difficult early childhood experiences yet found their strength in education, mentorship, and community involvement. Their stories highlight how targeted support and opportunities can reshape a young person’s future and reaffirm the purpose behind the scholarship program. Dishmon’s path began with instability and time spent in foster care. He credits a fifth grade teacher for helping shift the course of his education by encouraging curiosity and confidence in the classroom. At Grants Pass High School, he continued to find stability and purpose through athletics, leadership roles, and community volunteering. His participation in the school’s early childhood education program helped him discover his long-term goal: becoming a teacher who inspires children as his mentors once inspired him. His academic performance, community involvement, and re-

silience led to his selection for the scholarship. Rueles’ story reflects the same determination but follows a different journey. She describes her early circumstances as deeply challenging, with obstacles stacked against her from the start. Rather than letting these hardships dictate her future, she immersed herself fully in her high school community. She enrolled in college-level courses, joined the marching band as a percussionist, competed on the wrestling team, and sought out opportunities that broadened her interests. A turning point arrived when she attended Vet Camp at

Oregon State University, sparking a passion for animal care. Motivated to help local animals and gain experience, she founded Paws for a Cause, a school club dedicated to supporting the humane society through fundraising and volunteer hours. She now plans to pursue a career as a small animal veterinarian. Both students were praised by Grants Pass High School AVID teacher Kathy Mathews, who has worked closely with many scholarship recipients over the years. She noted that Dishmon stands out for his grit and maturity, and that Rueles distinguishes herself with an

eagerness for academic rigor and a genuine desire to expand her knowledge. Their achievements reflect qualities the scholarship seeks to recognize: perseverance, leadership, and the ability to thrive despite adversity. The Beat the Odds Scholarship, established in 2007, provides each recipient up to five thousand dollars per year to support tuition, housing, books, or other education-related expenses. The program was created through a partnership between Stand for Children Oregon and The Renaissance Foundation, with the goal of assisting first-generation students who have overcome hardship and who demonstrate strong academic commitment. Beyond financial support, recipients gain access to ongoing resources, scholar events, and a growing support network through the Renaissance Scholars Program. Stand for Children Oregon plays a central role in educational equity across the state, with a history of advocating for research-based programs that improve outcomes for students. The organization helped pass Measure 98 in 2016, securing annual funding to support career and technical education, dropout prevention, and college readiness. Programs funded through Measure 98 have shown strong results, including a graduation rate of ninety-eight percent among students who complete two or more career and technical edu-

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Portland Veterans Day Parade Faces Another Cancellation Plans Shift to 2026 By John Oliver The Portland Veterans Day Parade did not take place yesterday, marking the third cancellation in six years for what had long been considered one of the city’s most recognizable tributes to military service. Organizers confirmed ahead of the holiday that the parade would not move forward for 2025, with hopes now centered on restoring the event in 2026 after working through the challenges that have repeatedly halted the celebration. This latest cancellation added another interruption to a parade that has struggled to regain momentum since the COVID era. The event was first canceled in 2020 when the pandemic shut down public gatherings across the state. The following year brought new obstacles when organizers were unable to secure the sponsorships required to cover planning, security and infrastructure costs. After returning in limited form in 2022 and 2023, the parade again fell off the calendar, reflecting ongoing difficulties in fundraising, logistics and volunteer coordination. The Portland Veterans Day Parade had traditionally drawn spectators from across the region, with veterans’ organizations, school marching bands, law enforcement groups and community clubs contributing to a procession through the

Hollywood District. Many viewed it as an annual reminder of the city’s connection to generations of service members. In its absence this year, Portlanders marked Veterans Day through smaller events held by local organizations and community groups, though none matched the scale or visibility of the traditional march. Organizers evaluating this year’s shutdown noted operational hurdles that could not be resolved in time for a 2025 event. They now plan to use the coming year to rebuild a stable foundation for the parade’s future. That effort includes seeking long term sponsorship commitments, broadening volunteer recruitment and developing a more reliable planning framework capable of surviving

financial or logistical setbacks. Planning for public safety, street closures and reserve staffing remained among the most complicated aspects of the parade, and organizers aim to address those issues early to prevent further disruptions. The absence of the parade also reflected broader challenges seen across civic events in major cities. Rising operational costs, shifts in volunteerism, fluctuating participation from community partners and economic pressures on nonprofit organizations have made it increasingly difficult to sustain large annual gatherings. Portland’s situation mirrored trends in other regions where parades and long running public traditions have paused or been scaled back while organizers reas-

sessed resources. As plans move toward a projected 2026 return, local veterans’ groups remained engaged in conversations with parade coordinators. Many of these organizations held their own ceremonies yesterday and emphasized the importance of eventually restoring the parade as a stable, annual tribute. Over the next year, organizers will work to reestablish partnerships and secure the resources needed to support the event in a way that avoids further interruptions. Portland’s Veterans Day Parade faced significant setbacks once again, but organizers expressed commitment to bringing the event back to its historic standing. With renewed planning efforts underway and an intention to strengthen financial and logistical support, the focus now shifts to building a foundation that will allow the parade to return in 2026 and reclaim its place as one of the region’s most visible acknowledgments of military service.