At Deschutes, giving back is more than a value - it's part of who we are. Each year, we dedicate a full day for our employees to step away from their desks and into the community to volunteer with causes close to their hearts. As part of our Deschutes Day of Service 2025, every employee receives a paid day off to make a difference, whether through community support, environmental efforts, or advancing financial literacy.
This year’s Day of Service was a powerful reminder of the impact we can have when we come together with a shared purpose.
Teaching Financial Literacy
One of the highlights of the day was a speaking engagement at Lincoln High School, where our CEO MacGregor Hall, senior financial advisor Laura Fallon-Burns, CFP®, and our Marketing Manager Emily Hall spent the day speaking to three different high school finance classes about saving, investing, and managing debt wisely.
MacGregor Hall speaks to a class of students at Lincoln High School 4/24/2025
The students were engaged and asked thoughtful questions about budgeting, investing strategies, saving for retirement, and financing college or trade school. Our team was impressed and encouraged by the students' level of interest and the questions they asked. Their engagement made it clear that today's youth are eager to learn how to take control of their financial lives, they just need the right information and encouragement. It was also great news to learn that the school’s personal finance course - previously an elective - will become a required course for all graduating students beginning with the Class of 2027. This will help tremendously to help lay the foundation for young people to succeed financially.
Laura Fallon-Burns, CFP® speaking at Lincoln High School 4/24/2025
Emily Marie Hall speaking at Lincoln High School 4/24/2025
Overall, it was an incredibly rewarding experience to spend the day giving back through education. Mac, Laura and Emily were grateful to have the opportunity to speak to the students and hopefully inspire the next generation to build healthy financial habits.
Emily Hall, Laura Fallon-Burns, CFP® and MacGregor Hall at Lincoln High School 4/24/2025
Our newest team member Jacob Stewart, CFP® also put his financial knowledge to use on the Day of Service by participating in an annual Advisory Council Meeting and Networking Event put on by the College of Business down at Oregon State University.
Jacob Stewart, CFP® speaking to a crowd at Oregon State University on 4/24/2025.
Jacob spoke to current students about different career options within the financial services industry. He also provided feedback on a community-based financial initiative in partnership with OSU’s extension campuses across the state. Jacob notes that he is looking forward to spreading more awareness about this program in the coming years and continuing to promote more financial literacy concepts within the OSU community at large.
Other Ways Our Team Gave Back
While part of our team focused on inspiring students, others volunteered in a variety of ways across the community:
Our Client Services Manager Tiffany Mai volunteered at The Shopp, a division of NW Collaborative, a local 501c3. There’s a short video on their homepage that does a great job at explaining their mission. “The Shopp is a Portland-based women-led non-profit thrift store dedicated to supporting survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, and other critical needs. Our mission is to provide clothing and basic essentials to those in need, ensuring they have the resources to rebuild their lives. Every cent of our net proceeds goes directly to supporting these individuals and their advocates.”
They were setting up a second space for their “Sip & Shopp” event on Saturday, 4/26, so Tiffany helped bring up seasonal items from their basement storage into this new space to prepare it for Saturday. During her time there, she met an intern, who left a dangerous situation less than a year ago, and the daughter of one the first women that NW Collaborative’s mission helped.
Tiffany Mai volunteering at The Shopp on 4/24/2025
Tiffany left The Shopp that day feeling so grateful to be able to spend the day helping with such an impactful cause and meeting such lovely people. So much so, it inspired her to continue volunteering through the weekend. Along with her niece, she went on a volunteer spree on Saturday. They went to the Oregon Food Bank Saturday morning, and in the afternoon headed to First AME Zion Church to help with their 3rd annual “Feed 100” event, where they were giving away hot food plates, as well as food boxes.
Tiffany Mai and her niece volunteer at Oregon Food Bank
After that, they headed back to The Shopp to help finish set up for the Sip & Shopp and stayed for nearly the whole event. Tiffany notes, “it was such an incredible experience to be able to connect with NW Collaborative, knowing my time and effort was going towards such an important cause, and beyond that, a spectacular weekend of volunteering. I’m already planning on coming back, next time with my whole crew of nieces and nephews, for an even bigger impact.”
Deschutes Senior Retirement Plan Advisor Phil Sherman, CFP® volunteered at an organization called Bags of Love which supports foster youth and provides resources and encouragement for transitioning into adulthood. Phil joined his cousin Rosie Bradshaw (pictured)- who has volunteered there for the past two years, and they packed bags for local children in crisis. Bags of Love is 100% community-funded and 98% operated by volunteers and they deliver care packages to kids in the foster care system. Find out more about them here: Bags of Love.
Phil Sherman, CFP and his cousin Rosie Bradshaw volunteer at Bags of Love 4/24/2025
As part of this year's Deschutes Day of Service, our Retirement Plan Advisor Jon Metz, CPFA® joined Friends of Tryon Creek, Land Tending — Friends of Tryon Creek a community-supported nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of Tryon Canyon. He worked to rehabilitate critical areas of the ecosystem by planting native vegetation following the manual removal of invasive species, including non-native blackberry and red canary grass, without the use of herbicides. This restoration effort is vital to protecting the long-term health of the watershed and forest. By reestablishing native plant life, the project helps create sustainable habitats, improve soil and water quality, and promote biodiversity. Jon was happy to take part in an effort that helps to ensure future generations can experience, utilize, and thrive on these natural lands, preserving their ecological value and community importance for years to come.
Nature clean up picture from Jon Metz, CPFA® on 4/24/2025
Chelsie Andrews, CPFA® our Chief Operating Officer volunteered at a K-8 school as a part of their annual fundraiser, raising over $100,000. This fundraiser funds basic budget needs as well as field trips for the kids. She was also able to volunteer in the classroom. The school requires background checks and training before being in the classroom so it can be harder to get people to commit to fulfilling these duties and be able to volunteer. Chelsie feels very grateful to be able to help during the school day.
Laura Fallon-Burns, CFP® also took this opportunity to volunteer her time with Native American Youth and helped to support the Many Nations Academy Fundraiser which is happening 4/30/2025. You can find out more about NAYA and Check out the online auction Here: NAYA Many Nations Academy Auction
Our newest ERISA team member Jeffry Lamb spent his day volunteering at the Findley Elementary book fair all day Thursday. He spent the day scanning books at the register and helping the kids with math to make sure they had enough money and see what they could afford. When he wasn’t at the register Jeff spent his time walking around talking to the kids, answering questions, helping them find books, or suggesting books based on years of reading to his children. He noted that his line was usually the longest, with many kids he coached over the years wanting him to check out their books and that it was a delightful experience.
On our Day of Service each employee was empowered to choose where they wanted to make an impact, reflecting our company's diverse passions and belief that community involvement should be personal, meaningful, and accessible.
A Core Part of Our Culture
Whether through promoting financial literacy, fighting hunger, homelessness, supporting the youth, or protecting the environment, we believe that giving back is essential to who we are — and how we live our mission every day.
We’re incredibly proud of our team and the passion they bring to both their professional work and their volunteer efforts. Together, we're building stronger futures — for our clients, our communities, and the next generation.