Kids' Chance of Oregon

Kids' Chance of Oregon, a new nonprofit that provides post-secondary and trade school scholarships to children of Oregon workers who have been severely or fatally injured in a workplace accident, handed out its first scholarships Sept. 4 in the downtown Portland offices of Hoffman Construction. The scholarship recipients are Erin Fisher and twins Kayla and Randi Johnston. Kids' Chance is a national organization founded in 1988 by Robert Clyatt, a workers' compensation attorney from Georgia. Clyatt saw first-hand the devastating impact that severe workplace injuries had on children and their families. With the assistance of the Workers' Compensation Section of the Georgia Bar, Clyatt incorporated Kids' Chance of Georgia and started educational scholarship fund raising for the children of injured Georgia workers. The Georgia Kids' Chance started reaching out to other states and supported them in establishing their own chapters. Over 25 states have organized Kids' Chance programs. Oregon is the most recent, having received its non-profit charter in July. Bob Tackett, executive secretary-treasurer of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, and Bob Shiprack, a retired executive secretary of the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council, serve as members of the Kids' Chance of Oregon Founders Board. Also on the 12-member board are Nelson Hall, a labor attorney at Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan, and Jennifer Flood, State of Oregon ombudsmen for injured workers. Shiprack, who serves as vice president, said he hopes Oregon labor unions will help raise funds for future scholarships. Fisher, whose father was paralyzed in a workplace accident, attends Portland State University and plans to pursue a master's degree in speech-language pathology, specializing in swallowing disorders. She received a $1,500 scholarship. Kayla Johnston will study dental hygiene at Lower Columbia College and plans to finish at Clark College. Randi Johnston will study social work and education. Both are graduates of St. Helens High School. They were five when their father was killed in a workplace accident. They each received $1,245 scholarships.