The Portland Rose Festival Foundation Board of Directors is the governing body of the world's top festival. Up to 75 members implement the Foundation's policies, work on committees for Rose Festival events, and fulfill assigned roles at these events.
Mission Statement
The Portland Rose Festival Foundation is a non-profit that serves families and individuals with programs and events that promote the arts, education and volunteerism.
We value environmental responsibility, diversity, patriotism and our historic & floral heritage.
2009-2010 Officers
| President: |
Robert Hansen |
| President-Elect: |
Sue Bunday |
| Vice President: |
Todd Johnston |
| Secretary: |
Arthur De Bow |
| Treasurer: |
Dave Todd |
| Assistant Treasurer: |
Charold Baer |
Message from the Rose Festival President
Robert Hansen
What a fantastic celebration-four spectacular weeks of Remembrance, Revelry, Roses... and Races! We began our planning last fall with an effort to sustain the festival that has celebrated this community for more than a century; we didn't know at the time we would find ways to enhance and expand that festival as never before. With the support of our corporate and nonprofit partners, including the City of Portland, we were able to offer people a place to play and a pledge to be positive in a time when our world really needed it.
As the President of the Rose Festival Foundation, you get a chance to have a completely new perspective on the festival. I had the opportunity to see everything in motion, from a spectator's and participant's point of view instead of an organizer's point of view. What great staff, directors, and volunteers we have at the festival! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to the Portland Rose Festival Foundation.
What an incredible time we had! It all began with an opening weekend that I will remember forever: lighting the Portland Rose on the John Yeon building (the soon-to-be Rose Festival headquarters), spectacular fireworks, and a Memorial Day celebration that was the largest in the State of Oregon. We brought more fun and festivities to the City of Portland then ever before with three weekends of Waterfront Village activities!
Rose Festival produces the best parades in the world. What a wonderful experience it is to ride in a parade and experience first-hand the excitement these one-of-a-kind events bring to the community. And I had the opportunity to ride in three! I was able to 'personally' thank parade-goers for being part of the festival's success. It's a wonderful site to see the streets of Portland FULL of enthusiastic spectators. It will be a memory that will last forever.
The fun and festivities were great. But I also I had the opportunity to make friends from all over the Portland Metro area, the State of Oregon, other states and other countries. The Rose Festival spans many geographical areas; it spans many cultures and many age groups. We reached out this year, making both new and renewed connections with people and organizations around the region and around the world. Our popular theme "Bridging Communities" is a perfect example of what the Rose Festival does every year, but the 2009 festival will be remembered forever for our efforts and successes, such as:
The beautiful floral floats built for the Grand Floral Parade in the Vietnamese community in S.E. Portland and in the city of Battle Ground in S.W. Washington; the extension of our History & Roses tour to special sites in Oregon City; the grand marshal announcement in Sisters, Oregon; the renewal of the 50-year-old charter of our oldest sister city, Sapporo, Japan and the visit of friends and delegations from around the world; the sight of community members from Fossil, Oregon participating in the Grand Floral Walk; the inclusion of a Rose Festival Princess from Tigard, Oregon; the public acknowledgment of those who have served this country at our Memorial Day commemoration; the efforts of the Rose Society to plant 249 rose bushes in Portland's newest garden at Tom McCall Waterfront Park; the enthusiastic welcome for a traditional 'Mummers' band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and so many more!
While we have a long list of scrapbook moments we've already compiled in 2009, the Rose Festival doesn't really end in June. We have a golf event coming up in the fall, as well as our popular dinner and auction-this year with the rousing theme, Ropin' Roses. For information on how you can get tickets to attend or donate an auction item, see the auction page on this website.
As we're reflecting on the 2009 celebration, we need to begin to plan for next year. How do we build on the success of this year to make next year even better? How do we bridge out and bring even more people into the 'Rose Festival family'? Answers to these questions are not found inside a small room with a few people's involvement. We need input from our staff, board, volunteers, our community and business leaders, and YOU, those who love and support the festival. Feel free to email me your thoughts at RobertH@RoseFestival.Org. My term as board president extends through 2010, so I'm looking forward to leading the effort to keep the bloom on the Rose Festival.
Robert Hansen
Rose Festival President
