#Belikechuck

Chuck was known for his kindness, integrity, sense of humor, and dedication to education and equity and inclusion in education.

Ways to Support

Spreading Kindness

When Chuck lost his courageous battle with MSA, if we didn’t hear it once, we heard it hundreds of times;

“I want to be like Chuck”
“This world would be so much better if more people would be like Chuck”
“I aspire to be like Chuck”
“I try to mentor my children and my students to be like Chuck”

Chuck’s stepdaughter, Avery and her husband Johnny created the concept of #belikechuck so that kindness would trend.

Thus, a kindness campaign was launched.

16 billboards in Salem and Keizer were transformed into the #belikechuck message.
The billboards, media campaign created a buzz in the community that embraced the message of kindness and integrity.

T-shirts were created and given away and the billboards were sustained long after the original contract.

We should all aspire to….

#belikechuck

Who was Chuck?

Born and raised in Seattle, Chuck Lee graduated from the Seattle Public Schools and the University of Washington where he majored in journalism. After graduation he taught in the Edmonds School District and received his Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Seattle University.

Chucks career in Catholic education began at St. Alphonsus in Seattle, WA where, as a 25 year old, he was the youngest principal of a Catholic school in Washington state. This launched a 40 year career as the Principal or President of five different Catholic Schools.

In 1997, Chuck was recruited to take the reins as principal/president of Blanchet Catholic School in Salem and quickly established himself as a leader in the community. During his time at Blanchet School Chuck led the effort to raise over 17 million dollars to purchase and renovate the facility and provide millions of dollars in financial aid. He was honored by the National Catholic Education in 2009 for his significant contributions to Catholic Education.

He was elected to the Keizer City Council in 2001 and 2005, the Salem-Keizer School Board (Oregon’s second largest school district) in 2007, 2011 and 2015 and was appointed by Oregon Governor, Kate Brown to the State Ethics Commission in 2016.
In 2013, Chuck was recruited and hired by Mountain West Investment Corp. to create a Career Technical Education Center in Salem. Chuck took the original vision of a solo construction program at one high school and developed the multiple program and public-private partnership that then became the current CTEC. Chuck led the efforts to raise the $20 million to open the doors.

Chuck loved golf, His University of Washington Huskies where he held season tickets for 55 years. More than anything he loved his 10 grandchildren and was known for the summer expeditions with them known as “Camp Poppa.”

The charismatic servant leader passed away in September 2021 from Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare, neurodegenerative disease with symptoms similar Lo Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Chuck is survived by his wife, Krina, six children and 11 grandchildren.

Scholarships

In his memory and to honor his contributions to education a scholarship fund has been established at CTEC.
Known as the Chuck Lee Memorial Scholarship for Hope, the first scholarships were awarded in 2022.
The first recipients will be described here.

Ways to Support

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Ash Stacy

This student says she is in a much better place in life mentally and emotionally because of the hard work, selflessness and perseverance Mr. Lee demonstrated in making CTEC a reality. Her CTEC story of hope started with these words, “For the longest time, I didn’t believe that anybody needed me or my personality. If my mom and dad didn’t want me in their lives, then who would? My dad wasn’t there for me until my mom passed away four years ago. My mom never wanted me in her house and would do anything from dumping me in a psych ward or another foster home to get rid of me. I hadn’t had much close interaction with my peers due to isolation as a child. But all of this changed when I found my home here at CTEC.” Over the last two years as a young professional in the Culinary Arts and Management program, Ash told the scholarship committee that she finally felt wanted, have a purpose, and have friends that they can connect with. Her time at CTEC has taught her that she CAN handle whatever life throws at her, that she can keep her head up and look forward in the hope that she can leave a meaningful impact on other people’s souls like Mr. Lee and CTEC has done for her. Ash’s’ goal is to open her own bakery called Baking a Better Life where she will create and sell delicious baked goods that bring people joy and then donate a portion of the proceeds to their favorite charities. In her words, I am determined to make a difference and to be the person that nobody believed I could be.” Ash is a Sprague Olympian and CTEC Culinary Professional.

Carter Halstead

This recipient got real with us right from the very first sentence in his scholarship essay. “ Growing up, my mom always told me that I was what white people wanted. I look white, I act white, and I eat white. Nothing about me resembles my culture or my people.” Before this student joined the culinary program at CTEC, he never thought he would have the opportunity to learn how to cook at all, let alone prepare the food of his ancestors. It didn’t even occur to him to hope for this. But his CTEC instructors were inclusive of indigenous foods and supported him in exploring foods native to the Siletz people of southern Oregon. His passion grew alongside his belief. He now has not only a dream but a goal of opening his own cafe to serve traditional Native American foods of his ancestors and show everyone the beauty of the Siletz way of cooking.

Carter is a West Salem Titan and CTEC Culinary Professional.

Carter received equipment and supplies to outfit his first professional kitchen.

Cece Hill

This finalist was recognized for her response about how she learned about hard work early in life. But she didn’t learn it through some of the traditional methods such as participating in competitive sports or doing your typical household chores. Instead, at the age of seven, her mother packed up their family and relocated them to create a better situation for them. Arriving in this new community, she quickly learned from their church that God had no use for people who were useless. So, she set out to be the hardest worker. The work itself was hard. She worked hard harvesting crops in the fields in the heat of the day, washing dishes, carrying loads that were probably too heavy for a child of her size, and caring for a girl about her age who had been paralyzed from the waist down and needed help getting to school and home in her wheelchair. While there were moments of beauty, friends to care about, and animals to nurture, the work was hard. But she was determined that these hardships would make and not break her. Being at CTEC gave her the opportunity to take her work ethic and her self-reliance to the next level. The experiences and the networking connections she has had at CTEC provided her with a sense of clarity about her purpose. She shared with us, “I want to give people the opportunity to overcome their physical setbacks, but also overcome their mental hardships. A professional in the prosthetics industry who came to CTEC taught us about 3D printing prosthetics. I know with the skills I have gained here I can change the prosthetics industry and make prosthetics more accessible and affordable to everyone including little girls like my childhood friend. I want my perspective and work ethic to change lives.” Cece is a Roberts Spartan and CTEC 3D Design professional.

Gwen Handler

This student has come a long way since September 2019, when she began her freshman year at West Salem High School. Afraid, alone, and overwhelmed by the difficulty of her classes, she would sit under the stairs at school during lunch hiding from her classmates. In the evenings, she would sit at the dining table and cry. Surrounded by violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and inappropriate people throughout her childhood, she missed so much school that she feared she could never catch up. In her essay, she described her life with her siblings. “We were neglected and abused. My dad went to prison first, and then my mother. My siblings and I were placed in the foster system. I hated my life and myself. I believed I would never amount to much more than what we lived.” But all of that changed when she found herself in a supportive home with new parents who cared for her and worked to make sure she had all of the best resources available to her, including an application for the Culinary Arts and Management Program at CTEC. With the love and support of her family, Gwen began passing all of her classes at West Salem High School, and after two years in the culinary program at CTEC, she has built self-confidence, a sense of direction, and the skills she needs to overcome obstacles and reach her goals. She describes herself as, “an entirely different person than I was the day I walked into my high school. I am about to graduate. I have a 3.25 GPA with a regular diploma. And most importantly, I believe in myself.” Gwen is a West Salem Titan and CTEC Culinary Professional.

Issac Micky

Isaac felt that his flame of hope had been extinguished, buried under the weight of his responsibilities. For as long as he can remember, money has been a cause for concern. Worrying about whether his family would have a roof over their heads, food on the table, clothing, and school supplies. And while times had always been hard, the pandemic created the greatest hardship of all by taking the life of his father. Not only did this young man suffer emotionally from that loss, but suddenly the world demanded even more from him. As the only person in the house with a driver’s license, he has to make sure his siblings get to school, help his mother to run errands, take family members to appointments, and pick up the groceries. In his words, “It all falls to me now.” He does these things while completing his senior year of high school and working. And when I say working, this young man works a 16-hour shift every Saturday and 8 more hours on Sunday. There’s not a lot of room in the week for hope. But this student shared with us, “The CTEC auto body program has taught me skills that range from customer service to wrapping vehicles. It made me realize that I have more potential in myself than I thought. CTEC has given me hope and confidence in my ability to achieve what seemed impossible. I now dream about what is possible for my life instead of fearing that a successful future is out of my reach.” I know that Mr. Chuck Lee would have been so moved and so inspired by this young man and the strength of his hope.
Issac is a South Salem Saxon, CTEC Auto Body Professional and Chuck Lee Scholarship Recipient.

Issac received a $5,000.00 scholarship sponsored by ACES.

Jordan Orr

This finalist was recognized for his response to our essay prompt by crafting a very unique story of hope. He described himself as a lost sheep, wandering the plains, with no sense of direction. It’s hard to have hope when you lack direction. This young man found his direction in the Residential Construction program at CTEC. He described his appreciation for the professionalism and technical skills he acquired over the last two years. He wrote about something many teens haven’t had the chance to learn: the feeling of accomplishment, of sticking with something difficult from the beginning to the end, and the satisfaction that comes along with that. This student put those lessons into action using the resume he created at CTEC to land three jobs and climb the corporate ladder in each of them. He feels blessed to leave his wandering sheep days behind him as he pursues a career as an electrician. I think this student’s essay said it best…. in his own words, “Even though I never met Mr. Lee, I recognize him as my shepherd. He gave me and so many other opportunities that filled me with the hope of a bright future. Mr. Lee was the hope I never knew I needed.” Jordan is a McNary Celtic and CTEC Residential Construction professional.

Kyla Graeber

The moving and compelling story of hope Kyla shared required more courage than most of us will ever demonstrate. Because she has endured more trauma in her life than most of us could survive in ten lifetimes. From witnessing domestic violence to surviving repeated abuse and assault, she had not only lost hope, she was sure that it didn’t exist at all. At least not for her. So she felt she had nothing to lose when she joined the Law Enforcement program at CTEC. This finalist wrestled with the questions and realizations of her past abuse while facing the current fear and stigma of an ugly label, homelessness. In her words, “Despite traumas and hopelessness, I have had one constant, one support, and one hope. This hope is CTEC. CTEC has been my escape and has been the place where I truly felt accepted. The staff and students provide an unexplainable amount of security of which I’ve been so very deprived. The law enforcement program has given her a home, safety, belonging, and a set of skills that have changed the trajectory of her future. From case law to tactical training, to verbal judo, this finalist tells us “These skills have given me the opportunity to instill strength, empowerment, and hope within myself. Now I walk with confidence knowing that I am not the defenseless little girl that I once was.” Kyla is a Sprague Olympian and CTEC Law Enforcement professional.

Layton Frakes

This recipient learned how to work hard and overcome adversity at a young age. When he was a very small child, the recession of 2008 hit his family hard. They narrowly avoided eviction from their home by agreeing to perform the repairs it desperately needed. Watching his father work hard for their family and using his own tiny hands to hand him tools and help him out, taught this student the power of a strong work ethic. When his sister completed the CTEC cosmetology program, this young man learned that we had a program for auto body repair, and in his words, “Me and my passion for cars had to apply for it.” At first, he thought he would just be learning the technical skills of the auto industry, but he quickly realized that it was the professional skills he was learning that would truly shape his success. He phrased it best in his essay, “I used the resume skills they taught me to land my second job at a local car wash. I used more skills CTEC taught me, such as being punctual, adaptable, and diligent to become the manager of the car wash at only 17 years old.” Armed with the confidence that he can be successful in any industry, this student is headed to Cascade Steel in McMinnville for an apprenticeship program where he will be trained as a Millwright.

Layton is a McNary Celtic and CTEC Auto Body professional.

Layton received a $500 scholarship.

Logan Hardin

Logan saw his whole world crumble nearly one year ago. As he described in his scholarship essay, “On June 11, 2022, my mother suddenly passed away due to cancer nobody was able to catch until it was too late. She was someone everyone looked up to and aspired to be. The most amazing soul and knowledgeable in every life topic you could possibly imagine. She went from full of dreams and life to completely gone in a matter of days.” As you can imagine this shook Logan to the core. The weeks following this loss were a time of loneliness and despair. A time utterly devoid of hope. He had always felt isolated and left out in his previous school experiences. But the friends he had made in his first year in the Auto Body Repair and Painting program at CTEC made him feel closer to his peers than he ever imagined possible. In the deepest parts of his grief and pain, he reached out to his CTEC friends, and they picked him up, rallied around him, and made him feel like maybe he wasn’t alone after all. In his words, “I fear that if it wasn’t for CTEC and the friends I made here, I wouldn’t be here anymore. They pulled me out of the deepest hole I had ever been in. Once I thought there was no escaping from.” Logan plans to pursue his greatest dreams in life because he knows that is what his mother always wanted for him. Upon graduation, he will pursue his dream of becoming a commercial airplane mechanic. Logan is a South Salem Saxon and CTEC Auto Body professional.

Sarah Moore

Sarah would love to be concerned with all of the things her classmates are worrying about right now. Things like doing well on a test, being accepted into their first-choice college, or whether they want to rent an apartment. Instead, she was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that affects her entire body. In her words, “It brought my life to a halt and made it very difficult to feel excited for graduation and my future, as it does not feel very hopeful.” It would be easy for her to give up, to make excuses, to resent her friends who are heading off to college without her as she awaits more medical tests. But with the help of her experience in the Cosmetology program at CTEC, she made a very different decision. “Through this darkness, CTEC has been a very bright light in my life. It has given me a reason to get out of bed each morning. It has given me a purpose. I am not just a sick girl. I am a hairstylist that loves building confidence within others. Being in the salon and doing what I love brings me so much happiness and helps me feel like my old self. All of the discomfort and pain within me fades away.” Sarah has a new drive and desire to use the skills she has learned to bring hope to others. She intends to work with other non-profits to offer free haircuts and services to families in need. Her goal is to take the opportunities and blessings CTEC has provided and use them to bless others because “CTEC does not only give me hope for my future but provides me with hope one day at a time.” Sarah is a West Salem Titan and CTEC Cosmetology professional.

Stephanie Ruiz Macias

This student brought our scholarship committee to tears with her honesty. She asked this question: “If Mr. Lee had hope in us, then why would we lose hope in ourselves?” But hope has been in short supply for the last couple of years. For this student and for so many of us. In her words, “I had honestly lost all hope on continuing my education. I thought I was too dumb for school. Now that it’s my second year here at CTEC, I see that there is still hope for me, that I am actually good at something, and that I can get a job in the auto body industry. CTEC is truly a place where you can find hope again.” I’m so proud of the growth this student has made. As her confidence has increased, the strengths and talents she’s always possessed have revealed themselves. Stephanie is a McNary Celtic and CTEC Auto Body professional.

2023 Scholarships were awarded on May 18, 2023, at a ceremony at CTEC at 2:00 pm. All are welcome to celebrate our students and Chuck’s birthday. The 2023 Scholarships were sponsored by the generosity of Mt. West Investment Group.

“Not often in the story of mankind does a man arrive on earth who is both steel and velvet, who is as hard as a rock and soft as drifting fog, who holds in his heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and peace unspeakable and perfect.”

-Carl Sandburg, on Abraham Lincoln