Remarkable Women: Celebrating the Portland community’s inspiring women

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Each March, for Women’s History Month, KOIN 6 News and Nexstar invite a group of community-minded women to a luncheon in downtown Portland.

These Remarkable Women are nominated based on their everyday actions that reflect purpose and a can-do spirit, and we bring these inspiring community members together to lift up their great work and accomplishments. 

KOIN has been honoring remarkable women in the area since 2020, sharing their stories on TV. 

However, as we’ve emerged from the pandemic – in the last two years we’ve gotten to bring them together so they can meet in person, make connections and find ways to do good together. 

“I’m just floored by all of the women around me and all of the remarkable things that they are doing in the community,” said Rachel Mackenzlee Yee, a 2025 remarkable women nominee. “I’m just so inspired today, spending this time around these women.”

Rachel is a one-eyed role model. She’s created the Fun Eye Fund – to help people in need get special prosthetic eyes.

“I’ve always thought that there’s so many stories that people really don’t know what different people are doing all the time,” Cheryl Bickle,  the 2025 Remarkable Women winner. “So it was really good to hear that people can have an idea and then they go forward.” 

Cheryl has devoted her life to teaching for the past 35 years, creating a place of learning for Portland’s homeless and transient children. 

We recently sent Cheryl to Hollywood to be celebrated at a national level for Remarkable Women 2025. 

“It was pretty amazing. Everybody was friendly. I met some people and we’ve sent each other a few emails,” she said. “It was really nice at 78–it was a really big event.”

Learn more about their full stories, along with two other honorees this year – Tiffany Slottke, who heads up the St. Johns Food Share and Becky Berger who opened Griffin’s Place for people with developmental disabilities and took over the family business after the loss of her husband.