TWST Blog

I said good-bye to Lane County last night. This evening I am in Drain, a community of about 1,100 people, situated midway between Eugene and Roseburg in Douglas County. Six of the people attending represented groups serving Drain, Elkton, and north Douglas County, an area locals refer to as the “forgotten part of the county” in regard to public services and infrastructure. Two participants traveled the 80-mile round trip from Reedsport!

Douglas County’s unemployment rate is among the highest in Oregon, and public education budget cuts are eliminating services critical to this area. There are only two options for youth activities here: the pool and the school. So when in-school and after-school enrichment programs are eliminated, the school year ends early, and the pool limits its hours, there isn’t much organized social activity for youth. Hearing this made me think about the six or so teens I saw sitting around the steps of Drain Civic Center (below) as I was checking out the town before this meeting.

Area nonprofits are trying to fill some of these service gaps left by the budget cuts. Several organizations are making use of Americorp volunteers to do so, but there are concerns about these position's future. For instance, an Ethos Music Center of Portland Americorp Volunteer has provided music education at the Elkton School District this year. Elkton is 14 miles west of Drain with a population of about 150 residents. The community had to raise $7,000 for a stipend for this volunteer, but everyone pitched in to make the match. Many organizations with Americorps positions are concerned for next year, since they’ve learned there will be fewer of these positions to go around. The organizer and our local contact for this TWST is a VISTA Americorps volunteer with North Douglas Betterment, a local nonprofit focused on economic development. Her position will end in August.

Local fundraising is even more of a challenge with the education cuts. Groups serving seniors and people with disabilities have been getting fewer and fewer donations and have been told by donors that they will be supporting education programs instead. I could feel the despair in the room as groups discussed how they feel pitted against each other for a limited pool of resources.

Broadening and deepening nonprofit board of directors was another concern. Groups are experiencing the STP syndrome, the “same three people” are being asked for funds and/or being asked to serve. As challenging as the work is here, everyone agreed they feel committed to the place they call home and most everyone does what they can to make North Douglas County a better place. When I polled the group early on in the meeting, I found this was another place where MMT does not have much of a presence. Only one group had received a grant from us. I hope that record will change for the better soon.

It’s a bit embarrassing to be thanked profusely for coming to town when it was truly my pleasure to have the opportunity to chat with these wonderful folks. My only regret on this visit to Drain, is that I got so caught up in our conversation I forgot to take a photo of this wonderful group of people and the yummy pizzas and massive tray of veggies we got from local businesses.

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