TWST Content

This afternoon at the C. Giles Hunt Memorial Library in Sutherlin, seven folks from Elkton, Oakland, and Roseburg asked me some great questions about Meyer Memorial Trust’s grant application and decision making process. We talked about how local support for a project is really important.

Program Officer Sally Yee reports on her meetings with representative from nonprofit organizations and other community members in Springfield and Oakridge this week. Check back for reports from other towns in Lane and Douglas counties.

We launched the final day of our TWST with a delightful lunch at Salem’s Wild Pear Restaurant. Lunch was delicious and pretty too. To top off our meal, Sally offered me my first taste of “real licorice”.

On Wednesday, we pointed Sally’s trusty green machine due south and headed toward Woodburn, the third stop on our TWST.  The ride was quick and uneventful; two good qualities for a drive in my opinion.

Today, I am traveling with Jill Fuglister, MMT's newest Program Officer, heading to The Gateway of Mt Hood - Sandy, OR.  Jill and I are hoping my little sedan doesn't get stuck in one of the snow berms created from the plowing of yesterday's snowstorm.

Maupin is the last stop on our Central Columbia Gorge TWST of Wasco and Sherman Counties.  About an hour drive south of The Dalles, located along both sides of the Deschutes River on Highway 197, this community of 490 residents strong has reinvented itself over the last few years.

Nestled amongst hills covered with wheat and wind turbines, Moro is the first stop of three communities we will visit on our Central Columbia Gorge TWST. Karissa Lowe, Grants Management Associate of our Grant Administration Department was able to join Sally on the first day of the TWST.

While the county may not have a large number of residents compared to urban areas, residents must cover vast distances and rely on a core group of dedicated leaders to keep services and nonprofits running.  But it’s worth the effort.  When asked to share some of the things they loved about living in Harney County, one participant wrote:“The glitter of frozen air on frozen sunny January afternoons, and the smell of air on a blistering August sage landscape.  We live in Paradise!”

The MMT TWST rolled into Lincoln City on Wednesday for a stop at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. Driving into town on Tuesday afternoon under mostly sunny skies offered amazing views of the coast and the Pacific. The ocean seem particularly active to this

Reedsport pulled out all the stops to welcome me to this quaint coastal community. We gathered 47-strong in the Reedsport Public Library. Participants came mostly from Reedsport, but also from the nearby communities of Gardiner, Winchester, and Coos Bay.

The concerns I learned about in eastern Oregon echoed those of the communities in central Oregon. The geographical remoteness and aging population with few large employers challenge those who live here. There is also the lack of family wage jobs

On Day Three of our TWST, we start in Spray. It's a community of about 160 residents within city limits, and 250 folks including the surrounding areas. We met in “The Rock” building that is operated by the local church and serves as Spray’s community center.