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MMT is conducting a series of tours across our funding area as part of our increased outreach efforts to help nonprofit organizations better understand our foundation and the changes we recently announced in our programs, and to help us learn more about the communities, organizations and people we exist to serve.
Our last stop on the Southern Oregon Coast Tour was Brookings, the “Home of Winter Flowers,” just north of the California border. The meeting room at the Chetco Community Public Library provided the perfect venue for the higher-than-expected turnout of almost 30 people, which surprised our host, Renee Brooks, board member of the Curry County Children and Families Commission, and provided us with lively conversation from a community benefiting from a strong core of volunteers, both long-time residents and new arrivals. Several of the area’s nonprofits straddle both states, covering Curry and Del Norte counties. We even hosted the local reporter from the Curry Coastal Pilot, which will assure us all much future fame and fortune!
We had strong attendance at this meeting from representatives of the area’s educational institutions, from individual public schools, the school district, a charter school, as well as the local high school’s ASPIRE program, which seeks to prepare students to attend college. As Meyer doesn’t fund single school projects per se, we discussed what we do fund--projects specifically targeted to special need and/or high need populations and district-wide projects that provide enriched services to students. This strong showing from educational organizations, both paid staff and volunteers, tells us that this community really values its youth. One teacher even showed up very briefly (and slightly out of breath) between her classes to introduce herself and her project to provide support services for struggling students. Now that’s dedication!
We heard again about the overarching issue of health care access, even for those who have health insurance. The lack of available medical providers makes health care access much more than an income issue for smaller rural communities. Most of the few existing providers are not taking new patients, and even if you have a provider, the wait for an appointment can stretch up to six months. We also heard again about the need for workforce housing in addition to the need for low-income housing. Those making middle-class wages still struggle to afford rents in the area and can’t even begin to consider purchasing a house.
We fielded a lot of questions about how small, volunteer-run organizations fit into Meyer’s giving preferences: Do we look at these small organizations in the same way we look at larger, staff-run organizations? This topic led to a discussion of the importance of board development regardless of the size of your organization and a principle area Meyer will look at no matter how big an organization is. Do board members understand their roles? Are they so busy volunteering to run the organization that they’re not spending enough time as a group planning for and overseeing the work of the organization to meet its mission?
Gerry Livingston from the Wild Rivers Community Foundation, which serves Curry and Del Norte counties, expressed strong interest in partnering with Meyer and other foundations to provide more technical assistance to local nonprofit organizations, and they will be developing a resource lending library similar to the one provided by Ford Family Foundation. This gave us another chance to plug our new colleague, Barbara Bauder from Oregon Community Foundation’s new Coos Bay office. In fact, this group was quite interested in networking with each other to the point of orchestrating a five-minute break so they could connect the dots among their organizations (and eat a few of those delicious muffins). Some of the networking lasted well beyond the conclusion of the meeting, reinforcing to us that the real power and knowledge lies inside communities themselves, and sometimes they just need an assist in gathering themselves together in one place long enough to connect.
Our last stop before the long drive back to Portland (in the brilliant sunshine—and just so you know, it’s raining again in Portland) was for a delicious lunch at Rancho Viejo Mexican Restaurant. Almost made us not want to leave….so that means we will be back!
Signing off for now,
Sally and Kim
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Our focus for day two of the Southern Oregon Coast Twist Tour was Curry County, whose motto is “No Hurry in Curry.” We began at the Port Orford Senior Center hosted by Center board chair, Owen Miller. Prior to the start of the meeting, we met Jennifer Ewing, a transplanted Port Orford resident from Ashland, who teaches Master Gardeners and formerly ran a nursery in Ashland. She has teamed up with the Sunset Garden Club of Port Orford to construct the Port Orford Educational Demonstration Garden right on the grounds of the senior center.
The Garden consists of nine raised beds, and its purpose is to demonstrate how residents of Port Orford can grow some of their own fresh food year-round. Two different neighbors across the street from the garden were so impressed that they started their own raised beds after studying how Jennifer constructed the beds at the demonstration garden. Jennifer hopes to spread the word about growing healthy food throughout Port Orford and perhaps partner with area food banks in the future to help people in need access fresh food and experience healthier diets.
What we learned from our meeting in Port Orford, where 15 nonprofit representatives took time to attend, ask great questions, and share insights, is that these people wear A LOT of hats at one time, a common occurrence in Oregon’s rural communities. One woman wore about six hats and still had the energy to attend our meeting and connect with her nonprofit colleagues. We were exhausted just listening to all the organizations she listed during the introductions!
An even smaller number of hands went up when we asked how many had applied to Meyer in the past (only five). Again, of those who applied, the majority received grants, so we did our best to answer as many questions as possible to help demystify the grant application process. And did these people have great questions! The first question was the most basic: How do we get money??? We then learned that some residents have issues with online applications because they don’t have access to DSL and still must rely on dial-up service for Internet access. What if you have to call your bookkeeper while you’re filling out the financial information online and your phone line is tied up by the application? A very good question.
Others told us that it would be nice to preview the entire application (through a preview function) so they could see all the information they will need to answer in advance, specifically the financial information (so they could talk to that bookkeeper in advance). Others want to be able to print out drafts of their application while it’s in process as they move around from location to location while they work on it (remember all those hats?). This group really focused on the specifics of the application process. While we don’t know if we can address all of these issues, we really appreciated the detailed feedback and will pass it along to our wizards at MMT who might be able to address these issues (or might not), but we’ll keep you posted.
We had only a small window of time to scoot down the coast to Gold Beach where we held our afternoon session at the Educational Service District offices, with our gracious host Myrna Barber, Executive Director of the Curry County Commission on Children and Families. About 18 people showed up from around the Gold Beach area, with the prize for distance traveled going to the representative from Southern Oregon Girl Scouts, based in Medford.
This group really took advantage of making connections with one another, and we welcomed 81-year-old community volunteer Jeanne Gamnell, who told us she lives seven months of the year in a tent for the U.S. Forest Service, “doing whatever needs doing,” including cleaning toilets! That made us all sit up straight and pay attention. No complaints about lacking energy or being tired from this group, not after listening to Jeanne.
Once again, we heard about the struggles of many community residents to find family wage employment that can pay wages to cover housing and other costs. This part of Curry County is becoming a haven for people looking to retire or live in a setting of exquisite natural beauty and fairly mild climate. Such an influx helps strengthen general livability for those who have resources, but makes life difficult for those who work in the service economy. Yet several attendees reinforced the importance of grassroots fundraising, even in seemingly distressed communities. People want to give and will give when asked. One woman cautioned that we shouldn’t assume what people’s level of giving will be in advance. It’s important to ask and let them determine what they can afford to give. And we might be pleasantly surprised.
A strong echo from earlier community meetings was the importance of public libraries in these rural towns, as sources of enlightenment, as gathering places for the community, particularly for seniors and youth, and as beacons of hope and progress that these communities can survive and perhaps thrive once again. We drove past or met in libraries in virtually every town we visited (the meeting tomorrow is in the Chetco Public Library in Brookings), and, after the meeting, we were given the grand tour of the newly constructed library in Gold Beach, where director, Gil Chavez, told us about the amazing level of public support that went into that campaign. The new library is set to open its doors in late June, and boy is this community excited!
We also stopped by to visit Jami Roybal and her colleagues at Christian Help of Gold Beach, recent recipient of Meyer grants to help renovate parts of the Thrift Store and Food Bank. Members at the community meeting called Christian Help the angels of the community for all the emergency and social service assistance they provide to people in extreme need.
Finally, Pat Barnett, one of the women in the group who wore several hats, including long-time volunteer for the local food bank, invited us to visit the Jetty Cats site just north of town. We had to break the news to her that Meyer doesn’t fund animal welfare groups, but no matter. She told us to visit just for the experience of seeing what dedicated volunteers do for stray cats in Brookings. 
They’ve build a miniature coastal town for the cats, and volunteers come out to feed and water them, get them medical attention and shots, spay and neuter them, and try to find them adoptive homes. Several members at the community meeting had adopted Jetty Cats. We never cease to be amazed at the resourcefulness, compassion, and commitment members of these communities have for both their fellow human and animal residents.
Next stop, Brookings….
Sally Yee & Kim Thomas
We left Portland bundled in our winter coats and drove through snow flurries to arrive in the brilliant and much kinder sunshine of the southern Oregon Coast. This latest Meyer Memorial Trust Two-Way Street Tour began in Coos Bay yesterday (April Fools Day!) at the Kozy Kitchen, where evidence of active work by the area’s nonprofits was displayed right on our table—a laminated “Hunger Facts” card produced by Oregon Coast Community Action. And these facts were no April Fool’s joke, but the reality of many of the area’s residents who struggle to put food on their tables while paying rent and other life expenses.
As we prepared for the meeting at the Coos Bay Library, we and our host, Judy McMakin, from the Coos County Commission on Children and Families, were pleasantly surprised, astonished really, at the large turnout—almost 70 people representing nonprofits throughout the Coos Bay/North Bend area (and a few beyond the Bay area)! This was one of those meetings were the time spent on introductions was significant but well worth it as we learned about the wide variety of groups in attendance, from the City of Lakeside to Klamath Common Ground (an all-volunteer group, represented by a passionate and articulate fisherman, whose work stretches across several counties as they seek consensus on contentious water and fishing issues) to Grandparents Rock to government representatives to city and county commissioners. Such a large group could have easily overwhelmed two meager Meyer representatives were it not for their desire to learn all they could about Meyer Memorial Trust as well as provide us with a picture of life in Coos County. And they asked some great questions, such as
“How much is too much?”
“How much should a grant application weigh” (referring to how much information to include with an application)?
“How do all-volunteer organizations raise other community support?”
“What role should board members, who are also those key volunteers, play?”
A minority of hands went up when we asked how many had applied for a Meyer grant in the past (around 10), but the good news is that of those who applied, most had received grants. And some wonderful connections happened: We had a new colleague join us—Barbara Bauder, hired by Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) to staff their new office in Coos Bay. As we discussed the need for more technical assistance training for nonprofits outside the Portland metro area, Barbara announced that OCF and Technical Assistance for Community Services (TACS) will be hosting a joint training for area nonprofits in May. Cindy Beding from the Coos County Fairgrounds volunteered to research and help organize a “webinar” at a public place like the library, where several groups could pool resources to purchase technical assistance training via the web.
While the County has seen its hard times economically (affecting the level of charitable giving in the county) and still faces daunting challenges with loss of federal timber funding, those in attendance would no longer accept the negative image often portrayed of their county. One member felt as if the Coos Bay area was at a turning point—people want to work and live there and much of the city looks better. Another member mentioned the fact that Coos County recently had the highest percentage of high school graduates going to community college, and Coos County Commissioner Nikki Whitty mentioned the strong public support for projects in Coos County, such as restoration of the Egyptian Theatre (used by the Oregon Music Festival), and the Dora Community Center, which has raised over $1 million. The meeting ended on the comment that in Coos Bay, “We don’t dream big enough, but we really can do amazing things here.” Seeing close to 70 people leave the library, we had to agree. What an amazing show of community strength and support!
Our next stop was Bandon, Oregon, a quieter beach town that provided another spectacular sunny afternoon for these rain-weary Portlanders.
While we didn’t have a whole lot of time for lunch between community meetings, we did have time to stop at the Cranberry Shoppe and purchase Sally’s favorite candy, a strange concoction called chocolate licorice.
This community meeting at the Bandon Library was once again hosted by the amazing Judy McMakin (shown here with Sally Yee) who managed to turn out another record crowd, close to 50 people representing all types of nonprofit and government organizations. And once again, one of the best parts of the meeting was the introductions. A friendly competition for attendance broke out between representatives of the Bandon Swimming Pool Project and the Lakeside Library Foundation.
When asked how many had applied for Meyer grants in the past, a small number of hands went up (less than 10), but, again, of those who applied, most had received grants--more evidence that connecting Meyer with rural communities is critically important. This group expressed a lot of interest in organizational capacity building, wondering what does capacity building look like in small organizations, how do organizations in small towns find new board members, and how do they find someone who will work hard for them but who isn’t already on three other boards?
One of the biggest concerns expressed in this group was the need to generate affordable housing, specifically workforce housing for those earning lower to middle incomes who are providing basic supports for the community—teachers, law enforcement officers, service industry workers. It was also clear that public infrastructure projects such as swimming pools, libraries, parks and other quality-of-life improvements were critically important but hard to fund, given all the financial pressures on rural cities and counties. We had a spirited discussion about how philanthropic dollars can support and leverage other funding for public projects and how communities can build a base of individual and business support for these projects, even during hard economic times.
Once again, as we watched over 50 passionate, engaged people file out of the Bandon Library, we felt a high level of community strength and a can-do spirit to improve the quality of life in Coos and Curry counties.
Until the next stop...
Kim Thomas and Sally Yee
Our final stop on this TWIST, took us to the Boys and Girls Club in Grants Pass. When entering the facility one can’t help but notice the rock garden and this wonderful clay sculpture created by the children in their Arts and Crafts Program.
Our largest turn out on the tour; we shared time with 39 individuals from the surrounding areas. When asked to “share some of the things you love about living here,” it is obvious that the welcoming community and beautiful landscapes win every time. The large group setting allowed individuals to network but also brought to light the common concerns and struggles that exist within Josephine County.
Many of the organizations are already operating within partnerships to address poverty, equal access to quality education, libraries and programming central to the community, including the environment. The Clean Forest Project is busy working to keep the area clean. They have partnered with the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service to organize cleanups, education programs within the schools and increased community awareness. While the illegal dumping in forest and back roads continues, this group is hopeful that with increased capacity they will be in the position to expand the work and continue to keep Josephine County a place that residents love.
Education also remains as a high priority. There were several representatives from various schools present with great concern for the public school system and one individual from a local Christian school. The concerns are timely and relevant and while our K-12 strategic initiative is not immediately addressing the problems for individual schools in this community, we believe Meyer's education initiative will impact the entire state. This news did not discourage the groups in attendance but challenged them to continue pressing for opportunities in the now, to increase resources for the children in their schools.
Overall this segment of the TWST allowed us to connect with a handful of the organizations who have received funding from the Trust over the years. The tour also allowed us to meet groups who look forward to the opportunity to submit a proposal to the Trust. We definitely felt challenged by the numerous questions and scenarios posed but all and all we were honored by the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and to experience the passion and determination they have to improve quality of life within their communities.
We have one more thing to share. On our way out of town we passed by the art deco styled Rogue Theatre that is now a performing arts music center that showcases national, regional and local artists.
Good-bye for now to the Rogue River and its beautiful Valley; the journey home will be long, with no regret for time well spent…
-Kim Sheng & Sally Yee
Go to this entry | Comment on this entry (0)Talent
Tucked between Medford and Ashland, Talent was our last stop in Jackson County. It has a population of 5,589 and was incorporated in 1910, but was homesteaded by early settlers in 1852.
There were 33 individuals in attendance at the Talent meeting, some of whom were representing multiple groups. We found the diversity and complexity among the projects the groups are taking on to be astounding. In a group setting of this size, it is often difficult to address everyone’s questions; in this instance many of the groups voiced similar concerns making the process beneficial for most everyone in attendance.
We met in Talent at the Community Center, which is adjacent to the new library and the Talent Museum and Historical Society. The positioning of these three buildings tells a story of their own; the Museum building is actually the old library—history in the making. One of the individuals in attendance at the meeting is a" Friend of the Talent Library" and board member for the “Historical Society". With assistance from the Meyer Memorial Trust, the library was built and opened its doors a year ago, but faced closure two weeks later due to the loss of key funds.
The Talent community was the third community in Jackson County to share their concerns regarding the status of the Libraries due to the loss of ONC funding. The library reduced operation hours to 16 per week as a result of losing the ONC funds. Talent has since been successful in passing a library ballot that has reaped in the financial support to extend the library hours from 16 to 36. What we have seen is that the libraries in southern Oregon are much more than a place to come read. Libraries are often the center of the community and a place where people can come and interact with one another. The Talent library is representative of this, with a park nestled between the library and museum, this hub serves a great purpose in the community. It is not clear to us if the Jackson County system consist of 13 or 15 libraries, we have received conflicting accounts, but what is clear is that the system as a whole can not function properly if the branches can’t find an inclusive and sustainable solution to the funding challenges they all face.
The dialogue for sustainable community programs began well before our arrival; it will be interesting to see where these discussions land.
Cave Junction
We have left Applegate Valley and are now heading west through the beautiful Illinois Valley to get to Cave Junction. The roads are lined with amazing Madrone trees. These trees shed their bark and, depending on the season, they reveal a green or rusty orange underlining. We photographed one earlier in the week in Ruch, and learned today that, “the Madrone only grows where it wants to grow."
Cave Junction is a scenic, small town of 1,225 residents about 30 miles southwest of Grants Pass. Cave Junction is considered the "Home of the Oregon Caves". Visitors come from around the world travel to the Illinois Valley to see the unique geologic phenomena.
We arrived at the Illinois Valley Family Coalition with no time to spare: translation we were late. In fact, JanTaylor, the Community Mobilization Director at the United Way of Jackson County, started the meeting for us. I need to do a little bird walk here to explain that Jan attended this meeting in Josephine County because the United Way of Josephine County has closed and services will now be provided from Jan’s office to both counties. Back to our meeting.
There were 14 in attendance at this gathering and like the other meetings we quickly learned that many of the people around the table wear multiple hats in the community. Although the projects vary greatly, it is interesting to note that the majority of the organizations either engaged or affect youth in their programming and outreach. 
Over the course of our conversation we learned that there are very limited resources for youth in Cave Junction. This creates a constant challenge to keep youth engaged but also to identify appropriate activities, with little funding. We learned that the Boys and Girls Club has been instrumental in serving youth in the community, whereas the Illinois Valley Headstart has provided resources for younger children.
Thanks for following along with us on the road! We have more stops in much more of Oregon to come!
- Kim Sheng and Sally Yee
Ruch
Tuesday morning we headed westward in search of the Ruch Library. Our journey took us through Jacksonville, a town that sprang up during the 1850’s gold rush. It is a registered national landmark with a restored downtown that maintains a mining town feel, but today those streets are lined with small shops, such as the Country Quilt, that carry goods for the tourists and residents that support the local economy. We found the quilt shop’s mascot quite charming and thought we would share it with you.
Ruch is nestled in the Applegate Valley, home to a cluster of towns situated primarily along the Applegate River. It was a beautiful drive past farm fields, pastures, and rolling hillsides. It would have been fun to keep exploring but we were also eager to get to our next stop on our TWST.
In the entryway to the Ruch Library we found an amazing mosaic mural and got to meet the local artist, Marvin, when he came to our meeting. We had a lively conversation with a group of eight residents; Marvin is the one wearing that great woven hat.
These people came to share their concerns for community, progress, and preservation. Their organizations’ work included historical preservation, emerging therapies for mental health treatment, environmental protection, community development, and providing community voice through local newsprint.
We were happy to hear that most attendees had visited the MMT website, but only one individual had actually completed the on-line inquiry process. This was exciting news for us because our aim was to reach individuals who were new to the process and yet there was an experienced individual in the room to lend a different perspective. The size of the group made it possible to have deeper conversations and really get to the heart of the projects taking place in and around Ruch.
We also heard more stories of how individual residents of Jackson County take care of communities. When reduced funding for the public libraries threatened closure they made a difficult decision to bring in a new management team and reduce operating hours. The folks in Ruch and Applegate raised money and volunteered time to expand those hours. We sometimes don’t remember what a valuable resource libraries are to rural communities.
In a similar incident when the local school district announced plans to close the Ruch elementary school the residents took up the challenge and found a way to keep the school open. The community assisted in the expansion from a K-6th grade school to a K-8. Volunteer now staff much of the after-school activities. While much has been accomplished with the dedication of this team there is still much more to do.
United Way
The United Way of Medford hosted a funders meeting at the facility on Main Street, home of one of the largest Pez collection we have ever seen! The attendance was great and similar in size to the community meetings, allowing us to engage in thought provoking conversations about funding issues in Southern Oregon. Equally as important as variances in funding, we were able to discuss the reality of how MMT is perceived in the community by grantseekers and grantmakers.
An in-depth discussion ensued about the strategic planning process the Meyer Trustees conducted a year ago. The group appreciated the Trustee’s intent to assess MMT’s grantmaking impact and the designation of our three Strategic Initiatives, but the two-month pause in accepting grant applications created confusion and concern for the organizations. Although MMT never stopped making funding awards during that period, the perception in Southern Oregon communities was that our entire operation shut-down for two-months. Nonprofits groups worried about what MMT’s reorganizations would mean for them. Would we restrict funding to certain communities? Or, would we stop funding them completely? While it was difficult to hear that we caused so much distress, we realize that this is a necessary part of this process and have great respect for the area funders who fielded calls about the changes at MMT and were willing to speak with us honestly.
In sum, this stop on the TWIST underscored our need to get out into the field regularly with community organizations and local funders just to chat. This meeting validated many of the discussions we had at other TWST stops and demonstrated the pulse that area funders have on the heart issues that exist within Oregon as a whole. It was truly a privilege to meet with this group and engage in frank conversation about the role we all play in providing options for the people within the communities our organizations serve.
See you at the next stop…
-Kim Sheng & Sally Yee
Known as 'The Jewel of the Upper Rogue', Shady Cove was the first stop on our Southern Oregon Two-Way Street Tour. The population of the town is posted as 1,115 but the Upper Rogue Community Center where we held our meeting serves several communities in this region.
The Upper Rogue Region is in the Northern part of Jackson County, Oregon where the Rogue River begins its journey from Crater Lake through the valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The Upper Rogue communities of Eagle Point, Lake Creek, Butte Falls, Shady Cove, Trail, Prospect and Historic Union Creek are clustered within a 100-mile radius.
This area has long been known for its salmon and steelhead fishing, river rafting, hiking and biking trails and even an eighteen-hole golf course. But the people who live here see small close-knit communities who have existed for generations or have formed by travelers who journeyed from elsewhere and made the Upper Rogue their home. People told us they loved the beauty of the landscape with its waterfalls, wildflowers, and wildlife. They like the friendly people, the diversity of the people, and the quietness that comes with rural living.
This is also a region with its challenges. The poverty rate is high with the median income for families at $37,800. Limited financial resources complicated access to quality healthcare professionals and services. There is a great need for English language literacy among immigrant residents to increase employment opportunities. The lack of jobs and job training coupled with cuts in federal and state funding has increased the numbers of youth who are identified as at risk, not to mention the number of families who are going hungry.
But, like the communities we talked with on our Eastern Oregon TWST stops, nonprofit groups work together to finds ways to better serve the folks who live here. Many of the representatives of the organizations, we met with, have partnered together to create a holistic approach to serving the area residents. An informal partnership between the Hispanic Learning Resource Center and the Literacy Center of Jackson County has enabled residents to work on developing their reading skills in conjunction with computer training, and in one instance preparation for GED testing. The organizations are so passionate about meeting the area needs, they are challenged by programming gaps, that they all work together to mend.
Seven of the nine people who joined us represented 14 nonprofit groups, including:
See you at the next stop!
- Sally Yee & Kimberlee Sheng
I was excited to attend my first event as a member of MMT’s program team (I recently joined this team after serving as the office’s Project Manager). The first noticeable thing on the drive over that morning was the imbalance in the traffic flow between Portland and Vancouver. We found ourselves challenged with which lane to select going over the Vancouver Bridge because they were all flowing smoothly, while the folks driving into Portland from Vancouver were scrapping just to keep a decent pace.
When we arrived at the Pearson Air Museum, our host Jeanne Kojis, of the Nonprofit Network, greeted us. The MMT group included CEO Doug Stamm; Barb Gibbs, director of grants programs; and Kim Thomas and Sally Yee, program officers. The first part of the day was a roundtable consisting of representatives from just about every sector of Clark County: economy, government, health and human services, housing, youth, community services and mental health, the arts, and conservation and environment.
The roundtable proved to be a rich and extremely informative process for those of us attending from MMT, but it also appeared to serve as an opportunity for all the vested parties in Clark County to consider additional ways in which their services/projects overlap. It seemed to me that the growth trend Clark County is experiencing has placed a strain on all of the sectors to really refine what community means. The disparity in jobs to housing seems to be the major correlation to the bridge traffic with so many Clark County residents working outside the county in Portland.
The consistent growth gains are presenting Clark County with greater opportunities to explore creative partnerships that honor the changes and support a more diverse population. While residents are still learning how to get connected within their residential communities, Clark County is demonstrating great skill in legislative process, not to mention setting the standard for establishing and managing regional partnerships. The common thread running through every perspective shared by representatives of Clark County centered on improving the quality of living for residents.
Following our informative morning session we moved into our afternoon session along with approximately 125 other nonprofit and public representatives from Clark County. We were welcomed and provided a brief history of Fort Vancouver by Elson Strahan, Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust. Elson provided the introduction for Doug Stamm, who delivered the lunchtime address.
I have to admit, Doug showed up with an arsenal of support: jokes, charts, slides, pictures with words, even a wingman (Aaron Nelson, MMT’s Network Administrator) for technical support. Doug focused on the perception that MMT does not fund in Clark County. I say perception because Doug showed statistics that illustrate that Clark County nonprofits are receiving funding from MMT that is consistent with the percent of funding requests they submit to MMT. So the takeaway from Doug’s address: if folks want to see more dollars from MMT come into Clark County, the number of requests sent our way must increase. But review MMT’s grant application guidelines on our website in detail before submitting a request! Oh, the floodgates are open now… ☺
Then all 125 of us broke up into small groups, which allowed individuals to ask questions specific to their service/project areas and the on-line web application. The small groups, each lead by representatives from MMT including Ann Lininger, director of program-related investing, lasted an average 45 minutes to an hour. This concluded our day at the museum.
I’m not sure that our next stop on the Two-Way Street Tour has been charted, but I am certain that this was a great experience for all of us here at MMT. I can only hope that it proved beneficial for the folks of Clark County too!
-Kim Sheng
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It was the most perfect day in the history of the universe for our drive from Union to Enterprise. And we ask, is there a more scenic town in America?
When we got to Enterprise, we found the library is closed on Fridays. :-(( But never fear, they leave the wi fi on, so we were delighted to discover we could post to our blog from the front steps!! 
Which explains how you were already able to read about our stops in Union County. Thank you, Enterprise Library.
Our meeting was in the Toma Room, a community meeting space in a building that used to house the Toma Restaurant. The energetic and engaging Sally Brent had gathered sponsors (Community Bank, Wallowa County Economic Action Team, and the local Subway shop) to provide everyone with lunch. Check out this spread...
We're not sure if it was us or the free food, but 40 people turned out in Enterprise! Yes, 40! People came from Enterprise, Wallowa, Lostine, Joseph, Flora, and Wallowa Lake. Must have been the food! ;-)
An even broader range of community activities was represented: health clinic, child and family services, Rotary, elder care, City Council, economic development, arts council, planning department, photography club, ambulance service, library, senior center, history center, community connections, land trust, grange, neighborhood association, writing group, Tribal government, affordable housing, museum, friends of the railroad, schools, after-school programs, historic preservation, parks, ranches, healthy families, preschool, youth center, natural resources, chamber of commerce, 4-H, rodeo, domestic violence, agricultural extension service, municipality, music groups, victim assistance program, literacy, and more I couldn't write fast enough to record!
Among the notes I took from the ensuing discussion:
Organizations who have received grants from MMT have found all staff members to be really helpful!
When organizations are turned down, they need more feedback. The form letter that basically says "we had more proposals than we could fund" is not instructive and people mostly don't believe that's the real reason(s) they didn't get a grant.
Folks wonder if the turndown letter could cite the specific reasons the people making the decision had for the decision. One person suggested a court reporter should take minutes during the trustee meetings to provide better feedback to applicants.
MMT needs to remember that many if not most nonprofits in rural areas have no paid staff. Anything MMT can do to make them feel welcome and not intimidated is greatly appreciated. Several people reported they find the online application easier than the old paper one because it asks them to answer specific questions, rather than requiring them to start with a blank piece of paper with no idea where to start.
We said our goodbyes, packed up the car, and hit the road to return home to Portland. We missed our families and were anxious to get home to hug their necks. But we are so glad we took this little journey. We'd like to see all our staff and trustees get to make these visits... it reminds us that the reality for nonprofits in many parts of Oregon is markedly different than it is for groups in the metro area. And how important it is for us to be accessible and close to the people who are doing the real work in our communities.
Here's to you and you and you and you and you and...
Marie
Go to this entry | Comment on this entry (1)Every day that goes by, every town we visit, every group of people we meet humbles and astonishes more, we are filled with gratitude for the jobs we have and the privilege it is to take a two-way street tour to this part of Oregon. The community spirit we are witnessing, the countless volunteer hours that are represented, the incredible dedication and commitment of everyone to their towns is just plain remarkable. And it just goes on and on... we are pumped!!
After posting our blog entry yesterday, we drove to La Grande and met with 25 people in the community room at the library. Again, a wide array of groups was represented. And as usual, each person is involved in several nonprofits and community activities: literacy programs, domestic violence, music groups, libraries, university, opera house, community service groups, parks and recreation, museum, early childhood, community playgrounds, rural fire district, family support, arts groups, Habitat for Humanity, mental health and family services.
In addition to La Grande, people had come from Cove, Elgin, Union, Ontario, and Malheur.
By this time we are beginning to see the questions that keep coming up. People are so interested in knowing exactly what happens at every stage after MMT receives their grant proposals, they like to be able to visualize the process. Note to self: we used to have some specific information about this on our website, make sure if it has been removed that it goes back up somewhere!
There are also a number of points of confusion for folks. For example, lots of people think that every grant requires them to have matching funds, and it discourages many from applying. Who started this rumor, anyway? People in small communities are also worried about applying because they're afraid foundations will think they are, well, greedy. They are concerned that too many proposals might come in from their community and they'll end up taking one another out of the game.
One generous soul shared the fact that in a recent discussion with Trust Management Services, he learned that they want MORE proposals from northeast Oregon. We observed everyone taking notes at this point. :-)
We realize by now you have come to expect us to tell you what we had for lunch. In La Grande, we ate at Mamacita's, just across the street from the library. Yum-mee! We shared the Guadljara tostada and the pork and shredded cabbage tacos. We HIGHLY recommend both!
Then it was on to Union, home of the Bobcats and a number of awesome looking buildings. Our Union meeting was at the Union County Museum. They really rolled out the red carpet for us, with a sidewalk board bearing a gigantic copy of our TWST flyer! The group was smaller (8) but made up for size in liveliness! We had a wonderful discussion and learned so much, as we do at every stop.
These folks are so involved in their communities, during introductions we had to limit each person to listing the top ten nonprofits they were representing. 
The list included museums, grange halls, county fair, senior meals, medical services, schools, youth programs, food banks, community action organizations, church groups, animal welfare, economic development, historical societies, chamber of commerce, municipalities, etc. etc.
Some random things we have learned so far:
--Doing this tour is a great idea! We should have done it long ago, and we need to do it all over the state, and come back in the future.
--The issue that gets raised most often as the most pressing need in the community: Jobs, jobs, jobs, esp. family wage jobs. The long term future depends on it! Rural residents want to know: would a foundation like MMT consider investing in communities by developing or providing backing for industries/businesses in the area that would provide jobs for local residents, and a return on investment for the foundation?
--People from organizations in these communities have no clue what the names of two of our grant programs mean: capacity building and technical assistance. Regular people don't talk like this and they are put off by jargon like this, it makes them feel unwelcome at MMT. They don't totally understand our definitions or descriptions of the programs. One suggestion: the nonprofit capacity building grant program should be named the "sustainable nonprofits" grant program.
--Foundations need to provide more help to organizations to maintain and stabilize programs rather than requiring them to keep starting up new programs.
--The lack of public transportation in rural areas presents all kinds of problems to the nonprofit organizations there, and increases their cost of doing business.
--As useful as a website is, it is not a substitute for meeting people face to face. It really encourages and empowers groups that have never applied for a grant at MMT to begin to plan to do so.
--When several organizations in an area are successful in getting grants, word of mouth plays a really important role in other organizations learning from these winners and trying for funding themselves. Especially since in any given small town, each person is involved in five or more organizations.
--These meetings are actually providing networking opportunities for folks in these communities.
--Getting that first grant from MMT truly does make an organization feel like a partner with us. We are seen as most aloof and mysterious by those who have no personal experience with us. Hence, we are so glad we're here.
This morning we had a lovely breakfast in the beautiful restored historic hotel where we spent the night in Union. We couldn't find Internet access; we hope to do so in Enterprise, where we are heading next, so we can post this entry. We'll catch up with you then.
Thanks so much for coming along with us on this wonderful trip: We enjoy your company!
Marie
There was a lot of excitement in Pendleton leading up to our arrival! No, not the annual Round-up, that was last week. We thought maybe folks were just so happy we were coming, but we found out later there was a large grass fire right on the edge of town. We saw the aftermath from the Umatilla Morrow Education Service District (ESD) where we had the third of our meetings. 
People were evacuated, but the fire is out now, and we are happy to report that all is well in Pendleton. (And if there is a better view from an ESD office in Oregon, we haven't seen it!)
Twenty-seven people attended! An overflow crowd! Not all from Pendleton, folks drove from Athena, Ukiah, Helix, Pilot Rock and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla reservation. In a complete turnaround from day one, all but one person in the room represented an organization that had received a grant from MMT. We felt so generous! There was a broad range of organizations represented, from arts groups to relief nurseries to community action agencies to libraries to children's mental health treatment to parks and recreation departments to community colleges to historical societies to Tribal cultural centers, schools, etc. And we had a wheat farmer!
Sally also met with the superintendents of ESDs from the whole region, who were convened at the Umatilla Morrow ESD office at the same time.
Sally and I wonder if there is a critical mass in population before a critical mass of nonprofit organizations develop? While local government agencies had been most heavily represented in our earlier stops in smaller (sometimes much smaller) towns, Pendleton seems to have a wealth of 501(c)(3) groups, many with long histories. Or maybe there is a tipping point: maybe when a certain number of nonprofits within a community are successful in applying for grants, word gets around and that encourages and empowers everyone to apply and be successful? Has anyone looked in to this? Inquiring minds want to know.
We still heard many questions about the grants process at MMT, but also heard a passionate discussion about concern for the future of rural youth. Because this keeps coming up, we need to spend a bit of time on it here: Thirty or so years ago, when students in rural Oregon graduated from high school, they could look forward to family wage jobs in the resource based economy. Many of those opportunities have disappeared, and family wage jobs now require post-secondary education or training. But because there has not been the same tradition of attending college in many of these small towns, and because there are so few opportunities to attend college in the area, many high school students can't imagine their futures. So there is concern that this generation of rural Oregon high school graduates feels lost and without a lot of hope. They don't see many options, especially in their own communities. Many people attending meetings these last two days have told us how worried this makes them about the future of their communities and, well, the future of all of Oregon.
They ask that MMT give this some thought and attention. So we are here to report that rural Oregon is telling us that local, affordable and accessible post-secondary educational opportunities should be moved directly to the front burner of MMT's stove.
After the meeting, we got a tip that we should have lunch at Great Pacific Coffee Company. Good idea! Check out the amazing alder smoked salmon Ceasar salad!
After lunch, we took the lovely drive through the rolling wheat fields (recently harvested) beneath the Blue Mountains to Milton-Freewater. The scenery took our breath away. Seriously. Do we live in a beautiful part of the world, or what??? We hope we are worthy of this land!
Sally and I may not actually return from this trip, because we just might be moving to Milton-Freewater. No kidding. Wait til you hear this story...
Once upon a time, Milton-Freewater had a festival. A sign in town announced it far and wide: Milton-Freewater Festival! But someone came along and vandalized the sign so Milton-Freewater became Muddy Frogwater. Rather than reject the action, the town decided to embrace it and from then on, it's been known as the Muddy Frogwater Festival. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!!!
Milton-Freewater (aka Muddy Frogwater) is now totally frog city. As soon as you drive into town, you are surrounded by frogs. This has attracted a lot of attention for the town (e.g., New York Times and media as far away as Australia), and now serves as a kind of branding tool.
But I digress. Back to the TWST. We were stunned and thrilled when 25 people came to the Milton-Freewater, I mean Muddy Frogwater, meeting—in fact there were so many in attendance I couldn't fit them in my camera at once. Even the mayor came!! (And he was the one who gave us the official frog story.) Again, folks represented a broad array of interests, from food banks to animal welfare to youth activities to schools and education to museums to watershed council to recreation programs to economic development to cemeteries to special needs to child welfare, and more.
Only one person in attendance was from an organization that had received a grant from MMT (more support for our theory above??) As in the meetings the first day, most questions were about how foundations work, what happens to grant proposals once they arrive at MMT, and so forth. There is clearly such a need for foundation outreach in these small communities. There are so few opportunities for people to feel connected to or in touch with us.
There was a lot of discussion about the need for youth activities locally. Folks told us they hope foundations understand that sometimes requests for recreation or sports facilities are in fact requests for youth programs, because they represent the only organized opportunity for kids outside school. It's also one way different cultures come together in Oregon small towns that are becoming increasingly diverse. Again, there was lively discussion about the need for economic development, jobs, and how so many needs can be funded.
We have had a rather touching realization we want to share with you: while we are visiting these small towns that it takes a long time to drive to, we are often reminded that we live in an amazingly connected world. And it's not just the wonderful wi-fi we are finding nearly everywhere we go.
Outside the Milton-Freewater City Hall, we found this plaque beneath a tree that reads: "Freedom Tree: Honoring the Sept. 11, 2001 Disaster, Milton Freewater Garden Club." In the Arlington City Council chambers, there is a folded flag on the wall that flew over the U.S. Capitol on April 18, 2005, in honor of Maj. Gary Fullerton and Capt. Jeffrey Ross who gave their lives in service to their country and in honor of the people of Arlington (presumably in Iraq or Afghanistan).
Everywhere we go, as far as we look, what we do here goes everywhere... and everywhere comes here...
Marie
We pulled into Arlington (population 524) at the northern edge of Gilliam County at 10:45. Traffic was light once we got out of the metro area, so we made very good time. Our first task, of course, was to find a bathroom. Which explains why we got to City Hall early.
City Hall is on the main road through town, and shares space with the public library, the justice court, the city recorder, and the ambulance garage. We got to meet in the council chambers, a spacious room with possibly the best view from a city council room in the state, with a whole wall of windows to see it through. Mary, the librarian, told us how the whole town had been relocated after the John Day dam was built, flooding the previous location. As we drove into town, we learned that Arlington is Home of the Honkers. (I have a dim memory that Doc Severinson was from Arlington, but forgot to confirm this with the locals. Wikipedia gave me confirmation late!)
Sixteen terrific people came! We were so excited. Sally made everyone feel welcome and kept things very informal, which encouraged a lot of questions. There were a lot of representatives from government agencies (municipalities, the port, economic development departments, local fire districts, libraries, and a few folks from 501(c)(3) organizations. It was a very good reminder that in many rural areas, government agencies play some of the roles that nonprofits play in more urban areas. There are many fewer formally organized nonprofits, with lots of volunteer committees doing the work of the community. This can present a challenge when foundation grants are sought, because the only eligible tax exempt organization might be a government body. Foundations take note!
Folks drove to the Arlington meeting from Irrigon, Condon, John Day (about 166 miles!).
There were lots of general questions about applying for a grant, how the process works at MMT. Only one person had gone through the application process at MMT (we're happy to report she was successful!) She encouraged others to try their hand at grantwriting, explaining that "it's not rocket science, just read the questions carefully and answer them!"
She told us the most helpful part of our website is "what we look for" section, and advised anyone thinking about applying to check it out.
After the meeting, we visited the public library downstairs. Wow! They do a lot in that one room! We were reminded how people in small towns make things happen even when there's not enough space or money to do so...
Next stop: Hermiston! We were amazed at how much the town has grown since our last visit. Population is now more than 15,000!!! We do hope someone is saving the watermelon fields!
We truly believe Hermiston has the best wi-fi anywhere. Truly, the whole town is covered! We could log on the the Internet everywhere. Marie, the librarian, explained this is the result of its proximity to the depot at Umatilla where chemical weapons are still stored. The city needs a way to alert first responders anytime anywhere if there is an accident requiring response and evacuation. (Marie also told us she worked at the depot for years and we shouldn't worry!)
We had a hankering for Mexican food and found ourselves at La Palma. This is newsworthy because of the prepared-at-the-table guacamole... Holy guacamole!!!! We are still drooling, totally awesomely yummy!!!
We saw lots of new economic development in the area, and heard about even more at the meeting at the Hermiston Library in the evening, which was attended by 15 folks from Hermiston, Boardman and Umatilla. What a wonderful group of people! We learned a lot about local community needs (e.g., jobs, opportunities for young people, access to education/training beyond high school, public transportation, attracting people who work in the new economic development to live in the local communities, services and housing for seniors, etc.) We got to witness a wonderful dialogue among citizens when one person voiced concern about the swimming pool not being covered, and was directly and immediately answered by another person in the room who could actually explain exactly why that decision had been made and how she could influence further consideration.
Again, only one person in the room had been through the grant process at MMT (again with success :-), we are happy to report) It was clear that some had not applied because they thought they needed to hire a grantwriter and didn't have money. Sally provided great reassurance that nobody needs to hire a grantwriter, and explained our Grassroots Grants program in detail.
We were so touched when one person very eloquently described a widely held perception that there are two Oregons: the Willamette Valley and the rest of the state. He told us how left out the rest of Oregon often feels, and added that MMT sending people to meet with folks in their own communities is much appreciated. (He also told a wonderful story about how Fred G. Meyer himself used to support and visit his scout troop when he was young!) Which reminded us that it is a small world after all.
To sum up the first day: we are so glad we are doing this, we are meeting some wonderful and amazing people, we are seeing lots of energy and pride in small town Oregon, and we are learning a whole lot from everyone we meet.
Now on to Pendleton and Milton-Freewater for day two! Check in with us tomorrow!
Marie
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