When I first started with the Port of St. Helens, I heard a few comments from local citizens questioning the work impact and methodologies of the organization. And to tell you the truth, it left me uncertain about the way we were perceived by some people and, at times, about the changes we were trying to make.

However, this changed as I continued to work with the Port of St. Helens. There was one event in particular that made an impact. After the first few months of my RARE placement, we hosted a quarterly dinner for the local governments of Columbia County (Columbia County local governments rotate who hosts the event each quarter). Attending this event were county and city commissioners, city managers, finance managers, planners, directors, police chiefs, fire chiefs, a state representative, and a state senator. The meeting progressed in a pleasant and polite manner with a person from each local government introducing their organization and updating everyone on what had been going on in their communities. However, it wasn’t until State Senator, Betsy Johnson’s updates for Columbia County that I was able to reflect on my organization.

Betsy Johnson talked about the economic conditions in the county — its struggles and its successes. As she focused on the Port of St. Helens, I was able to get a valuable outsider’s opinion on the organization I was serving. She started off by establishing that “in the past, she and the Port hadn’t always been on each other’s Christmas card lists.” She noted that at one point she and the Port weren’t even very supportive of each other. But as she continued to talk about how the relationship had changed over the last several years, she brought up the Port’s commitment to economic development. She discussed some of the successes that the Port had accomplished and touched on the difficulty of bringing about economic change. She further asserted that it is important to follow your mission to improve the economy, and that, when all is said and done, the pay stubs on resident’s paychecks will be the gratification of these changes.

It was that moment for me that captured the impact my organization is attempting to make as well as the obstacles it faces. It highlighted the lack of gratification in implementing economic changes as well as the notion that gratification is not why this work should be done. Last, but not least, it emphasized that in order to make the desired changes of an organization, it is important to stick to its mission to best yield results that will help its communities.

On that note, I consider myself lucky to be working with the Port of St. Helens and I am very happy to be a part of it and the RARE AmeriCorps experience.

About the Author: Warren Clauss is from Madison, Wisconsin and the youngest of five children, along with his twin brother. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2012 with a degree in Urban Planning and Public Administration and a minor in Historic Preservation and Community Planning. Warren is excited to be participating in the RARE AmeriCorps Program this year with hopes to continue his work in the planning field afterwards. In Warren’s free time, he enjoys socializing, getting involved in the community, and spending time outdoors.