By Sarah Abigail, Community & Economic Development Assistant, City of Florence

Deciding to do a second year of RARE was a relatively easy process actually. I asked Emily (the RARE serving 23 minutes south of me who had become my best friend) if she was planning on doing a second year, and she said yes, so I said yes.

Of course there was more factors than just that, like that fact that I loved Florence and the sense of community here, the projects I was working on were important and I still felt challenged by my work every day, but at the end of the day, the friendship that I had created with Emily had been one of the most invaluable components of the RARE Program.

You see, the hardest part about trying to decide whether or not to do RARE in 2018 for me, was friendship. Here I was, trying to decide whether or not to move to a community of 8,000 people where the average age is 65. In comparison, the average age in Seattle, where I was born and raised, is 35. I knew finding friends my age wasn’t going to be easy. However, with the RARE program, you have 28-35 built-in friends, in the exact same position as you, moving to a new community. They are just spread all over the state of Oregon.

Emily has been the best part of RARE by a landslide. On those days where work seems like too much to handle, like I don’t know what I’m doing or I’ve had a big success moving one of my projects forward, Emily has been there with a Papa Murphy’s pizza (with extra pineapple) and a big bear hug (As a side note, Emily is probably top 3 best huggers in the world). She’s shown up to work events with me, made me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to, and calmed me down when I was about to flip tables. Moving to Florence would not have been the same experience without Emily just 23 minutes down Highway 101.

Beyond Emily, the RARE Cohort has been invaluable resources. Through online communication tools, such as Slack, Snapchat, and just good old fashion group chats, the people in my cohort have become much more than friends, they truly are my second family. From camping trips, to late night Facetime calls, the RARE cohort is a vital piece of the puzzle to make the RARE experience so worthwhile.

About the Author, Sarah Moehrke: Sarah Abigail majored in Politics and Government, Communication and Art History at Ripon College (WI). She is fulfilling a lifelong goal of living and working on the beautiful Oregon Coast through her service in RARE. She has an excellent sense of direction, learned how to read a map around the age of 5 and is a rabid fan of baseball, specifically the Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Does community development work interest you? Are you looking for a life changing experience in rural Oregon? Learn more about serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program via our website: https://rare.uoregon.edu/application-process/member-application-process