By Jessy Fabrizio-Stover, Outdoor Recreation and Wildlife Recovery Coordinator, Willamette Valley Visitors Association

It’s a big move, New York to Oregon. It’s nearly 3,000 miles and over 40 hours of driving. And it’s the trip that I decided to take last August, to come here to Oregon and become a RARE. At the time all I could see were the what ifs. Looking back, I forever grateful I took that leap.

The RARE experience is one of discomfort, new experiences, and personal and professional growth. It’s this chance to prove how amazing you are and how much you are capable.

Each community a RARE is placed in is one that is asking for fresh eyes and new capacity. They offer exceptional opportunities to get involved and professionally push yourself. My placement at the Willamette Valley Visitors Association has been just that for me, a place where I have been able to develop skills in community engagement, project management, and more. I have been able to join projects that interest and challenge me, and I feel immersed in my community.

One project I have worked on is developing an outdoor recreation map for Benton County in partnership with Visit Corvallis. This map will be an amazing resource for both local residents and visitors to the area, it will also help spread recreation visitation around the valley. Since coming on I have really developed how to prioritize and include accessibility information in the map. We are going to include a QR code or some connection to an evergreen website that will list relevant information about highlighted trails, so that everyone interested will have the information they need to determine if that’s the right trail for them. Working through the processes of what information do we need, what have others done, and what can we do within our capacity has been a huge learning experience for me. I have reached out to many to just hear what they did, and believe have built important relationships from that. It’s shown my organizations commitment to working towards inclusivity in our outdoor spaces.

I have also been the connector between my organization and two wildfire impacted communities, the Santiam Canyon and the McKenzie river region. I have built relationships with major players in each area and have been able to discuss how prioritizing tourist friendly development can supplement a waning Detroit lake season. Because I have been connected to their recovery progress I am able to accurately relay the communities interests to my supervisor and Travel Oregon.

A highlight to my experience thus far has been my cohort. My cohort is filled with remarkable individuals, representing diversity in background and
life experience. Yet, we come together as a cohesive group. From just the first day I knew I felt a connection with each member. Each one of us offers our unique experiences and background to positively impact each of our communities and each other.

I have had the privilege of building relationships with my cohort since day one, even while living all across the state. With one member I have been helping design a framework for all us members to travel together on weekend trips together throughout
Oregon. With two others I have bi-weekly Catan tournaments and went on a spontaneous Oregon coast road trip. Among RARE’s I share an industry with we share our projects, ideas, and professionally support each other.

That’s what’s characterized my RARE experience thus far, the opportunity to understand the overall impact of this program and its members on this state.

About the author, Jessy Fabrizio-Stover: Jessy was born and raised in Hong Kong before attending University in Upstate NY at the University of Rochester. She graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Chemistry. After graduating she completed her first AmeriCorps year with Rochester AmeriCorps at an Upward Bound program in the local public school. Jessy loves traveling and being outside. She is excited to immerse herself in the Oregon culture of loving the outdoors, community, and sustainability.

Interested in gaining community and economic development experience of your own? Are you looking for a life changing experience in rural Oregon? Learn more about serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program. Applications for Year 29 (2022-23) due April 25, 2022 by 5pm PDT.