Tag: Oregon Volunteers

Meet RARE AmeriCorps Participant: Margaret Hanna

Posted on by Julia Havens

Margaret Hanna Maggie Resource Assistance for Rural Environments RARE University of Oregon a.k.a. Maggie Hanna

Maggie received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Urban Studies from Trinity University. As a student, she strived to comprehend the world of transportation, water use, mapping, health and education, and real estate in order to better understand how the ranch she grew up on might continue to exist in the ever-developing Front Range of Colorado. After graduating from Trinity University, Maggie served as an El Pomar Foundation Fellow where she worked in northeastern Colorado as well as in the Pikes Peak region on regional councils, helping distribute $400,000 in grants to rural nonprofits and government entities. Following her year with the  RARE AmeriCorps  Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments, Margaret plans on attaining a graduate degree in the planning and community development field and ultimately returning to the family ranch.

Maggie is placed with the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District and will act as the District’s representative and point-person helping to roll-out the Agora Investment Platform. The Agora Investment Platform enables community leaders to navigate the funding system much more efficiently. Maggie’s primary function will be to enhance community capacity for project development and funding with use of the newly developed Agora Investment Platform. Specifically, she will support community leaders in their identification of projects and articulation of projects in a way that multiple funders can quickly grasp.

The Mid-Columbia Economic Development District was established in 1969 by its five member counties who realized that by sharing a common workforce, a common geography and a number of other important factors, their economic fates were tied together. They realized that by joining together they would benefit from better access to economic development loans and grants, pooled technical assistance, marketing, and administrative resources, and most importantly, they would be able to bring a regional approach to their economic development efforts. Over the years Mid-Columbia Economic Development District’s membership has grown to include cities, ports and chambers of commerce within the five county region.

Organization: Mid-Columbia Economic Development District
Community: The Dalles
Population: 80,708
Counties: Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania

 

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Stories from the Field: A RARE AmeriCorps Perspective

Posted on by Julia Havens

Networking “AmeriCorps” Style

As a first year RARE AmeriCorps Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments participant, my enthusiasm for conferences and trainings is usually at an all time high. As an overly social individual, I find trainings and conferences to be a great time to socialize and learn about projects and work that others are doing in Oregon. The AmeriCorps Kick-Off (Oregon Volunteers) provided a really energetic learning environment for us AmeriCorps ROCKSTARS (I hesitate to use the word “volunteer”) to absorb any information that would make the year in our positions a little bit easier. For the first time, all of the amazing, selfless individuals that are making changes in Oregon were in ONE place together. Seeing the massive amount of people, rocking their AmeriCorps swag, made me realize that being a part of AmeriCorps isn’t just about serving a year in your community- it’s about being a part of a huge network of people that encourage and support you.

This support system became more evident on the last day of training when we were split into groups based on where we are serving. Being that I am sort of all over the place (within the Portland area), being placed in the SE Portland group was interesting because I’m technically “placed” there—and happen to live there, but my project is for a community in North Portland . It was really exciting to meet people that are quite literally my neighbors, serving and doing amazing things in MY community. There was a huge amount of networking and collaboration happening, folks setting up potlucks and Facebook groups, others sharing resources and creating partnerships. The best topic that we chatted about was living in Portland on such low income. There were a few second and third year AmeriCorps members in the group that were sharing their experience and giving out tips. One of my favorite tips was from a lady who had tried to figure out a way to use EBT money for every household cleaning and personal hygiene product. To be honest, I think this subject in itself would be a fabulous blog or Facebook post–or even training!

Offering this session at the end of the day allowed people to leave the conference feeling inspired and comforted with new friends and partnerships—from outside of their program. Not only am I left with really awesome neighbors and potluck dinners, but a network that expands outside of RARE.

 

RARE Resourse Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsAbout the Author: Maia Hardy is urban thinker/lover of places [and the things that inhabit places]. She has a deep passion for social justice issues, civic engagement, and well-designed public space. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University in December 2012 with a Bachelor’s in Urban and Regional Planning with a concentration in Non-Profit Organization Management. Maia is a first year RARE AmeriCorps Program participant working for Multnomah County as an Assistant Planner.