Meet RARE AmeriCorps Particpant: Jason Sergeant

Rural and Proud Jason Sergeant RARE Resource Assistance for Rural Environments

Jason Sergeant received his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Southern Illinois University and a Masters in Architecture from the New School of Architecture and Design. He choose this path as a result of his desire to help cities and towns plan for growth and redevelopment in a manner that focuses on embracing their identity and unique attributes. After completing his Masters Degree, Jason worked as an intern architect, adjunct instructor and a planning consultant. Jason joined the  RARE AmeriCorps  Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments alongside his wife, Rebecca, and their daughter Mary. Following his second year with the RARE Program, Jason hopes to find a job that will allow him to enhance the communities in which we all work, live and play.

Jason is placed with Columbia River Gorge Commission where he will assist the United States Forest Service’s National Scenic Area Office in assessing the potential for a coordinated inter-agency volunteer program to effectively manage resources along the Columbia Gorge. The coordination program will ideally promote increased volunteer participation and improve the effectiveness of volunteer efforts in protecting and enhancing the Gorge. Jason will also be assisting with graphic sign updates, review development applications, and help to coordinate and convene Regional Forums.

The Columbia River Gorge Commission was established in 1987 to develop and implement policies and programs that protect and enhance the scenic, natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Gorge, while encouraging growth within existing urban areas and allowing development outside urban areas consistent with resource protection.

Organization: Columbia River Gorge Commission
Community: counties Multnomah, Hood River and Wasco Counties, Oregon and counties Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties, Washington
Population: 75,000

Meet RARE AmeriCorps Participant: Margaret Hanna

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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