RARE 15 Celebration Recap

On September 18th and 19th the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program celebrated its 15th anniversary. For fifteen years, RARE has served Oregon communities and filled over 360 positions in an effort to achieve its mission to increase the capacity of rural communities, by improving their economic, social, and environmental conditions through the assistance of trained graduate-level participants. On Friday, September 18 over 100 past participants and friends attended an evening of discussion and celebration. The following day, on September 19, thirty people gathered in the Port of Cascade Locks and together with community members completed four service projects.

Friday evening’s roundtable was facilitated by Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Jeff Douglas. Panelists included David Povey, Founder of the RARE Program; Norm Smith, President of the Ford Family Foundation; Chuck Daughtry, General Manager for the Port of Cascade Locks; Nick Fleury, RARE Alum 2005-06 and 2006-07; and, Emily Gilliland, Executive Director of Oregon Campus Compact. This unique panel discussed the history of the RARE Program, challenges facing rural Oregon and how service programs like the RARE Program can meet these challenges. Following the roundtable, everyone spent a few hours rekindling old friendships, listening to live music from past participants, and making new connections.

In typical RARE fashion, a night of discussion, networking, and celebration was followed by a day of service. Over thirty people travelled to the Port of Cascade Locks to complete four service projects. Together with local community members, the RARE alumni and friends worked together to rebuild bus stops, assist with erosion control on the Pacific Crest Trail, paint the historic Oregon Pony building, and deconstruct a fence. Again, attendees with a shared enthusiasm for rural communities used this time to serve, reconnect, celebrate, and establish new relationships.

The 15 Year Celebration was an incredible opportunity to highlight the impacts and share the legacy of RARE. It brought together many participants, community partners, and supporters of RARE from across the state. From this event an alumni group is taking shape to formalize the many important connections between RARE alum, supervisors, and organizations. If you are a RARE alum and are interested in reconnecting with others, please contact Erin Malone at emalone@uoregon.edu.

RARE 15 Celebration Photos

Room for RARE!

Hi all,

I have a spare room with a queen bed and it's own bath available for the RARE celebration weekend. Let me know if you need a place to stay. I am in NE Portland---see you all soon!

RARE 15th Anniversary Celebration Details

Friday, September 18, 2009
Speakers, music and a reception

$25.00 ($13 for Recent RARE Alumni and FREE for Children Under 12)


White Stag Building
70 Northwest Couch Street
Portland, OR





5:00 PM Registration

6:00 PM Speakers
Chuck Daughtry, Port of Cascade Locks, RARE Supervisor
Nick Fleury, RARE Alum, 2005-2006, 2006-2007
Emily Gilliland, Executive Director, Oregon Campus Compact
David Povey, Founder, RARE Program
Norm Smith, President, The Ford Family Foundation

Music
Ashleigh Flynn, RARE Alum, 1994-1995, 1995-1996
Marc Mintz, RARE Alum, 2006-2007

7:30 PM Reception with No-Host Bar

Saturday, September 19, 2009
Service projects with the Port of Cascade Locks (a longtime RARE partner) and residents of Cascade Locks, followed by an afternoon picnic.

FREE for all.


Port of Cascade Locks
355 Wanapa Street
Cascade Locks, OR




9:00 AM Registration

9:30 AM Service Projects
Projects are available for all ages and abilities

Pacific Crest Trail Association
Colombia Gorge Lions' Club
Cascade Locks School
Port of Cascade Locks

1:00 PM Picnic Lunch
Food, fun and games at the pavilion at the Port of Cascade Locks Marine Park

Registration

You are welcome to bring spouses, partners, children and other guests. Costs are $25 per person for the reception and FREE for the service day and picnic.

RARE members who served in 2007-2008 or 2008-2009 will receive a reduced rate and children under 12 are FREE.

Registration deadline is Friday, September 11, 2009

Questions? Email Greg at gregoryb@uoregon.edu

To register, go to:
https://center.uoregon.edu//conferences/RARE/2009/registration/

Upstate NY RARE

Name: Scott D. Doyle
RARE year: 1999-2000 (Year 6?)
RARE Community: Florence
Home: Ithaca, New York
Sign: Aquarius

A real pleasure to see RARE almost old enough to get its license and folks getting together to celebrate. Can't say enough about what RARE taught me about myself, Oregon and rural communities. I'll never forget some of those wicked rainy days on the Oregon coast rolling back from a planning board meeting to my place in Old Town behind "the Snag" and also being floored daily that the community didn't write me off as some young punk kid from New York, but rather embraced me. It was a strange balance of feeling on the edge of the earth, but also right at home.

My time with RARE, UO, CSC and ONHW hooked me on planning and service learning, so much so that I actively explore the development of a RARE model for Upstate NY, my childhood and current home. There are great students throughout NY looking for the opportunity to contribute - and great Upstate communities that could use the support.

Though I travel in my mind to Oregon on a daily basis, I am proudly back in Upstate NY. After a brief stint at Cornell, I now serve as a Senior Planner for the Tompkins County Planning Department. I work predominately on farmland protection, conservation planning, and natural hazard mitigation. Small but great department based out of Ithaca (no doubt the hipest town east of the Mississippi). My sweet wife Ruthie and wild 3-year old Evie (took this killer photo in an Adirondack diner) and I live in the City of Ithaca.

I love RARE and love the fact that this 15 year celebration is happening. I'm picturing Ken Kato ripping it up with some hungarian dance he picked up in the Peace Corps and perfected in Astoria, Jason Smith not being admitted because he has his UW rain slicker on, and Adam Zimmerman biking up from Coos Bay for it...so, I'm doing my damndest to swing on out for it mid-September. If I can pull it off that I would peel down to Eugene after the White Stag bender Friday night to get my Duck Football fix Saturday morning. Anyone headed back down I-5 Friday night?

Go Ducks. Hope to see you soon.

Scott

Howdy RARE!

That’s me in the orange “uncycling” during a photo shoot for the City of Portland’s commercial recycling program. I’ve been an avid recycler since childhood – some things don’t change.

After completing my year with RARE, I went on to receive a masters in community and regional planning from U of O focusing on social planning and behavior change. RARE helped me make some important decisions in work, life and play.

Since graduation I’ve lived in Portland, Oregon working as both a planning consultant and, more recently, a program developer for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

I hope to see many familiar faces at the reunion though I can’t promise to be there. I’m due with baby #1 on Sept. 15th.

Cheers, Pam (Pickens) Neild

Can't wait either!

Hey Terry, thanks for starting this up. As for my post---think MasterCard commercial.

Service in the RARE Program (Talent 1998-99): Wonderful
Meeting my wife at the U of O (1999): Serendipitous
Working in Public Service for 10 years: Rewarding
Hiking in the Columbia Gorge with my son: Priceless
The RARE Program: An experience of a lifetime