It is hard to believe...

But, RARE has served Oregon for 15 years – one tenth of Oregon’s 150 year history! Woohoo - this is cause for celebration and fellowship!

This is a blog about the life and times of those of us who chose to serve Oregon’s rural communities (and have a great time at it).

Use it to keep up on the latest celebration news, and reconnect with former RARE participants. Share it with your fellow alums, visit often and then join in September's celebratory event!

Include in your post
· The year(s) you served and your community
· Where you are now
· What you have been doing since RARE
· Share a little about your RARE experience. Don’t forget to dig out those old photos of you during your service term – you know the ones with the funny hair cut or you covered in mud…

Ready to post?
Email Bonny and she will get you set up as a contributor (bonnycushman@yahoo.com).

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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/

Sunday, August 9, 2009

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