The Applegater

Applegater Fall 2018 7 NONPROFIT NEWS AND UPDATES Nonprofit organizations in the Applegate Valley are welcome to submit news and event information to the Applegater. Email gater@applegater.org. — A Greater Applegate — — Pacifica — — McKee Bridge Historical Society — What are the values of the Applegate Valley? I recently came across the Oregon Values and Beliefs Project, an effort to determine if Oregon has a guiding set of values and beliefs and a way for the study's authors to share with policymakers what "regular Oregonians…feel about the most fundamental issues of the day." e study, now a few years old, is still considered the most comprehensive survey of Oregonians. You can check it out at oregonvaluesproject.org. I was immediately struck by the idea of an Oregon Values and Beliefs-type project for the Applegate Valley because I have similar questions. What does it mean to be a resident of the Applegate Valley? Do we have a guiding set of values and beliefs? If so, how valuable would it be to share them with each other and with the people who make decisions about us? e nonprofit A Greater Applegate is interested in these questions. We hope you are, too, but we need your help! We have been circulating a Community Survey to better understand the issues you are concerned about and are willing to put energy into addressing. The deadline for completing this survey is Sunday, September 9. It is available on our "under-construction" website at gacdc.org and on applegateconnect.org. Cantrall Buckley Park Golden Jubilee e Cantrall Park Golden Jubilee on July 14 was a wonderful community event shared by about 1,000 people. Many of the community groups, businesses, and artists of this area were present as vendors and exhibitors, and it gave us another opportunity to show who we are as an Applegate Valley community in one of our most lovely settings. Networking If you are a nonprofit organization working in the Applegate Valley, you should have been invited to our Nonprofit Networking event in June and received our nonprofit survey. e event was a great success, with about 40 people from two dozen organizations attending. We will be building on that success in the coming months with help from a newly formed Steering Committee. We ask that all local nonprofit organizations in the Applegate Valley complete the survey, which will enable us to present a snapshot of the Applegate Valley nonprofit community in a future Applegater. It will be valuable to understand the size and scope of the local nonprofit sector, common issues and opportunities, and how we can grow and prosper in service to the Applegate Valley. If you are a nonprofit and have not received the survey, please contact us at agreaterapplegate@gmail.com. If you already have the survey, please complete and return it. We will share the results with you. We are planning other efforts to better understand and support the Applegate Valley through a Local Business Network and Neighborhood Network. If you are interested in helping us with outreach and networking or want to contribute in other ways to A Greater Applegate, please contact me at sethkaplanconsulting@ gmail.com or the organization at agreaterapplegate@gmail.com. And now…what are the values and beliefs of Oregonians? Well… • Far and away, Oregonians think K-12 education is most important, with 81 percent feeling strongly that government should fund quality education. • More than three-fourths of Oregonians think wellness and healthy living should replace treatment of illness as the primary focus of the healthcare industry. • e vast majority of Oregonians value the state's beauty and environmental qualities and prefer economic policies that recognize the importance of the natural environment. • Oregonians greatly value farms and forestland and want to preserve them, preferring growth to stay in cities rather than spreading into rural areas. • Almost 90 percent of Oregonians think taxes are necessary to pay for the common good; yet almost two-thirds think government is wasteful and inefficient and can't be trusted to make good decisions. • More than 70 percent of us think climate change requires us to change our way of life, such as driving less or living more simply. While there are some differences in rural and urban areas, more than half of respondents across all parts of Oregon share these values: • Productive farm and forestland should be protected from development. • Personal income taxes are too high, and change is needed in Oregon's tax system. • Money is needed to ensure children have access to nutritious food at school. • Money is needed to create greater access to mental health services. So what do you think? What are the issues and projects that are important to you? We want to know! Seth Kaplan Chairperson, Board of Directors A Greater Applegate sethkaplanconsulting@gmail.com Despite the threat of rain, which never materialized, the 2018 McKee Bridge Celebration was a huge success. e Old Time Fiddlers provided two hours of foot- stomping music to enjoy while visitors roamed through the vendor booths or chomped on tasty tri-tip sandwiches cooked up by Applegate Lions Club members. There were wool-spinning and embroidery demonstrations, as well as pine-needle basketmakers and jewelry makers and other artists selling their wares on the bridge. Pies and cookies flew out of the bake sale at a fast pace. ere were old steam and gas engines on display next to some fine old automobiles brought by the Stray Cats Car Club. Of c o u r s e , n o n e o f t h i s c o u l d have happened without the generous donations of time, energy, goods, and money by our volunteers and members. Many thanks to all who came forward to help, including our newest members. We welcomed about 20 new members to the group from our membership drive. e $300 membership raffle, open to all who renewed their membership or became new members, was won by Upper Applegate resident Gary Katz, who then graciously donated the prize money back to McKee Bridge Historical Society. Congratulations and thanks to Gary for displaying that wonderful Applegate spirit of giving. (Anyone else similarly afflicted is welcome to send donations of any amount, at any time, to MBHS, PO Box 854, Jacksonville, OR 97530.) In the nearly 20 years since the McKee Bridge Historical Society was formed, the bylaws of the organization have not properly reflected how members could be involved in voting on candidates to the board or on issues brought forth by the board. After being prodded by the Oregon Department of Justice to make changes to the bylaws, we can now say that all members of the organization can now nominate candidates to the board and vote on candidates for office and on changes to the bylaws at our annual meetings in September. (is year, our meeting is on Saturday, September 8.) Members are encouraged to be active, attend meetings of the board, and vote on issues that the board determines require a vote of the entire membership. We are open to as much member participation as possible, especially now that participation includes a chance to vote as mentioned above. If you're interested in making your vote count or in being a board member, let us know. Paul Tipton • 541-846-7501 President, McKee Bridge Historical Society mckeebridge1917@gmail.com Summer update How great it was to have sixth graders from Applegate and Lincoln Savage schools attend Pacifica's Outdoor School last May! We enjoyed their visits as much as they did and are looking forward to many more. Outdoor School, though a challenge, was an awesome success. On the other end of the spectrum: It's very early, but the next Applegater will come out too late to remind you about the much-loved Winter Arts Fest. We had over 30 vendors and 12 groups of musicians last year. is year's Winter Fest is on Saturday (and maybe Sunday?), December 1, from 10 am - 4 pm. Don't miss it! Despite our hot and smoky summer, we kept plugging along on various projects. e new Caterpillar now has a new coat (see photo below) and will be traveling to schools this fall and next spring with an exciting earth science program on Water, Rocks, and Soil...so incredibly important to us all. Lots of kids had a great time at a variety of summer camps. e picture above is from music camp. ese kids are going to be on the music charts next time you look! anks to Indigo and Joe for making a real recording of their efforts. In addition to the Pond House, the Cedar Apartment is now available to rent for friends and visitors. is is the apartment rock musician Steve Miller built for his "roadies." Now decorated with art prints, it has several conversation areas, a full kitchen, large bathroom, TV, etc., and sleeps six. It costs less than the Pond House and has great ambiance. And, speaking of Steve Miller, Indigo and Joe have been working hard on getting the recording studio up to speed again for recording by community groups and others. Call 541-415-0545 for availability. Rates are $20 per hour for the use of this extraordinary room. Engineer fees are additional, depending on the engineer, and start at $20 per hour. We're ever closer to building the long-awaited restrooms to serve Cedar Center guests. We have about half of the money needed and are hopeful that, with community support, we can raise the remaining amount by the end of the year. If you would like to be a commemorated (as well as appreciated) sponsor or donor, please call Peg at 541-660-4295. Work is progressing, though more slowly than hoped because of the heat, on several new gardens. at's Pacifica's summer update. Give a call if you'd like to volunteer to join the fun. We look forward to hearing from you. ank you! Peg Prag • 541-846-1100 peg@pacificagarden.org Summer music camp at Pacifica. Free Community Website • Calendar of Events • Directory of Organizations • Community Projects • News and Stories Applegate Valley Connect applegateconnect.org Coming soon: Watch for the new Volunteer section!

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