RDI News Posts

Oregon Latino Agenda for Action Summit

2010-08-30 21:38:52 UTC

“One United Voice – Una Voz Unida” is the theme for an historic two day Summit slated for October 17 and 18, 2010, in Salem, Oregon convening Latino leadership from throughout the state to catalyze and coordinate statewide efforts promoting the social and economic well-being, political capacity, and civic leadership of the Latino community in Oregon.

Organized by the Oregon Latino Agenda for Action (OLAA), the event has been in the planning by Latino leaders from civic, community, and government sectors.

Designed to accommodate up to 300 participants in the Salem Conference Center, Salem, Oregon, the Summit will begin at 1 pm on Sunday and end at 7 pm, 8 am on Monday until late afternoon. Focusing on the main issues of economic conditions, health, immigration, employment, and social and cultural development, participants from urban, suburban, rural, and coastal areas of Oregon will discuss, deliberate and decide in an open, non-partisan, and participatory model of regional engagement.

Click here for a press release in English and Spanish. Summit details, registration info, and a survey can be found on OLAA's web site.

Ford Institute Leadership Program Class to Commence in Illinois Valley

2010-08-25 16:48:22 UTC

A cross-section of community members will soon participate in a program aimed at helping them develop the leadership skills to guide regional decision making in the future. Based in Roseburg, The Ford Family Foundation’s Leadership Institute is starting its first session of the Ford Institute Leadership Program in the Illinois Valley on Friday and Saturday, August 27 and 28. RDI partners with The Ford Family Foundation to deliver this program.

Since the leadership institute began in 2003, it has worked in more than 50 communities with populations of less than 30,000. The program initially served timber communities in Douglas and Coos counties in Oregon and Siskiyou County in California, but has since expanded to cover all of Oregon.

Some eight communities begin participation in the five-year Ford Institute Leadership Program each year. Past participants in the program have included the communities of Ashland and Lakeview, which have gone on to do many projects on their own. Other communities set to start the program along with the Illinois Valley this year are Dallas, Silverton, and Wheeler County.

“Sometimes, it opens up a whole new world for individuals who have not been exposed to ideas about leadership,” said RDI's Donna Chickering who will be the class's lead trainer. “Sometimes, it really helps people who have already been in leadership positions and gives them a chance to mentor new leaders, pass on that torch and share the information that they know.”

Although the application process for the program has closed, organizers are still looking for high school students ages 14 and up to become involved. For more information, phone 541-441-6680, e-mail Donna Chickering at dchickering@rdiinc.org or visit The Ford Family Foundation's web site. Click here to read Scott Jorgensen's entire story in the Illinois Valley News.

RDI and the Ford Family Foundation in Sweet Home

2010-08-16 16:58:30 UTC

An East Linn County Ford Institute Leadership Program class, funded by the Ford Family Foundation and facilitated by Rural Development Initiatives, has taken on the project of restoring the Foster Lake Trail between Gedney Creek Boat Ramp and Lewis Creek Park. The trail circles most of the lake and has fallen into disrepair due to a lack of organized effort. About 20 of the “cohort,” as they refer to themselves, were out last Saturday, picking up trash, cutting invasive ivy that was taking over certain sections of the trail, and working on blackberries that were encroaching on other sections. It was the first of what the cohort intends to be several work days to get the trail back to what it once was. The group’s goal is to eventually establish a trail that will run all the way around the lake and set up a system whereby it will be maintained, maybe by local organizations or individuals who would “adopt” particular sections. You can read more about the project in The New Era, Sweet Home's newspaper.

Rural Communities Cause RIPPLE Effect

2010-08-10 17:09:23 UTC

Oregon Public Broadcasting's Cassie Wieden recently posted about RDI's RIPPLE web site on OPB's Rural Economy Project blog. RIPPLE was developed to function as a hub where people could build community by sharing resources, personal stories, and concerns about issues facing rural communities. RDI has been an integral partner in the Rural Economy Project along with Sustainable Northwest, WorkSource Oregon, and The Oregon Consortium/Oregon Workforce Alliance, and as part of the Rural Economy Project, there is an extensive list of employment opportunities, events, funding sources, and announcements posted on RIPPLE, including some from the work RDI does with over 300 communities throughout Oregon.

RDI Ranked as a 100 Best Nonprofit

2010-08-04 03:50:50 UTC

Rural Development Initiatives has made the 2010 list of the second annual 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon. The 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon is a survey process conducted every year since 1995 by Oregon Business magazine. Companies are ranked based on survey scores, and many nonprofits and almost 5,000 employees from around the state participated in the survey this year.

A celebration to honor the efforts and the shared commitment toward best workplace practices of the 100 Best Nonprofits will be held on the evening of Wednesday, September 29, at the Portland Downtown Hilton.

Think Out Loud and the Rural Economy Project Live From Eastern Oregon

2010-07-18 21:50:44 UTC

Think Out Loud, OPB's daily radio conversation about news and issues, brings its show to Eastern Oregon to talk with local residents about the future of forest management and the changing economic realities of ranching. Hosts Emily Harris and David Miller will visit Enterprise and Haines on July 20, 21, and 22. Residents are invited to join the audience for the live broadcast of the show on Tuesday, July 20 at the Terminal Gravity Brewery in Enterprise. Do you work in the woods? Do you live near public forest land? Have you built a business around logging smaller trees or using biomass for energy? Do you manage private forest land? Come join the conversation. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

These shows are part of the Rural Economy Project, a collaborative effort between OPB and RDI, Sustainable Northwest, and The Oregon Consortium/Workforce Alliance with an aim to increase visibility of rural issues and provide valuable resources for employment and small business development.

RDI at the CAT Summit

2010-07-12 19:20:35 UTC

Here are some photos from the two-day Ford Institute Leadership Program Community Ambassador Summit at the beautiful Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, Oregon in June:

Central Cascades Geotourism MapGuide Wins Travel Lane County Award

2010-06-25 20:34:30 UTC

Travel Lane County held its 2010 Visitor Industry Celebration on Tuesday, June 15. Businesses, organizations, and individuals throughout Lane County were honored for their dedication and outstanding contributions to Lane County's visitor industry. The National Geographic Central Cascades Geotourism MapGuide project won the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Partnership Award. The project resulted in the creation of a map and website featuring dozens of Lane County landmarks, attractions and other points of interest. The project was a collaboration of the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destination, Travel Oregon, Rural Development Initiatives and numerous public lands, economic and tourism-related agencies.

Visit Travel Lane County's web site to read the press release, or click here to watch a video about it on YouTube.