Kathleen Cornett: Road Warriors for Oregon
There is a meditation about driving in Oregon. Experiencing the beauty. Knowing you are on your way to meet in person, to learn deeply about what is happening in a community, to find common ground.
Kathleen was born and raised in rural Oregon. She is the retired VP for Grants and Programs at Oregon Community Foundation, where she worked for 33 years.
I recently saw a former colleague standing on the sidewalk as I drove home and I pulled over to say hello. Turns out he was waiting for another old friend and the three of us were able to have a nice catch up, behind masks and appropriately distanced.
All three of us have had jobs with statewide organizations in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors in Oregon. As we talked, we all acknowledged how the pandemic had make two things true: it has completely limited what we feel is our vital role to travel around the state; and, at the same time has made it easier than ever to gather Oregonians from far and wide together thanks to technology.
This curbside chat caused a little midnight reflection. Reflection about my career in two Oregon institutions—Oregon Community Foundation and Oregon Foodshare/Foodbank—and how much of my work involved getting in my car and going to meet people in their communities. When I started at Oregon Foodshare the concept of a centralized charitable food distribution system did not exist. Decentralization required a lot of mobilization. So I drove to Grants Pass and Milton Freewater and Redmond and North Bend, and, and… At each stop, I met with the few folks giving food to those in need, usually church folks, to sell them on the idea of creating a local warehouse and distribution system. These community organizations could and did become key hubs for addressing hunger among their neighbors.
Similarly, building networks across Oregon was a key part of growing the Oregon Community Foundation. We logged thousands of miles, in order to meet people, develop relationships, and promote the idea of charitable giving in Bend and Medford and Ontario and Eugene and John Day and Pendleton and Astoria, and, and…..
I love writing the names of those Oregon places. They conjure main streets and rivers and mountains, and restaurants and motels. And, of course, the amazing people who were courteous if cautious, who listened, and who had a lot to say about their special communities and how they worked every day to make them better.
Now, we ZOOM. I have been part of some really good ZOOM meetings that had much larger and more diverse participation than would have been expected from in-person meetings. In a different way, these gatherings are satisfying and effective. And, I understand that for rural Oregonians they can be life-altering.
But. There is a meditation about driving in Oregon. Experiencing the beauty. Knowing you are on your way to meet in person, to learn deeply about what is happening in a community, to find common ground and share a meal and some laughs. Hundreds of Oregonians do this work, day in and day out, mile after mile, year after year. Road warriors travelling to and from the centers of power and commerce. Connecting. Knitting communities together. Making Oregon better. I hope we can keep them both—person to person, and options for effective broad participation using technology. Either way, let’s keep talking!
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