IRISNCW.ORG
Initiative for
Rural Innovation
and Stewardship
NOVEMBER 15, 2016
North Central Washington
Community Success Summit
2
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Initiative for
Rural Innovation
and Stewardship
IRISNCW.ORG
Growing Community with the Tip of a Hat
It might sound a little strange, but
those of us in IRIS have been trying
to create a cultural shift in NCW
for many years now. We want to
live in a place where “hat tipping,”
the practice of honoring another’s
success by tipping your hat to them,
has infiltrated communities all across
our diverse region from the northern
reaches of the Okanogan Highlands
to the Columbia Basin and into the
Cascade Mountain Range.
Each year we work to create just the
right conditions for this movement
to spread by convening the NCW
Community Success Summit.
We ask people to look for successes
that contribute to the health and
sustainability of our region and to
“tip their hat” to the people who create them by gathering and sharing
those stories as part of the summit.
It’s a process that builds relationships, expands perspectives, and that,
we hope, fosters reciprocity. Once
someone has honored you with a tip
of their hat, we assume that you are
more likely to honor someone else,
helping to grow the “hat tipper” culture. Pay it forward and strengthen
our communities. In the pages of this commemorative supplement you’ll find a greater
number of stories than in years past
- stories that are contributing to the
health of our environment, community, and economy – stories told by a
growing number of hat tippers. We
hope that you will find some stories
that can help you, and others you
know, succeed in this place. We also
hope that you will contribute to the
“hat tipper” culture and share these
stories widely. Someone you know
probably needs at least one of these
stories.
Once recognized, even seemingly
humble stories can grow and have
an impact that extends far beyond
their origin. We invite you to look
for those and other stories of success
in this place, however humble, and
share them – with a tip of your hat.
We’re also excited about launching
the Success Story Exchange this
year, a portion of the IRIS website
that makes it easier to share the
success stories you see in your own
family, organization, community or
in another part of our region. Just
visit the Success Story Exchange at
irisncw.org to download the template or to submit your story online.
Art by Georgia Rose Royer
2016 Success Summit Themes
Mai n tain in g Di ve rs e , He a l t hy Ecosyste ms
How are we increasing the health and connectivity
of our lands and waters, i.e., how are programs
that incorporate habitat restoration, art, education,
recreation, and locally-produced food contributing to
this health and connectivity?
What is being done to increase the resiliency of our
lands and waters, i.e., the ability to recover from
disturbance caused by fire, floods, invasive species, and
other natural phenomenon?
Bri dgi ng Cultural and Pol itical Divid es
How are we using art, technology, and “third places” or
meeting spaces to bridge cultural and political divides
and strengthen our communities?
What are we doing to increase access to health care
and diverse educational opportunities while building
multi-cultural literacy and the confidence needed to
adapt to change?
Meet ing Ba s i c Hu m a n Ne e ds
How are we using cross-generational and multicultural relationships to foster a sense of belonging
and ownership in our communities, improve our
health, engage students as lifelong learners, and grow
opportunities for jobs?
What are we doing to reduce waste, increase recycling
and access to locally-produced goods, and to foster
healthy businesses that create and retain jobs?
What are we doing to develop a unified vision around
how we respond to changes caused by natural disasters,
the economy, and land use patterns?
OUR MIS S ION
To foster sustainable rural communities
in North Central Washington by
gathering and sharing success stories
that enhance a sense of belonging,
inspire action, and build community.
We believe that thriving communities in
a healthy environment create success.
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
2016 NCW Community Success Summit
CONTENTS
Growing Community with the Tip of a Hat.................................. 2
Cascadia’s Firewise Program.......................................................... 4
Creating Fire Adapted Communities............................................ 4
Quincy Police Department is G.R.E.A.T......................................... 5
Loving and Learning Preschool...................................................... 5
Caring for Quincy’s Roots................................................................. 6
The Georgettes of George................................................................ 6
Range Riding to Improve the Bottom Line ..................................7
Daniel’s Birdhouses..............................................................................7
People Matter at Plaza Super Jet................................................. 8
Fast Track Nursing Assistant Training.......................................... 8
MEChA: Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán................ 9
Quincy Murals....................................................................................... 9
Quincy School District Bond........................................................... 10
Launching a Safety R.A.F.T. .......................................................... 10
Welcoming New Citizens.................................................................. 11
Viking Food Pantry at Big Bend..................................................... 11
ESL Changes Lives!........................................................................... 12
Brewster Boys & Girls Club............................................................. 12
Building Relationships in Disaster................................................ 13
Make A Difference Day.................................................................... 13
Quincy Leadership Group............................................................... 14
Quincy Beautification Committee................................................ 14
Securing Water for the Methow................................................... 15
Wenatchee Riparian Restoration................................................ 15
Back to School Health Fair............................................................. 16
Quincy Library Art Display Project.............................................. 16
Beezley Hills Fire Recovery..............................................................17
Osprey & Baling Twine......................................................................17
Self-Managing Diabetes................................................................. 18
Free After-School Soccer Clinic.................................................... 18
Waterville Recycling Center........................................................... 19
Ancient Lakes AVA............................................................................ 19
Community Health Workers Network........................................ 20
Linking Prisons to Land Restoration.......................................... 20
Benson Farms Inc. Native Seeds.................................................. 21
Pateros Sidewalk Project................................................................ 21
Growing Opportunities at WVC................................................... 22
Community Harvest Gleaning Program.................................... 22
New Old Time Chautauqua........................................................... 23
NCRL Book Club Network.............................................................. 23
Sponsors and Partners.................................................................. 24
4
Initiative for
Rural Innovation
and Stewardship
14 N Mission
P O. Box 4563
Wenatchee, WA 98807
IRIS Team
7
Erin Mundinger
Board President
George Thornton
Board Vice President
Nicolle LaFleur
Board Secretary
Mike Yale
Board Treasurer
Lauren Loebsack
At Large Board Member
Brooklyn Holton
At Large Board Member
Nancy Warner
Program Coordinator
16
Carol Cade
Program Assistant
Cheryl Dawes
Web Manager
Steve Stanley
Lizbeth Rivera
Summit Interns
21
IRIS is a 501(C)3
non-profit organization
Visit the IRIS website
irisncw.org
Nancy Warner and
Kristen Heidenthal
Editors
23
Daniel O’Connor
Designer
3
4
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
In c rea si ng Re si l i e nc y
Cascadia’s Firewise Program
Challenge
At first the challenge was promoting these cost-share programs and
helping people to understand the
benefits and the costs of making
their homes more defensible from
wildfire.
Key Activities
Home fire risk assessments bring
Cascadia staff and landowners together to analyze the fire-vulnerable
parts of the landowner’s property.
Cascadia staff then offer advice to
the landowners about what they
can do to make their property more
defensible from wildfire.
Situation
Overstocked forests, several summers with multiple wildfires, and
interest from the community in
making their homes and neighborhoods more resilient to wildfire has
created demand for the Firewise
program that Cascadia Conservation
District is implementing in Chelan
County with support from the WA
Conservation Commission. The District works with the community to
identify priority treatment areas and
then to deliver services within those
priority areas that are designed to
reduce the threat and intensity of
wildfire on private lands.
With chipping programs the
landowners take responsibility for
limbing and clearing flammable
organic material on their property
and stacking it for the chipping crew.
Then the crew comes through and
chips all the material for free.
Cascadia’s cost-share program for
fuels reduction and forest health
practices pays up to 75% of the
cost of the project. Landowners can
contribute their portion with cash
or sweat equity. This is a great way
for landowners to get professional
assistance at a fraction of the cost.
The nationally recognized Firewise
Communities program brings
landowners together to make their
communities and neighborhoods
more resilient to wildfire. The program also opens the community up
for special funding opportunities
only available to recognized Firewise
Communities. Cascadia is also able
to help communities through this
application process for free.
Successful Outcome
Firewise is providing consistent programs that help landowners take an
active role in managing their lands
for wildfire risk. Cascadia Conservation District provides home fire
risk assessments to 100+ landowners
per year and the chipping program
to about 150 landowners each spring
and fall. We are also working to
get about a dozen communities
certified as Firewise Communities.
See cascadiacd.org for more
information.
Contact: Amanda L Newell,
[email protected]
Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network
Situation
Contact: Kirsten Cook,
[email protected]
After two summers of megafires in
Okanogan County, it is clear that
we must do better to prepare for,
respond to, and recover from wildfire.
A Fire Adapted Community acknowledges and takes responsibility
for its wildfire risk, and implements
appropriate actions at all levels. Actions address resident safety, homes,
neighborhoods, businesses and
infrastructure, forests, parks, open
spaces and other community assets.
The national Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Learning Network
started in 2013 and included one
local member, the Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition. Many of
us in WA wanted to jump on their
bandwagon, so the first state-level
FAC learning network began in
2015. “The Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network,
(WAFAC), funded by the Bureau
of Land Management, facilitates
learning and provides a means to
invest resources in model coordinating groups (“member organizations”)
around WA that are working to
create fire adapted communities. The
project provides member communities with resources to engage with
other WAFAC participants, thereby
increasing local capacity, and elevating our collective ability to adapt
communities’ relationships to the
complex fire issues we face.” Okanogan Conservation District is proud
to be part of the pilot group.
Successful Outcome
The level of awareness of this issue
has increased; we went from 21 risk
assessments in 2013 to 108 so far
this year. Further, whole communities are engaging in conversations
centered on disaster preparedness.
Contact Kirsten Cook at Okanogan Conservation District for more
details, and check out the WAFAC
website and blog at
fireadaptedwashington.org
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Brid g ing Cu l t u re s , In c re asi ng Acce ss
Situation
A board member of Quincy’s
“Readiness to Learn” grant, Kaye
Baumgartner and others worked
with licensed day care providers to
identify the need to better prepare
preschool-age children across the
community for the public school
system.
As an elementary school counselor,
Kaye had seen the need increase
since the late 1980s. Some children
entering kindergarten could write
their names and read numbers
whereas others had no experience
holding a pencil or scissors correctly.
So Kaye and other members of the
St. Paul Lutheran Church began
considering what they could do as a
congregation to address this community need. They formed a steering
committee in 2010 to research how
they could create a preschool in
their church, gathering input from
existing preschools and the greater
Quincy community.
Along the way they learned how
dual language acquisition enhances
brain development and subsequent
learning during early years. They
decided to build a program that
would deliver some dual language
instruction to achieve those benefits,
opening their doors as the Loving
and Learning Preschool in 2013.
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
5
Loving and Learning Preschool
Challenge
The preschool steering committee
wanted to create a program that
would provide an enhanced education for children while fitting within
the means of their parents. Kaye
started by meeting with Quincy
area Hispanic pastors and daycare
providers, gathering good input on
how to recruit parents, students, and
get the students to the school. Then
she and other steering committee
members designed their program to
be affordable, keeping tuition low
and offering scholarships, along with
transportation to and from childcare.
It was promoted via fliers and an
informal video distributed to area
churches.
Key Activities
Upfront planning. The steering
committee worked for two years
before the preschool opened and
before the Board was formed, which
includes parent representatives.
Made good use of existing
resources by remodeling church
classrooms into preschool classrooms
and converting the nursery into the
teacher’s office.
Hired good teachers and connected
them with a successful dual language
program and materials, e.g., Lewis
& Clark Elementary in Wenatchee.
Attracted resources from Yahoo,
Paul Lauzier Foundation, NCW
Foundation, and other donations to
help create a playground, purchase a
bus, and offer scholarships.
Fostered family-like atmosphere at
gatherings for school performances
and fundraising efforts and by hosting dinner meetings with preschool
families.
Successful Outcome
Since 2013, 28 Spanish and English-speaking children per year have
received an enhanced learning opportunity with kindergarten teachers
reporting that those who attend the
school perform better than those
who didn’t go to preschool. The
school maintains a waiting list.
Contact: Kaye Baumgartner,
[email protected]
Quincy Police Department is G.R.E.A.T.
Situation
In 2012 when Quincy was putting
together their five-year strategic plan,
two things stood out; one was the
need for law enforcement officers in
the schools and the other was doing
something about the city’s gang
issues. Officer Winter knew about
the Gang Resistance Education And
Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, a
20-year old national program shown
to reduce gang membership. It was
presented to the Quincy Public
Safety Committee and City Council
and launched in 2012. GREAT includes units for 4th grade, 7th grade,
family and summer. It is designed to
be taught by police officers.
Successful Outcome
Many successes are coming out of
this program such as a previously
truant student graduating from high
school with support from a caring
law enforcement officer. Information about crimes that would have
gone unreported are now shared so
that the police can take action. The
program has a focus on life skills
and how to deal with situations and
learn about the myths around gangs.
It does not focus on “bad” kids; it
focuses on all kids. The GREAT
program is helping Quincy students
avoid gang membership, prevent
violence and criminal activity, and
develop positive relationships with
law enforcement. Officers involved
have seen a reduction in the number of young people in trouble. The
cumulative impact of the program
will be assessed at the end of the first
five-year period in 2017.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact:
Quincy Police Department
509-787-4718
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NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Caring for
Quincy’s Roots
Situation
In 1995, Lauren Simmons left
a 1904 farmhouse to the City of
Quincy to be used as a community resource, namely a museum or
heritage space. After years of consideration, the Quincy Valley Historical
Society & Museum was formed in
2002 as a non-profit charity, intent on restoring the home. Truly
a grassroots, “anyone can be a part”
organization, dedicated volunteers
met, raised funds and set a vision
for what has become Quincy’s place
of heritage and roots. Now, after
14 years, operating on a shoestring
budget, we have a dedicated group
of volunteers, have restored three
structures and care for six, maintain
the grounds and flowers, and provide
many heritage-based activities from
school programs and public events
to seasonal celebrations and restoring and archiving historical photos.
We are proud to have garnered historic place listings, state grants, and
the Governor’s Award for Stewardship in caring for the Reiman-Simmons House, the 1904 farmhouse
that began it all.
Challenge
The main challenge has been operating on a minimal budget without
staff. But with a group of committed, hard-working volunteers we
have been able to achieve a great
deal. This takes vision, cooperation,
perseverance and people to “step up”
and get jobs done. One example of
this is our “Manly Men’s Group,” led
by Gar Pilliar, who take on various
jobs from painting, repair and landscaping. Another is the fundraising
committee who organize events
that generate financial support for
our two children’s historical fiction
books, teacher trunks full of lesson
plans and artifacts, and a 23-page
activity book that is given to every
third grader in the Quincy School
District. They also raise money to
produce additional books, exhibits
and programs including annual
events, such as the successful Wine
Fests.
Bui ldi ng Cross-generational and
Multi - cul tural Rel ationship s
Key Activities
Some things that have contributed
to our success include: Sticking to our mission; only
responding to opportunities that further preserve Quincy’s heritage such
as accepting the St. Paul Lutheran
Church which provides an additional venue for programs
Transparency with finances and appreciation for gifts large and small;
donor recognition
Networking with key leaders of our
community; coordinating with the
City who owns the land
Giving more than receiving; our
willingness to leave our egos at the
door and do what is needed regardless of who gets the credit
A strong sense of purpose in what
we are doing; living up to the support we receive.
Successful Outcome
The gift of the Simmons farmhouse
served as the seed for what is now
the “go to” place for information,
events, and experiences that bring
the cultural history of the Quincy
Valley to life. And after operating
year round and hosting many events
and programs, our volunteers, partners, and donors are now working
to develop a Community Heritage
Barn that will be a culmination of all
we have begun over the past 14 years.
Contact: Harriet Weber,
[email protected]
The Georgettes of George
Situation
As with many volunteer-led organizations the George Community Hall
has had its up and downs. In the
mid-1980s it was a great reflection
of our vibrant, active farm culture:
square dances, children’s events, the
annual Hunt Breakfast in autumn
and July 4 at George, Washington,
an event begun in 1957 by our town’s
founder, Charlie Brown. It was a
community center to be proud of
– however homely – a place where
cultural and civic events could be
held, that pulled the community
together. By 2001 the board decided
to close the center leaving the keys
with me. What to do next?
Successful Outcome
A new group identity was forged
and we became more of a service
club committed to keeping the
George Community Hall alive. July
4, 2016 saw the 59th uninterrupted Independence Day Celebration
followed by the 10th Annual George
Washington Bluegrass Festival in
September. The Community Hall
is now a non-profit organization.
The Georgettes are a committee of
the George Community Hall, which
handles food-service management
for events and also oversees the
George Beautification efforts. Many
of the original Georgettes still serve,
and are also board members of the
George Community Hall.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Debby Kooy,
[email protected]
Incre as i n g Re s i li e n c y
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
7
Range Riding to Improve the Bottom Line
Situation
Livestock producers in North Central and Northeast WA are facing
severe challenges. Drought and
wildfire have taken a toll on available
pasture and rangeland productivity.
While cougars, bears, and coyotes
have long been the primary carnivores of our region, the recent return
of wolves has producers looking
for new strategies. Recognizing the
opportunity to minimize the loss
of livestock to predators, WA Dept
of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) and
Conservation Northwest (CNW)
teamed up in 2012 to offer range
riding programs. When combined
with grazing management, range
riding can bring other benefits to
cattle such as increased weight gain
and higher pregnancy rates. With
daily presence, range riders are
finding, caring for, and removing injured, sick, or diseased animals from
herds, all of which makes the herd
less susceptible to depredation. This
regular herd supervision can also
foster better range management and
stewardship.
Challenge
For many livestock producers, the
greatest challenge has been finding
time and money to invest in working
with a range rider. Finding range
riders who are qualified and willing
to do the work is not easy. The range
rider must know cattle and wolf
behavior, grazing management, and
be able to identify predator tracks
and scat. They often need to provide
their own tools and equipment, from
horses to ATVs. Range riders work
long days in tough conditions earning up to $20,000, plus expenses for
the 5-month grazing season. Both
CNW and WDFW’s programs
stress that range riding will not
always be 100% successful in preventing depredation.
Key Activities
Contact: Allisa Carlson,
[email protected]
WDFW and CNW secured funding
for a pilot program from 20122016. WDFW has offered their
own cost-sharing arrangements to
Situation
Successful Outcome
Daniel has a business called Daniel’s
Birdhouses. He has Down syndrome
and autism both, a relatively rare
dual diagnosis. He has made over
2,200 birdhouses. All of them are for
one species, mountain bluebirds. He
sells each birdhouse for $15. That has
paid for the compound miter saw I
use – his dad - to cut the wood the
right length, and the drill press to
cut the door hole. It has also paid for
the market tent, the business cards,
the brochures, the printed T-shirts,
the hats, and the banner. It buys the
lumber to make more birdhouses.
All this sounds like a pretty successful business model for anybody,
based in birdhouses. How did this
person manage that?
Daniel was in 8th grade when he
started; the project came home
with him when he graduated from
high school in 2007. His parents
have supported his efforts from the
beginning. Daniel’s Birdhouses has a
Washington business license, he pays
taxes, and donates to the Audubon
Society and to Hawkwatch International. Occasionally he pays someone
to help him build his birdhouses.
The US Forest Service asked for 40
of them once to use in creating a
bluebird trail. A Wenatchee Valley
College professor also asked for a
dozen for another bluebird trail. We
drove to Bickleton once, the Bluebird Capitol of Washington, and
donated one of Daniel’s birdhouses
to the thousands there.
ranchers who invest in range riders.
Range riding as a tool for range
management is being considered for
a grant that would support its use
in Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend
Oreille, and the Colville Tribal conservation districts.
WDFW’s and CNW’s efforts have
been promoted in many regional
and agricultural publications. This
positive publicity helps encourage
funders to support range riding and
other predator conflict avoidance
measures.
Training varies depending on the
rancher’s involvement with WDFW
and CNW programs. With CNW’s
Range Rider Pilot Project, annual
trainings are held with wolf experts,
biologists and other ranchers in
order to share best practices and
lessons learned. Ranchers have also
been given the opportunity to travel
to other areas, such as Montana, to
learn how ranchers there are successfully using range riders and reducing
conflicts with wolves, grizzly bears
and other predators.
Photo by Jay Kehne
Successful Outcome
In 2016, seven ranchers from the
greater region have participated in
CNW’s cost share program. Together, these seven ranchers have
lost only two calves to wolves; 25
additional ranchers participated with
WDFW to support their range riding and conflict avoidance measures.
And even more did so independently
as a result of the success demonstrated in recent years by the organization’s range riding programs. The
ultimate measure of success is that
the rancher’s bottom line is improving by bringing back the time-tested
practice of regular herd supervision
through range riding.
Daniel’s Birdhouses
People with disabilities can contribute to the world at large, can find
useful and real work to do. All of
us need to find a way to contribute
and to be proud of what we do and
to think that we, and our work, are
both worthwhile.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Paul Anderman,
[email protected]
8
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
People Matter at
Plaza Super Jet
Contact: Jeff Lau,
[email protected]
Situation
Fifteen years ago David Johnson
and I purchased the Plaza Super Jet
in downtown Wenatchee. While
store sales were strong, the facility
was worn and the equipment dated.
Employees were not maintaining
the workplace and absenteeism
was high. Sixty-five percent of the
26 employees working at the end
of 2001 had started their employment within the past year. During
2002, 46 terminations occurred. Our
workforce was predominately parttime and transient.
Challenge
David and I began looking for a
solution to our employment issues.
How could we motivate employees
Fast Track Nursing
Assistant Training
Situation
The fast-track Certified Nursing
Assistant (CNA) program offered
through Wenatchee Valley College
Continuing Education provides
training in the provision of personal
care skills and instructs students
in the roles and responsibilities of
a nursing assistant. The program is
offered on the Wenatchee campus
and had never been taken off site
Foste ri ng Heal thy Businesses
to follow the weekly schedule and
do a good job while at work? Was
there a way to develop pride in those
working for the Plaza? How could
we get people to work as a team?
We settled on the following strategy to meet the challenge: 1) Raise
and maintain starting pay above the
Washington State minimum wage,
2) Establish a bonus system that
would drive pay toward a living wage,
and 3) Adopt benefits programs that
are valued by employees. Initially
we were only able to start people
just ahead of minimum wage. Rapid
merit raises helped to retain valued
team members. By the end of 2008
our starting rate was forty cents
ahead of minimum wage. We continued to increase our starting wage
to our current starting rate of $13.50
per hour - $4.00 per hour above the
current minimum wage.
Key Activities
In addition to merit raises, we suggested employees give themselves a
raise. We offered to pay an additional 25 cents per hour to those who
made all of their scheduled shifts
during a two-week pay period. Twice
a year we would match the bonus
paid. As we recognized the success
of this system the rate increased
to one dollar per hour with a six
month match. Additionally, we have
two other incentive programs that
can increase pay by an additional
two dollars per hour. New hires
before—until 2014. It was then that
Carol Gaston, a board member at
Jamie’s Place and Mountain View—
Winthrop care centers for the elderly—recognized the need for nursing
assistants in the Methow Valley.
She approached Jenny Capelo,
Wenatchee Valley College Dean of
Allied Health, to determine whether
the program could be offered in the
Methow to address that local need.
Successful Outcome
The program was a success, despite the fires burning throughout
the Methow Valley that summer.
Organizers hoped that the program
could continue beyond the first year,
now have the opportunity to apply
themselves and earn between $13.50
and $17.50 per hour. Those who
consistently earn one or all of the
additional dollars are the first to get
merit raises.
In 2001 our medical benefit offered very limited optical and
dental coverage. Rates were high
and healthy employees saw little
benefit in the coverage. In 2009 we
increased the deductible to $500
and began depositing $500 per year
into a Health Reimbursement Plan
(HRA). If the money was needed to
pay deductibles, the deposit offset
the increased deductible. Those who
previously saw no benefit due to
their good health are now able to
purchase glasses, access dental care,
and pay for family members medical
expenses with the HRA fund. Beyond medical, a matching retirement
program and an additional week of
vacation – for a total of three weeks –
were added to our benefits package.
Successful Outcome
Over the past few years the Plaza
Super Jet is often complimented
by our customers as a clean, wellstocked grocery store with very
courteous employees. The majority
of our turnover occurs with employees who have less than one year of
employment. Sixty-five percent of
our team has worked with us for
over five years!
and it has. Five students took and
completed the program in 2015, and
another 10 students completed the
summer 2016 program. Those who
successfully complete the course may
then take the state licensure exam to
become a certified nursing assistant.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Michele Gedrose,
509-682-6900
Brid g i n g Cu l t u ra l Di v i de s
Situation
In the midst of jalapeno eating contests, cultural dance lessons, student
vs teacher soccer challenges, piñatas,
and really loud Mexican music you
will find the heart and soul of MEChA as students educate, empower,
and encourage others on the journey
towards achieving higher education.
MEChA originated alongside the
Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s
as a way to formalize a plan for
realizing higher education for the
Chicano community while demanding equal treatment and denouncing
acculturation and assimilation. This
important contribution from the
Chicano Movement brought the
opportunity to liberate local communities from prejudice and oppression.
As well-known and supported as
MEChA is at Quincy High School,
the club members have aspirations
that spread into the community
and even beyond the Cascades. By
researching the “How To” of college,
members are able to share necessary
information with their classmates
about admissions, financial aid and
Latino education programs.
Challenge
Over 20 years ago, Nancy Heffernan was motivated to establish the
Quincy MEChA chapter during a
time when the numbers of Chicano
residents was lower and the need to
Situation
In the early 1990s the Chamber of
Commerce and the City of Quincy
organized a group of volunteers to
survey residents and develop a plan
for improving their downtown. A
number of projects were considered
but most residents said that they
would like to beautify the town, particularly the abandoned Petri Ford
dealership building that had become
an eyesore. Within a couple of years
the Rotary Club made cleaning up
that building their annual service
project, power-washing, painting,
and exploring options for adding
support and celebrate the Spanish
speaking culture was essential to the
community. Over the last four years,
MEChA has expanded as a result
of vocal students ready and willing to make a difference. MEChA
identified 2016 as the year for the
pursuit of higher education. With
only 20 minutes of planning time
every other week, MEChA officers
face challenges around getting the
club more involved with the local
community, expanding fundraising
efforts, and achieving their current
goal of attending the 2016 National
MEChA Conference at the University of Washington.
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
9
MEChA: Movimiento
Estudiantil Chicano
de Aztlán
Contact: Susan Rose,
[email protected]
Key Activities
Provide education and support for
the Chicano community in Quincy
Attend conferences where students
learn about higher education and
hear testimonies on empowering and
representing an entire culture.
Give back to the community by
helping to pack weekly backpacks
that provide weekend meals for
many elementary school students
and by taking charge of the recycling
program at the high school the first
Monday of each month.
Increase awareness and integration
of students at Quincy High School
around the Chicano culture
Successful Outcome
Individual research and conference
experiences have allowed MEChA
students to personally connect and
share the possibility of post-secondary education with those who
may feel uncertain or identify as an
undocumented student. The 2016
officers have hopes of connecting
with service clubs, such as Rotary
Club, and becoming even more
visible in their community. Lessons
around time, money, volunteers and
networking have been a constant
theme and will enhance the ability of
MEChA members in the pursuit of
higher education, bridging cultural
gaps and celebrating diversity in
their community.
some art work that said “Quincy”. They decided to produce some
historical murals and asked Scott
Lybbert to develop a process for creating mural-sized historic images on
building walls that would fit within
the community’s resources, human
and financial.
ownership and respect for the project
by welcoming broad participation.
Everyone felt good about what they
have accomplished together. Only
one mural has been defaced during
that time and it was repaired by
volunteers within an hour after the
incident occurred.
Successful Outcome
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Seventeen murals have been completed by about 100 people over the
years telegraphing the respect and
pride people feel for their community. The community celebrated shared
accomplishments; built community
Contact:
Scott or Janet Lybbert,
[email protected],
Quincy
Murals
10
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Deve lo ping a Unif ied Vision
Quincy School District Bond
Contact: John Boyd,
[email protected]
Situation
The Quincy School District has
been growing at a rate of almost 66
students per year for the last nine
years and is expecting to gain approximately 400 more students over
the next five years. A state-funded
facilities study determined that the
existing buildings would not be able
to accommodate that growth. To
address this challenge the Quincy
School District proposed a $108
million dollar bond last February
that would add three elementary
gyms, classroom space at one elementary school, remodel the current
junior high into a K-5 elementary
school, renovate the current high
school into a 6-8 middle school, and
build a brand new, state-of-the-art
high school.
Challenge
Spreading across both Grant and
Douglas Counties, the bond would
need to be approved by 60% of voters. Voters would have to agree to an
estimated $1.89 per $1,000 assessed
value property tax increase to their
current taxes which include payment on a previously passed bond.
The new bond would bring the total
taxes paid, for school district bonds,
to $2.12 per $1,000 assessed value,
using a recently-refinanced rate, and
would be paid off in less than 20
years.
Key Activities
Once the bond resolution was
approved, Quincy School District
Superintendent John Boyd created
a committee of what he described
as “incredibly devoted citizens” and
charged them with reaching out to
the communities of Quincy, George,
and the surrounding areas. With
high school student support, the
committee used postcards, phonecalls, and even texting in their outreach. The committee even conducted home meetings in an attempt to
educate the citizens on the details of
the bond. The message spread that
the new buildings and renovations
would positively change the perspective and attitude of both communi-
ties providing a “big game-changer”
for George, a community with limited resources and recreational options
for school-aged children.
Successful Outcome
The bond passed with 63.3% of the
vote, 670 votes in favor compared
to 389 votes against the bond. John
notes that “innovation will be on the
forefront” when designing and building the new buildings and schools
and that buildings will be “state-ofthe-art.” The outcome of this bond
was seeded by the commitment of
the Quincy community many years
ago when they showed a commitment to introducing technology to
an agricultural community during
difficult financial times. The introduction of a high-speed fiber-optic
network is just one example of this
commitment, John points out. The
school bond will enable Quincy,
George, and the surrounding areas
to get the schools they deserve,” he
adds, in accordance with “Quincy’s
Promise,” the school district’s
mission and vision that guides their
efforts to provide students with the
education they need, and deserve, to
become successful citizens.
Launching a Safety R.A.F.T.
Situation
Individuals in the Quincy Valley
with emergency needs were going
from church to church or to various
community agencies seeking immediate help. Churches and agencies
were individually responding to
requests for assistance, resulting in a
duplication of efforts. Many times,
individuals took advantage of the
lack of coordination. Serve Quincy
Valley was formed to bring people
and resources together to support
the needs of individuals while promoting good stewardship.
Successful Outcome
Leadership support from the Quincy
Ministerial Association, representing nine Quincy Valley churches,
helped launch Serve Quincy Valley, a
non-profit organization that measures success at four levels.
Relationships: We are building
community relationships for the
long-term; resulting in better opportunities for instruction and advice,
and reducing abuse of a system of
generosity.
Approach: We seek to approach the
“whole person”; meeting the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
needs of the individual.
Further: We are able to go further;
beyond the restrictions of other
agencies and in unusual circumstances.
Timely: We respond immediately
to true emergency needs or discern if
client responsibility is appropriate.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact:
Pastor Daniel Castillo,
[email protected]
In c re a s i n g Acce ss
Situation
Fifty five excited individuals became
United States citizens on Monday,
September 12th in George, Washington. The Naturalization Ceremony took place at the amphitheater
outside the George Community Hall
with over 200 proud family members,
friends, and community supporters
in attendance. These 55 individuals
immigrated from Venezuela, Mexico,
El Salvador, Kenya, Canada, and the
Ukraine. All had different pathways
to this country, but all shared the
common dream of claiming United
States citizenship. They gathered to
celebrate the culmination of all their
efforts and to be sworn-in as official citizens, with all the rights and
responsibilities that come with it.
Hand-In-Hand Immigration
Services worked with many individuals and organizations to make this
program a success. Samuel Montoya
donated his space at Montoya Bakery
for classes and Pastor Gildo Barrio
donated space at George Iglesia de
Dios de la Profeica where paperwork
was done. Zoila Olivares was an excellent volunteer teacher who worked
with our staff to prepare students
for their exams. The City of George
helped by adding the Naturalization
Ceremony to their Annual Bluegrass
Festival. Other collaborators included
United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), El Mundo
newspaper, and Golden Apple Taxes.
Situation
Big Bend Community College
received a grant to participate in the
Working Student Success Network
(WSSN) initiative through Achieving the Dream (ATD), an organization focused on community college
student success. The WSSN initiative
was developed to help low-income
students reach financial stability and
move up the economic ladder by
integrating and bundling a variety
of services ranging from education
about employment readiness and
advancement to financial services
that help families build self-sufficiency, stabilize their finances, and
become more economically com-
Challenge
As a fairly new non-profit with a
small budget, a satellite program in
George was not in the yearly plan
for Hand-in-Hand Immigration
Services. When it became clear that
so many people from George were
eligible for citizenship, we had to
figure something out. The hurdle
quickly became: How do we provide
a quality program in George, while
we are busy in Wenatchee, without
breaking the bank? The solution
came via volunteers. Volunteers
stepped up to teach classes, transport
study materials, and support staff
members with application assistance.
These gracious individuals made this
program possible.
Key Activities
There were four main steps that led
to the success of the program:
First we identified the people who
were eligible for the program.
Secondly, we set up weekly classes to
prepare students to pass their citizenship exam.
We brought staff from Wenatchee to
George to prepare applications for
citizenship to USCIS.
Lastly, we collaborated with USCIS
and George to plan a beautiful Naturalization Ceremony in town.
petitive. Upon reviewing services
offered by the initiative, Big Bend
Community College determined
that food insecurity was a significant issue. We wanted to make sure
the students didn’t have to drop out
or delay school because they didn’t
have enough food, so we created the
Viking Food Pantry.
Successful Outcome
During the initial phase of the Viking Food Pantry from July 7 - October 7, 2016 we served 97 students,
employees, and their families and
distributed 2,166 pounds of food and
485 personal care items. The support
from the campus has been inspiring!
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
11
Welcoming New
Citizens
Successful Outcome
In his keynote speech, Elliot Kooy,
former long-time Mayor of George,
spoke about one benefit to citizenship: peace of mind. He described
it as “knowing that not only your
friends and family, but your country
has your back.” For these 55 people,
claiming U.S. citizenship means that
they can fully participate in the community without fear of being separated from the place they call home.
Though this success is a milestone,
there are many people who will
continue to need support in claiming
citizenship. This program has set a
precedent and provided a model for
this assistance to be continued. Visit
handinhandmd.org for more
information.
Contact: Leah Martin,
[email protected]
Viking Food Pantry
at Big Bend
Employees are donating food
and personal care items, student
clubs and organizations are looking for ways to help fundraise, and
the Big Bend Community College
Foundation will include the Viking
Food Pantry as part of its annual
Friends and Family Campaign.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Heidi Summers,
[email protected]
12
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
ESL Changes Lives!
Contact: Tyler Wallace,
509-793-2305
Situation
In Grant County, more than 34%
of people five years or older do not
speak English in the home and
more than 18% of the population
is foreign born (US Census, 2015).
This includes people such as Yolanda
Ibarra who came to Grant County from Mexico in 2009. She had
a bachelor’s degree, but it was not
useful in a country where she could
not speak the language. Many others
have similar stories of coming to the
United States where the only obstacle preventing them from earning
family-sustaining employment is the
ability to speak and write in English.
Challenge
Grant County is large (2,791 square
miles) with many small communities. A program through Big Bend
Community College (BBCC) teaching English as a Second Language
(ESL) would need to connect with
each community to be effective.
Yolanda lived in one of these communities and in poverty even with a
bachelor’s degree from Mexico. She
did not understand the educational
system in the U.S. and did not identify herself as being a college student
Bui ldi ng Cross-generational and
Multi - cul tural Rel ationship s
because her English skills were
insufficient. Fears such as these keep
many students out of classes that can
open doors leading to their success.
Key Activities
English as a Second Language
classes are offered in four different
communities of Grant County at
different times of the day year-round
to meet the needs of family schedules.
Students are provided with language
skills along with training in technology and employability. They are also
encouraged to explore many professional technical or transfer pathways
at BBCC.
Yolanda enrolled in ESL classes
in 2009 and quickly made several
significant language gains over three
quarters. A year later she had enrolled in BBCC classes at the college
level.
While a BBCC student, Yolanda
secured employment with BBCC as
an AmeriCorps Volunteer where she
created a peer-mentoring program
for first-generation students, later
working with TRiO Upward Bound.
See:
www2.ed.gov/about/
offices/list/ope/trio
Successful Outcome
In the 2015-2016 academic year,
there were 856 enrollments in
BBCC ESL classes. Students earned
credits toward their high school
diploma and transferred to BBCC
to take college-level classes. Yolanda
also has a success story after leaving
BBCC, which includes career opportunities with progressive responsibilities leading to her current position
as the Director of Workforce Education for Bellevue College. There she
manages seven programs that help
students accomplish their educational goals while providing for their
families.
Big Bend’s English as a Second
Language program is opening up
opportunities for students!
Visit bigbend.edu for more
information.
Brewster Boys & Girls Club
Situation
The loss of a major funder for the
Boys & Girls Club planned for East
Wenatchee in 2009 forced local and
statewide backers to put the project
on hold. But by 2013 a number of
factors needed to launch a club in
Brewster emerged. The Brewster
Community Center, owned by the
City, was constructed in 2000 at a
strategic location near the school.
It had stood mostly empty for years
except for its use by the Head Start
Program in half of the building
and as an evacuation center during
the Carlton Complex Fire in 2014.
The Snohomish Boys & Girls Club
wanted to use the center as a proof
of concept for developing a regional
network of Boys & Girls Clubs. Former Bridgeport teacher and coach,
Brian Paine, who also served as a
chaplain helping those affected by
the 2014 fire, was asked to become
the director in May 2015.
Successful Outcome
Increasing awareness of the club and
its value has helped the Brewster
Boys & Girls Club recruit members
from all three communities it serves
and beyond including Brewster,
Bridgeport and Pateros. Besides
working to secure transportation,
the club has developed an advisory
committee who recently completed
their first major fundraising event.
For more info see bgcsc.org/
snohomish-clubs/
brewster-club
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Brian Paine,
[email protected]
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Develo pi n g a Un i f i e d V i si o n
13
Building Relationships in Disaster
Situation
As small communities, we thought
that we “knew each other.” Okanogan County, the largest county in
the state, has always been diverse
with small, unique communities
and strong, independent individuals.
During the week of July 14 – July
20, 2014 Okanogan County changed
forever. In the middle of the largest
firestorm in the state’s history, the
need for action was clear – the question was, how.
Challenge
How, with over 300 people burned
out of their homes and with such
massive destruction, could local
community members organize the
recovery? How with county-wide
damages spreading to over 256,000
acres? Where and how do we begin?
The answers came out of the smoldering ashes before the fire was
even contained, as group leaders
across the county began formulating
multiple plans to address a variety of
needs caused by the devastating fires.
Situation
Vision: Imagine a world in which
every man, woman, and child reaches
out on a regular basis to help another human being. Serendipity:
An invitation! In 1991, the USA
Weekend Magazine invited all of its
readers, individuals and communities, to use the extra leap year day to
“Make a Difference” in the lives of
others. Additionally, they requested
feedback on the days’ outcome.
Successful Outcome
The Greater Wenatchee Valley
earned the very first national MAKE
A DIFFERENCE DAY award. Six
more national awards have been received. More importantly, the seeds
were planted to inspire, empower,
educate, and strengthen our com-
Key Activities
Get to know each other. Initially,
daily meetings were held with anyone who wanted to help. Over time
people found their respective niches
and coordinating potluck meetings
were held bi-monthly for a year.
Form local groups to focus on
specific needs. Some included volunteers who sorted through donated
items at the “Rising from the Ashes”
Resource Center and those working
with the Unmet Needs Roundtable
who each week listened to the stories
of survivor needs and matched them
with resources.
Develop diverse, inclusive leadership. After months of “boots
on the ground” work, the Carlton
Complex Long Term Recovery
Group (LTRG) was formed with
representatives voted on at the local
level from the established Long
Term Recovery Organizations. They
became the main point of contact for
recovery efforts
Successful Outcome
Success is measured in so many
different ways. In the Federal Emergency Management Act’s (FEMA)
report, regional director T J Dargan
says “The Okanogan County Long
Term Recovery Group now serves as
a national model to help other rural
communities recover from a disaster.”
While the national recognition and
relationships have been wonderful, it
is the local partnerships and friendships created by this disaster that
have strengthened our community.
A few examples include the resiliency and commitment of a stayat-home mom who headed up the
metal cleanup of over 120 homes
after losing her own, volunteers who
sorted through two huge warehouses
full of donated items from across
the country for nearly a year, and
the little girl who handed over her
bag of pennies to help raise the final
match for a $250,000 fundraising
campaign. Residents also rallied to
form the Carlton Complex Assistance Network and to work with the
Firewise Community program to
help their neighbors with recovery
and preparedness going forward.
Other successes are counted in the
tears of appreciation from survivors
during the dedication of a gifted
home along with the smile and return of an injured neighbor following months of rehabilitation. Without a doubt, the county has grown
stronger, wiser and more resilient.
Now we truly “know each other.”
Contact: Carlene Anders,
carltoncomplexrebuild@
gmail.com
Make A Difference Day
munity for years to come. “Where
there’s a need…do a good deed” has
become much more than a slogan.
With this…our 26th MAKE A
DIFFERENCE DAY…it’s become
a tradition.
Successful events for 2016 included
a coat drive, free haircuts for the
homeless and raising scholarship
funds for Wenatchee Valley College
through “Knight Fright Ride,” a
costumed-themed bike ride.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Margie Kerr - [email protected]
14
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Quincy Leadership
Group
Situation
Contact: Jim Hemberry,
[email protected]
In 2006, the expansion of the data
storage center industry and the
accompanying expected population
growth, prompted longtime Quincy
City Council member Jim Hemberry to reach out to elected officials
and other taxing entities to address
the future impacts and opportunities associated with that change in a
coordinated way. Describing themselves as the Quincy Valley Leadership Group they began convening
informal quarterly information sharing meetings to ensure that the City,
Port of Quincy, Quincy School District, Quincy Hospital District and
Quincy Fire District weren’t competing for the same federal or state
grants. Over the years participation
in the group grew to include elected
officials and other entities such as
the City of George and Big Bend
Community College that would
also be affected by Quincy’s growth.
The group’s purpose also expanded
to include setting shared legislative
priorities and developing integrated
solutions to common problems.
Deve lo ping a Unif ied Vision
Challenge
The economy slowed shortly after
the leadership group began changing
the pace of the anticipated housing
boom and the scale of the development impacts to the community. But
the participants quickly saw the need
to get out of their individual “silos”
and to work together to address
such complex issues as reclaiming
industrial wastewater to meet the
data center needs, and planning for
residential, commercial and further
industrial growth on a more gradual
basis.
Key Activities
Recognized a coming crisis as an
opportunity
Consistency. Set regular meeting
times and place and the City sent
out reminders
Increased integration of activities
within the greater Quincy community such as developing a Safe
Routes to School program with
Grant County Public Health.
Setting legislative priorities which
are reviewed by 12th and 13th district legislators
Successful Outcome
The greater community of Quincy is
now working together to make it a
better place by learning about issues,
assessing risks, setting common priorities, and developing leaders along
the way. The leadership group also
provides an educational forum for
growing good relationships among
the community and with state and
county-elected officials.
Recognized the core partners all had
an equal stake in the community, i.e.,
city, fire, school, etc.
Expanded the participants over time
and grew the collective voice and
impact
Quincy Beautification Committee
Situation
Chet Pedersen was tired of the
weeds that dominated the empty
lots and roadsides in Quincy in 1980
and felt the need to do something to
beautify those areas. So he teamed
up with his friend Norma Culp to
begin what has become known as
the Quincy Beautification Committee, a 36-year long all-volunteer effort supported by the City of Quincy. They started by using the high
school greenhouse to grow geraniums they planted out in the spring
and watered with a tank on Norma’s
truck. Over time the City developed
water for the roadside gardens and
a growing number of volunteers
adopted specific blocks where they
designed, planted, and cared for an
increasing variety of flowers and
shrubs through the growing season.
When a local pastor shared some
bright red canna lily rhizomes he
brought up from Yakima the volunteers began incorporating them into
all of the roadside gardens. Today,
these striking flowers have become
the signature plant for the gardens
that adorn the main entrance roads
to Quincy.
flowerbeds that showcase long-term
teamwork and pride that characterize the community. Volunteers have
become friends that share in the
challenge and satisfaction of designing and caring for each site and sell
canna lily rhizomes as a fundraiser
each spring.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Successful Outcome
The weed-infested roadsides that
lined the main streets through town
have been replaced with beautiful
Contact: Tom Snyder,
[email protected]
Increa sin g He alth and Co n n ec t iv it y
Situation
Conflict and competition for water
had brewed for decades in the small
but important Methow Valley watershed. Streamflow’s in the Twisp
and Methow Rivers had been overtapped for many years. A centuryold irrigation system relied on a
primitive diversion from the Twisp
River that often dewatered the river
during late summer stranding fish
and dewatering redds. In addition,
the aging gravity-driven, open-canal
infrastructure of the system failed
to meet irrigators’ needs. The town
of Twisp also lacked adequate water
rights to meet the needs of their
growing population. Through a partnership between irrigators, the town,
fisheries interests, and a non-profit
conservation group, federal and state
regulatory agencies were able to
fund a complete watershed overhaul
that eliminated the Twisp River
diversion, changed surface water use
to wells, enclosed water pipe delivery
systems, and provided the Town of
Twisp with a secure water right.
Challenge
For decades, fish managers have
sought to improve conditions for
some of the best fish stocks and
habitat for Upper Columbia River
salmon recovery. Eliminating the
Twisp River diversion improved
Situation
Cascadia Conservation District has
a grant from the WA Department
of Ecology to improve water quality within the Wenatchee River
watershed. One of the ways we are
doing this is to work with private
landowners to improve the riparian
habitat along streams and rivers. Riparian refers to the land adjacent to
streams; good riparian habitat is critical to a healthy and robust stream
and aquatic environment. Riparian vegetation provides habitat for
wildlife, slows floodwaters, reduces
erosion and sedimentation, and helps
to keep streams cool. Many riparian
areas in the Wenatchee River watershed are severely degraded which
instream flows on the Twisp River
during irrigation season, allowed for
improved habitat complexity in the
river and reduced impacts to juvenile
Chinook salmon and other endangered fish species. At the same time,
infrastructure failures and ongoing
conflicts over limited water was creating water insecurity for Methow
Valley irrigators and townspeople.
Key Activities
WA Dept. of Ecology &Trout
Unlimited led a comprehensive approach to solving water needs in the
Methow by engaging stakeholders
and building on partnerships, ending
decades of conflict.
Partners secured $10 million for
projects that will increase flows in
the Twisp and Methow rivers and
provide a reliable water supply for
the Methow Valley Irrigation District (MVID) and Twisp.
A top-to-bottom system redesign
means irrigators will have access to
an efficient, reliable, piped gravity
pressurized system or new wells, instead of diverting water directly from
the river into a large open-canal.
The redesign also includes securing a
permanent water right that will meet
the needs of MVID members and
the City of Twisp.
impacts the lives of salmon and
steelhead that need cool, clean water
to thrive and spawn.
Successful Outcome
Cascadia Conservation District has
restored ~5,000 feet of riparian habitat within the Wenatchee River watershed and planted more than 3,000
native trees and shrubs at six separate sites. We have an on-going list
of landowners who want to improve
their riparian areas and are looking
for more. We have also participated
in dozens of community events to
help educate the community about
the importance of restoring healthy
riparian habitat. See cascadiacd.
org for more information.
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
15
Securing Water
for the Methow
WA Department of Ecology’s Office
of Columbia River is funding $6.8
million of the projects through legislative appropriation. Trout Unlimited has raised the balance of $3.2
million.
Successful Outcome
The phased water supply improvement projects will result in a more
reliable, efficient & low maintenance
piped water system for irrigators
historically relying on open canals
and laterals. Agreements between
MVID and the Town of Twisp
created a secure water future for the
town that can now plan for its future
growth. The infrastructure upgrades
resulted in stream flow and fish
habitat benefits on the lower Twisp
River, Methow River and Alder
Creek.
For more information visit:
ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/
cwp/Methow.html
Contact: Melissa Downes,
509-454-4259
Wenatchee Riparian
Restoration
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Sandy Letzing,
[email protected]
16
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Back to School
Health Fair
Contact: Stephanie Melcher,
509-764-6110
Increasing Access
services. Of course, the backpacks
we offer to all of our student-age
patients who are up-to-date with
vaccinations draw a lot of community members to the event. After a few
years we have permanently changed
the date of the fair to fall within
National Health Center Week to
help spread awareness of what our
community health centers do.
Challenge
Situation
The Back to School Fair (BTSF)
started as a way for the Quincy
Community Health Center to increase immunization rates and bring
the community together. The Quincy
School District was trying to find
a way to get children “school ready”
since many students were not getting
vaccinated by the start of school.
Our BTSF offers vendors throughout the community and Grant
County an opportunity to share their
Over the years the challenges have
changed as the Quincy Community Health Center and the event
have grown. We originally started
the event inside our lobby area in
our old building but quickly had to
expand into the parking lot. We are
always challenged with space even
with our new and larger facility that
opened in 2014 claiming some of
the lawn area we once had. Funding
is always a challenge. Most years
we fund the backpacks but ask for
sponsors or volunteers to cover radio,
water, set and clean up. We often
struggle with finding enough volunteers to help staff setup, manage and
break down the event.
Key Activities
Interacting with our community!
Letting them know who we are, that
we are here to serve our patients and
potential patients, and that we care
about our home.
Nurturing leaders. The relationships
that our outreach staff build with
our student volunteers have often
led those students to pursue careers
in health and service when they
come home from college and other
training.
Our pre-visit planning is the key to
our increased number of immunizations over the years. This allows the
medical staff to know which patients
are due for immunizations before
they come to their appointments.
Successful Outcome
The event is ten times larger than
it was when we started in 2002
and our immunization rates have
increased dramatically. Where most
of our student-age patients needed
immunizations 14 years ago, we now
find that 85-92% of our school age
kids are up-to-date. We have a wide
variety of vendors participating in
the event now, ranging from health
care to emergency response. 2016
was a milestone year with the center
providing the largest number of
immunizations to non-patients yet!
Overall, the fair has been a great
marketing tool for us to promote
immunizations, well-child exams,
and our clinic.
For more information: mlchc.org
Quincy Library Art Display Project
Situation
Contact: Roxa Kreimeyer,
[email protected]
Founded in 1972, the Wednesday
Book Club in Quincy met for many
years in the town’s library. When
our leader Mary Kazda passed away
in 1993 we decided to name the
book club – the oldest one in NCW
- after her. One of our members,
Kay Judge, had a degree in art and
suggested that to honor our friend
we could name an art space after
Mary since she was an artist as well
as a literature enthusiast. Original-
ly Kay and I hung the pictures on
various nails. Later, our husbands
helped us. When the new library was
built it included a beautiful new art
gallery, complete with hanging wires
and proper lighting. It made a huge
difference! After Kay moved away
a new volunteer art partner joined
me in 2011 -- Pam Barrow—just in
time to help make good use of the
new art gallery. Her husband, Glenn
or the library maintenance staff now
help hang the pictures with direction
from Pam. Successful Outcome
Art brings people together. We have
had exhibits of oil paintings, acrylic paintings, watercolor paintings,
photography, pen and ink, and will
have an exhibit of Japanese prints in
the near future. The success comes
from the enjoyment of those who
view the artwork and the artists who
sometimes sell their work.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Increa sin g He alth and Co n n ec t iv it y
Situation
In late June 2015 an arson-caused
fire burned about 2,000 acres of public lands owned by the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) and
private lands owned by The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) within the
Beezley Hills, damaging some of the
finest shrub steppe habitat remaining
in the state. Characterized by a diverse mix of shrubs, wildflowers, and
animals including the Washington
ground squirrel and the endangered
pygmy rabbit, these slopes abutting
the agricultural fields north of Quincy were threatened by erosion and
invasive weeds should no action be
taken. The BLM and TNC worked
together to secure local resources
needed to actively re-seed and accelerate the recovery process.
Challenge
Because of the high number and
scale of wildfires this year, there was
a lot of competition for the limited
funding necessary to restore this
relatively small area, and the timing
for submitting the proposal and
completing the work was very tight.
BLM is eligible for funds through
the National Fire Plan for prevention, fighting fires, and restoration
activities. To apply these funds to
private lands, BLM needed to show
that restoring these lands, connected
to BLM lands by shared drainages,
would also benefit the public lands.
Further, they needed to make the
case within 21 days of the fire to be
eligible for the funding.
Beezley Hills
Fire Recovery
Key Activities
Acted quickly. BLM and TNC
staff worked together to develop
a proposal for restoring the lands
including reaching agreement on the
mix of native species that would be
planted.
Leveraged an existing relationship.
BLM and TNC have a long-earned
record of effective collaboration in
NCW and the greater West which
made it easier to make the case for
restoring adjoining lands beyond
BLM boundaries in a time of funding shortages.
Accessed local resources. BLM was
able to quickly secure helicopter
services and native seed from locally
owned businesses and to greatly
decrease the restoration cost per acre
in the process.
Successful Outcome
BLM secured $40,000 from the National Fire Plan, lined up contracts
with JR Helicopters and BFI Native
Seed and conducted aerial seeding
of draw bottoms within the burned
area in late January 2016. Partnerships with both the Great Basin
Institute and the Chicago Botanic
Gardens will map invasive species
for follow-up treatments. Seeded
grasses, including native Basin wild
rye, have taken root and have begun
to provide cover and food for native
wildlife while also reducing downstream erosion and the invasion of
non-native species such as cheatgrass
and knapweed.
Contact: Erik Ellis,
[email protected]
Osprey & Baling Twine
Situation
In Okanogan County, we are fortunate to enjoy an abundance of wildlife, especially migrating birds such
as osprey. They arrive here in the
spring from their wintering grounds
in Central and South America,
and nest along our rivers and lakes,
where they catch fish for their newly
hatched chicks. Unfortunately baling
twine is one of the materials osprey
favor for lining their nests. The
plastic baling twine can easily tangle
in the osprey’s sharp talons, killing
about 10% of the chicks and many
adults. Recently, baling twine caused
one osprey death near Winthrop.
Baling twine discarded in our fields,
yards, and gardens can also pose a
17
risk to animals and humans. Livestock and other wildlife can ingest
baling twine and become seriously
ill or die. The burial and burning
of twine is unsafe due to the toxic chemicals emitted. Recycling is
needed.
service if there is demand. Because
the Okanogan Conservation District
is noticing that almost all existing
osprey nests contain high volumes of
baling twine, we also plan to research
options for removing the twine or
giving them “haircuts.”
Successful Outcome
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
We discovered that the Green
Okanogan recycling facility in
Tonasket accepts baling twine and
received permission from their board
to advertise their facility as a dropoff location. Green Okanogan also
expressed interest in expanding this
Contact: Allisa Carlson,
[email protected]
18
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Increasing Access
Self-Managing Diabetes
Contact: Jolyn Hull,
[email protected]
Situation
The prevalence of chronic disease,
including diabetes, is high in Washington State. Risk factors associated
with chronic illness include race or
ethnicity, yearly income, geographic location, and level of education.
Recognizing the need for education
programs to enhance the health of
those with chronic illnesses, Community Choice Health & Education
Institute procured the Stanford
license for their Chronic Disease
Self-Management and Diabetes
Self-Management Programs to offer
throughout Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, and Grant Counties. While
there has been successful program
coordination in Chelan, Douglas,
and Grant counties, Community
Choice had been unable to reach the
communities in Okanogan County
until this year.
Challenge
The diabetes self-management
programs are intended to be led by
community members so finding key
stakeholders to assist in referrals is
essential to the success of the program. Community Choice already
has facilitators in other communities,
but recognized that the impact of
the program in Okanogan County
would be far more powerful if the
workshops were lead by local community members.
Key Activities
Community Choice began to partner with health systems in the more
rural communities to provide classes.
We also entered into an agreement
to coordinate workshops with support, referral, and training of stakeholders to lead the workshop from
the partnering organization.
We identified key stakeholders in
the community and engaged them
in offering their expertise in the best
way to promote the workshops.
Community Choice provided a
four-day lay leader training in the
programs.
Successful Outcome
A Diabetes Self-Management
Workshop was offered in Brewster
for six Spanish-speaking participants. One shared that in using
the skills they had learned in the
workshops, they were experiencing
changes among their children. One
example of the cross-generational
impact from the workshops was seen
in a recent trip to a favorite restaurant where the workshop participant
substituted vegetables for tortillas.
They were surprised when their
child, who has also struggled with
obesity, followed suit and asked for
more vegetables instead of tortillas.
Even though the child was not at the
workshop, they were influenced by
healthy decision-making modeled by
their parents. Offering these workshops in rural Okanogan County is
made possible by partnerships with
Family Health Centers, Confluence
Health, and others. As more workshops are implemented, we expect to
see more empowerment, cross-generational and multi-cultural impacts
as tools are learned and shared
through role modeling.
Free After-School Soccer Clinic
Situation
We were hoping to build more
diverse participation in our youth
soccer club. We viewed soccer as a
cross-cultural, universal sport that
should have broad appeal across our
community if we could get more information out and address barriers to
participation in organized activities.
Challenge
Contact: Aaron Simon or
Marcy Ostrom,
LeavenworthSoccerClub,
[email protected],
[email protected]
We wanted to make sure that our
youth soccer programs were equally
available to everyone in our community. In particular, we were concerned
that participation by Latino youth
in organized soccer did not reflect
their numbers in our school district.
In addition, we wanted to encourage
K-8th grade youth to become more
physically active.
Key Activities
Offered a free, after-school soccer
clinic in Peshastin, close to where
many Latino families live, as well as
one at Osborn Elementary school.
Held the programs after-school on
the school grounds so that children
would not need transportation.
Prepared coaches with fun soccer
activities for young children of all
ability levels.
Encouraged elementary school
teachers and administrators to help
promote the free after school clinics.
Involved high school soccer players
in working with youth.
Encouraged young girls to participate and recruited female coaches.
Had registration forms for the full
season in Spanish and English ready
beside the field when parents came
to pick up their children.
Raised funds from business sponsors to allow unlimited scholarships
during the regular season.
Successful Outcome
100+ youth participated in free
soccer clinics resulting in 30 onsite registrations for the upcoming
regular season.
Fos teri n g He a l t hy Bu si ne sse s
Situation
As early as 1971 the community
of Waterville wanted to recycle.
The local women’s club travelled to
Omak to observe their recycling
program. In 1991, a representative
of the Town of Waterville met with
the Chelan-Douglas Solid Waste
Committee to discuss options for
recycling. In 1993, Douglas County
formed the Countywide Solid Waste
Committee. With grants from the
Department of Ecology, a building
was erected in 1995 to house the
Waterville Community Recycling
Center (CRC). The original group
that was to collect the recyclables
and run the Center was unable
to meet their obligations and the
Waterville Town Council appealed
to the community for volunteers to
take over. George ‘Doc’ and Alice
Hill stepped up and in February
1996 assumed the responsibility
of organizing and running the
Waterville Community Recycling
Center.
Challenge
Doc and Alice walked into a 3-sided
open building during a record setting
winter with over 100 inches of snow
Situation
The viticulture zone in eastern
Washington was originally defined
in 1984 as lands within the
Columbia Basin lying at or below
1400 feet. During the 1980s and
90s people in portions of that large
region began to seek designation
for special wine-producing areas,
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
19
Waterville Recycling Center
accumulation and temperatures at
or below zero during the month of
February. They found apple bins full
of frost and snow covered cardboard
and bins of mixed recyclables.
There was a baler for the corrugated
cardboard. They had their work cut
out for them.
Key Activities
Clean up the mess. Bale the
cardboard. Sort the recyclables.
Set up bins for each category of
recyclable.
Set regular hours and have help
available to unload and sort
customer recycle.
Encourage community involvement
in recycling.
Successful Outcome
Fast forward 20 years. The Waterville
CRC is the place to be on Tuesday
and Saturday afternoons. Socializing
as well as recycle drop off has
become a popular pastime for many
American Viticultural Areas (AVA),
including Walla Walla and Yakima
among others. By 2009 estate
wine producer Cameron Fries of
White Heron Winery, the oldest
continuously operating vineyard
north of I-90, teamed up with
Vince Bryan at Cave B Vineyard
to seek AVA designation for the
greater Quincy area. Naming it the
Ancient Lakes AVA, they sought to
bring more attention to the unique
qualities of the area, particularly its
dry summers, distinctively colder
winters that help the grape vines
survive, and complex fertile soils.
Contact: Cameron Fries,
[email protected]
regular customers from Waterville
and the surrounding communities.
Newcomers to Waterville quickly
learn the Recycle Center will take
cardboard packing boxes
off their hands as well
as offer books for every
age level, answers to any
question they might
have and suggestions
for people to contact for
services or information.
In addition to mixed
paper, plastics, tin cans,
aluminum cans and
cardboard, the Recycle
Center takes styrofoam
peanuts, plastic bags,
metal and appliances,
residential sharps,
fluorescent light bulbs
and batteries. Staffed completely
by volunteers, the Waterville
Community Recycle Center
leads Douglas County in pounds
collected/population and continues
to grow and expand to meet the
needs of the COMMUNITY IT
SERVES.
Contact: Eileen Bone,
[email protected]
Ancient Lakes AVA
Successful Outcome
In 2012 the Ancient Lakes AVA
received official recognition
from the federal government, a
designation that now helps all of
the local vineyards market their
wines and grapes on the west side
of the Cascade Mountains. This
designation has increased awareness
of the area along with fruit and wine.
Larger grape growers including
Milbrandt and Jones have benefitted
from the increased recognition
associated with the AVA by selling
more of the grapes they produce to
winemakers outside of the region.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
20
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Community Health
Workers Network
Increasing Access
Challenge
The overall challenge was twofold.
One was to develop the Promotores
de Salud model program in Quincy and NCW so that it would be
fully recognized as a fundamental
part of the medical delivery system
in the state. Secondly, to foster a
nationwide movement to train and
employ community health workers
to connect underserved populations
with the knowledge and resources
they need to live healthy lives.
Key Activities
Situation
The dramatic increase in Hispanic populations in North Central
Washington (NCW) and the State
that began in the 1990s has been
facilitated, in part, by an agricultural industry that remains reliant on
Mexican labor. Often living in isolated housing close to the orchards
and farms and unable to speak
English, these workers did not have
access to the knowledge and resources provided by federally qualified
migrant community health centers
located in small to large cities. Rec-
Situation
Big sagebrush does not survive
most wildfires. 2014 and 2015 were
two of the largest wildfire seasons
for Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) lands in the Columbia Basin,
and in the state of Washington.
Reintroducing sagebrush into these
burned landscapes provides for faster
recovery of important habitat.
Challenge
Finding sagebrush seed or plants
that are genetically adapted to the
Columbia Basin and grown in the
area has been a challenge. The Sustainability in Prisons Project brings
scientists and locally-sourced seeds
into prisons enabling the BLM to
work with inmates to grow sagebrush seedlings for use in restoring
lands within the Basin. The program
benefits prison crews by providing
them with educational background
ognizing this disconnect a group of
health care workers from the Moses
Lake Community Health Center,
Columbia Valley Health Center, the
WA Association of Community &
Migrant Health Center, and others
began working together in 2002 to
design a program that would address
this expanding need by training
a network of confident, broadly-trained Promotores de Salud
or community health workers, to
facilitate improved access to health
care for migrant workers outside of
traditional clinical settings.
on shrub steppe ecology, horticulture, and wildland restoration in a
collaborative arrangement that also
benefits BLM lands.
Key Activities
The Institute for Applied Ecology,
and Evergreen State College, and
Coyote Ridge Correctional Facility
have worked together to bring a
Sustainability in Prisons Project program lead into the prison to teach
and work directly with the crews.
This on-site presence has ensured
good training for the crews and production of high quality seedlings.
The prison hosts evening speakers
on natural resources to provide more
education to crews.
BLM staff visit the prison to share
success stories on previous plantings
as well as the importance of the native plant materials program, so that
Train promotores who are experts
on their respective communities to
connect migrant workers with health
care through mobile clinics, health
fairs, and informal workplace trainings, e.g., use of safety equipment,
self-care of diseases such as diabetes,
asthma, and high blood pressure.
Successful Outcome
The promotores outreach programs
in NCW and throughout Washington State have trained hundreds
of community health workers using
science-based methods that are continuously evaluated for their effectiveness. In NCW, promotores have
been trained to make the language
of health more accessible for all
communities, providing information
to health care providers and to the
community through events defined
by the community themselves. Many
of these promotores have gone
back to school to earn degrees and
certification needed to advance their
careers in health care, medicine, and
other fields. The approach used by
this program has also inspired the
development of community health
worker networks in other states.
Develop a bilingual curriculum of
training materials that can be used
widely by Promotores de Salud within and beyond Washington State.
Build a career path for the advancement of promotores that provides
a spectrum of opportunities while
maintaining the integrity and the
authenticity of the profession.
Contact:
Mary Jo Ybarra-Vega,
[email protected]
Linking Prisons to
Land Restoration
pride and ownership in the seedling’s
success stays with the crews.
Successful Outcome
In November 2015 20,000 sagebrush seedlings were planted on
BLM lands in the Columbia Basin.
The majority of the seedlings were
planted using inmate crews in the
Palisades burned area near Ephrata,
WA. This November as many as
20,000 sagebrush seedlings will be
planted in the Douglas Complex
burned area, with another 20,000
being planted into a wildlife project near Swanson Lakes in Lincoln
County. See:
sustainabilityinprisons.org
Contact: Molly Boyter,
[email protected]
Fos teri n g He a l t hy Bu si ne sse s
Situation
While he always farmed on the side,
Jerry Benson spent 30 years working as a wildlife biologist with WA
Dept of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW)
restoring habitat for species including sage grouse, sharp-tailed grouse,
and pygmy rabbits. In that role he
became increasingly frustrated with
the limited commercial access to
native species of grasses, wildflowers
and shrubs needed to restore food
and cover plants that would make
our wildlands healthier. Most of
what was available then were introduced species such as crested wheatgrass, plants that were never going
to have the same characteristics as
the native species. So in 1993 Jerry
began collecting native seeds, starting with Idaho fescue, and growing
them out on his family’s farm. In
1996 he incorporated BFI Native
Seeds, a subcorporation of Benson
Farms, Inc, and left WDFW in 2000
to work full time in the seed production business.
Challenge
Since maintaining the genetic characteristics of native seeds is critical
to the success of the business one
of the biggest challenges he faces
is keeping his fields free of weeds
such as cheatgrass so he can produce
Situation
The wildfire that blew into Pateros
in August, 2014 moved so fast and
was so hot it burned everything but
the concrete foundations of the 44
homes in its path. While the foundations survived the firestorm, they
could not be used to support new
construction as the integrity of the
concrete had been destroyed. The expense of removing and disposing of
concrete exceeded the compensation
that homeowners could receive from
their insurance, since those rates are
based on house fires where firefighters have access to water and foundations can be salvaged. The City of
Pateros began looking for resources
to help the residents deal with the
situation so the process of rebuilding
could begin.
an uncontaminated quality crop.
Hand pulling and chemicals are used
for weed control along with crop
rotation. Harvesting native grass and
wildflower seeds requires different
equipment; he uses a mix of conventional and Italian garden equipment to harvest the diverse types
of seeds he grows and equipment
from northern Europe to clean and
process the seed. Time is another
challenging element; it takes two
years to get a crop and he has to harvest when that crop is ready. While
he does some wildland collections of
seeds, most is provided by land managers who do the collections on the
lands they want to restore and then
contract with BFI to produce it.
Key Activities
Integrated native seed business into
conventional farm. Quit raising
alfalfa and wheat since they can
contaminate native seed crops; began
growing more vegetable seeds and
corn.
Qualified for indefinite delivery,
indefinite quantity government
contracts which enabled him to fill
orders over a longer period of time.
Rotate crops to reduce disease and
weed problems.
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
21
Benson Farms Inc.
Native Seeds
Build on experience. Plan ahead
and be flexible with methods when
conditions change.
Contact: Jerry Benson,
[email protected]
Word-of-mouth advertising; stand
on what works.
Successful Outcome
BFI Native Seeds is the largest completely native seed company in the
Intermountain West, providing grass
and wildflower seeds and wildland
restoration services to public, private
and tribal landowners in nine states
who are working to restore lands
after fires and other disturbances,
to enhance wildlife habitat, and to
reduce weeds.
See bfinativeseeds.com
Pateros Sidewalk Project
Successful Outcome
The concrete that was hauled to
the Pateros Landfill will be crushed
and used as base for new sidewalks
being built in Pateros starting this
fall. Plaques will be embedded in
those new sidewalks, some scheduled for construction in fall 2016,
commemorating the fires and the
collaboration needed to recover from
the disaster. Team Rubicon, veterans skilled and used to working as
a team, assumed responsibility for
safety and tracking volunteer hours
enabling other volunteer groups to
participate including Southern Baptist Convention, Disaster Chaplains
Organization, Mormon Helping
Hands, The International Assn of
Community Service Chaplains, and
others.
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Jord Wilson,
[email protected]
22
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Foste ri ng Heal thy Business
Growing Opportunities at WVC
Contact: Leo Garcia,
[email protected]
and Francisco Sarmiento,
[email protected]
Situation
Initiated in 1993, the Hispanic Orchard Employee Education Program
(HOEEP) increases the professional
abilities of agriculture employees
and their contributions to operations through greater understanding of horticulture science, current
production technology,
English language and
communication skills,
math and computer skills,
and cultural and social
systems. Seven 19-credit
programs are available
through HOEEP: basic
and advanced horticulture, integrated pest
management technician,
farm management, introduction to viticulture and
advanced viticulture, and
vineyard management.
Challenge
Scheduling. HOEEP courses are
designed to take place in between
busy seasons to minimize disruption to student work schedules. For
some programs, students are in the
classroom one day a week for seven
hours of instruction. For others, such
as viticulture, instruction takes place
in industry and employer partner
facilities, and orchards—including
Stemilt Management, Zirkle, Northern Fruit, MacDougal Orchards and
Gebbers Farms—and vineyards, such
as Anjolina Farms, Columbia Crest,
Canoe Ridge, Mercer Canyon, Shaw
Vineyards, Milbrandt and Jones
Fruit. The Integrated Pest Management Technician program is the
only course that takes place during
the growing season so that students
can study insects and diseases in the
field.
Key Activities
Pairing instructors in the classroom—one to teach college-level
academic or technical content, the
other to teach basic skills in reading,
math, writing or the English language. In HOEEP, Professors Leo
Garcia and Francisco Sarmiento
take turns teaching the most current
agriculture technology and management skills, and applicable basic
skills concepts.
Providing a career ladder. “I have
seen employees move from irrigators
to crew bosses and to orchard managers, “said Darin Case, Dovex Fruit
in Wenatchee
Building on shared ownership and
enthusiasm of employers, students
and instructors. “The three of them
together create a strong bond,” said
Leo describing why HOEEP is
successful.
Successful Outcome
Between 80 -100 students complete
the program annually, and over 1,300
workers have been trained since the
program began at WVC in 1993.
HOEEP and its instructors have
received industry, state and national
recognition, including the second-best worker incumbent program
in the nation by the Department of
Labor. In 2013, the program was
featured as a best practices educational session at the Association
of Community College Trustees
(ACCT) Leadership Congress in
Seattle. That same year, Leo and
Francisco earned the Washington
Association of Wine Grape Growers
Industry Service award. For more see
www.wvc.edu/directory/departments/agriculture
Community Harvest Gleaning Program
Situation
Community Harvest is a program
dedicated to preventing food waste
by safely diverting fresh food from
landfills to food banks. We seek to
prevent some portion of the millions
of pounds of excess fresh produce
cultivated in Chelan and Douglas
counties from going to waste. We
recognize that growers don’t always know where to donate their
produce when they have excess,
and we recognize that local food
banks have limited storage for fresh
food. The lack of opportunities for
residents of the Wenatchee Valley to
connect with local farms and food
banks pushed us to provide volunteer
opportunities through gleans of local
farms.
Successful Outcome
We gathered 26,735 lbs. of produce
this year, an increase of 24% over
the previous year. We engaged 66
unique volunteers who donated 238
hours of their time to gleaning. We
had 68 gleans, and 108 non-glean
donations this year, compared to 53
gleans and 52 non-glean donations
in 2015. Above all we provided 37
different crops ranging from arugula,
to winter squash, to many varieties
of fruit to over 13,000 people each
month. We increased access to fresh
food and reduced food waste more
than any other time in our program’s
history. For more information see
uvmend.org/communitycupboard
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
Contact: Oliver Crain,
[email protected]
NCW COMMUNITY SUCCESS SUMMIT
Br i dgi n g Cu l t u re s
Situation
Washington State Parks was hit
hard by the Great Recession, and as
a result the agency had to institute
the new Discover Pass in 2011 to
fund basic operations costs. Almost
immediately thereafter, residents of
communities located close to state
parks, including Conconully State
Park, were understandably aggrieved
when they had to pay to take
their car into a park. Some elected
officials actively encouraged street
or highway parking to avoid the
fee, creating tension between locals
and park staff. In an attempt to help
soothe hurt feelings, in 2016 State
Parks partnered with the New Old
Time Chautauqua, a performance
troupe that travels each summer
throughout the Pacific Northwest,
to design a tour of seven parks and
their nearby communities. That
required them to work together in
planning and hosting a museum
exhibit in town, an afternoon of
community workshops, a potluck, a
parade, and a Big Show.
Challenge
The challenges were many: First was
pronouncing “Chautauqua!” Second
was putting together committees of
interested townspeople who would
work with the Parks and Chautauqua staff to organize the tour stop.
23
New Old Time Chautauqua
Third was finding locals who would
conduct a workshop that featured
the community’s heritage or history
or natural resources. And fourth was
getting the word out that the whole
community would benefit from
being involved--the more people
participating, the greater the sense of
community, and the bigger success
the program would have.
Key Activities
Personally inviting specific kinds
of people to serve on the committee,
ones who were enthusiastic, social,
and involved with the community
Promoting the community event
at Town Council Meetings and
Chamber of Commerce Meetings
to inform and facilitate involvement
in the planning stages with local
enthusiasts.
Reaching out to Okanogan County businesses to encourage visible
community involvement opportunities for local business owners.
County businesses raised funds and
materials for six community hosted
workshops.
Successful Outcome
The net result of the event is a
noticeable increase in community
support for Conconully State Park.
These supporters became vocal at
Council and Chamber Meetings.
Those same locals were encouraged
to provide ideas and involvement
in future events for community
workshops in the park next summer. Volunteer hours have increased
in the park as a direct result of the
workshops at the Chautauqua. Next
summer we will facilitate new workshops fostering a healthier relationship between the park and the town
for the sake of the community.
Contact:
Ken Ross,
[email protected]
NCRL Book Club Network
Situation
Established in the 1960s, the North
Central Regional Library District
(NCRL), serving Chelan, Douglas,
Grant, Okanogan and Ferry counties, has always supported a few book
clubs with at least one in Quincy
dating back to the 1970s. But in the
mid-1990s when TV personality
Oprah Winfrey launched her popular book club, NCRL began to experience more demand for multiple
copies of books that could be read
and discussed by groups all over the
region. Today, more than 200 book
clubs with 1,000 members – more
per capita than anywhere in the
state - help NCRL meet its mission
of promoting reading and lifelong
learning, growing relationships along
the way.
Successful Outcome
NCRL has more book clubs per
capita than anywhere in the state
with the largest in Leavenworth,
Wenatchee, Twisp-Winthrop, and
Moses Lake. Some of the clubs are
designed for a given sector, e.g., kids,
teen, teachers, women, couples, men;
some focus on a given genre such
as non-fiction, mysteries or other
fiction. All of them regularly bring
people together to talk about books
and ideas – a practice that tends to
enhance a sense of belonging and
foster friendships. Anyone can start
a book club anywhere in the region.
For more information visit
ncrl.org/clubs.htm
Contact: Anne Brangwin,
[email protected]
See the rest of the story at:
IRISNCW.ORG
2016 NCW Community Success Summit
Sponsors and Partners
Bureau of Land Management
Deliciosos Tamales
Quincy Valley
Historical Society & Museum
Trust for Public Land
Wenatchee Valley Museum &
​ Cultural Center
Community Health Plan of Washington
Rotary Club of Quincy
Join us in Chelan for the 2017
NCW Community Success Summit!
Your donations will help IRIS continue to gather and
share the stories that make our region thrive.
Visit irisncw.org to donate online
or mail your contributions to:
IRIS, P O Box 4563, Wenatchee, WA 98807