Sherman County eNews #313

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CONTENTS

  1. SPIRITUAL MATTERS

  2. CLASSIFIEDS

  3. CALENDAR

1. SPIRITUAL MATTERS

Christmas and Our Patriot Founders

By Mark Alexander, The Patriot Post 2019

Each year, our family observes with due respect and reverence six national historic days of recognition: Patriots Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving.

However, the most hallowed religious observance for our family — that with the most deeply rooted traditions — is Christmas. It is not a commercial feeding frenzy for us, but a quiet and reverent time of rest and celebration of the birth of Christ, punctuated by extended family festivities.

Christmas Through the Generations

The Book of Luke contains the most familiar account on the Birth of Jesus:

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (Luke 2:1-18).

Historically, the actual year of Christ’s birth is thought to be between 6 BC and 4 BC, at the end of Herod’s reign. The first mention of Christmas as a formal Nativity feast occurred in a Roman almanac dated AD 336.

The prophet Isaiah wrote of the coming Messiah 700 years before the birth of Jesus: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

The Christmas star that guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem may have been any of a number of recorded astronomical events coinciding with the likeliest dates of that first Christmas. Halley’s Comet appeared in 12 BC, and ancient Chinese texts note “exploding” stars, or novas, observed in both 4 and 5 BC. Exceptionally bright planetary conjunctions occurred in 2, 6, and 7 BC; among these, the most promising candidate for the Holy Star was the triple conjunction of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in 6 BC… … … continue here… … … https://patriotpost.us/articles/67567-merry-christmas-2019-12-24.

2. CLASSIFIEDS (new or corrected)

THANK YOU & CONGRATULATORY NOTES:

ThankYou1THANK YOU. Today I close the door to Sherman County eNews and open the door to new tomorrows. Thank you and Happy New Year! ~Sherry

THANK YOU!  We are most thankful for all of the Santa elf helpers who volunteered for our Wasco School Events Center Christmas event. Merry Christmas! ~Melissa Kirkpatrick, Wasco School Events Center

THANK YOU, WASCO CEMETERY ASSOCIATION! We appreciate your annual report with your year-end appeal! ~Larry and Sherry

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

A happy New Year! Grant that I

May bring no tear to any eye,

When this New Year in time shall end

Let it be said I’ve played the friend,

Have lived and loved and labored here,

And made of it a happy year.

~Edgar Guest 

ThankYou1THANK YOU, Friends & Neighbors!

To our friends and neighbors who govern and implement the services of government entities serving Sherman County – cities, special districts, county, state and federal –  we thank you for making a difference, for your leadership, commitment, integrity, vision, principles and wisdom.

To our friends and neighbors who serve on the front lines or behind the scenes, who make decisions and do the work of our nonprofits, we thank you for making a difference by your thoughtfulness, wisdom, talent, vision, inspiration, hard work, character and leadership… for your spirit, principles and kindness… for your example and your big hearts!

  • Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center – Sherman Station Foundation
  • Columbia Gorge CASA
  • Faith Organizations
  • Grass Valley Pavilion Renovation & Rejuvenation Project
  • HAVEN from Domestic and Sexual Violence
  • Little Wheats Day Care Inc.
  • Maryhill Museum of Art
  • North Central Livestock Association
  • OSU Extension 4-H Programs
  • Sherman County Ambulance
  • Sherman County Athletic Foundation
  • Sherman County Child Care Foundation – ABC Huskies Day Care
  • Sherman County Cultural Coalition
  • Sherman County Education Foundation
  • Sherman County Food Bank
  • Sherman County Historical Society & Museum
  • Sherman County Junior Hoops
  • Sherman County Lions Club
  • Sherman Elementary Parent Teacher Organization
  • Sherman County Scholarship Association
  • Sherman Development League
  • Sherman County Preschool
  • Wasco Cemetery Association
  • Wasco RR Depot & History Center
  • Wasco School Events Center
  • Wasco Salmon/Steelhead Tournament.

~The Editor

CONGRATULATIONS, JANE KIRKPATRICK! “One More River to Cross” made it to the top 25 books of Christian fiction and in the Pacific Northwest, it’s been number 7 for two weeks in a row. This is a story of the Stevens – Murphy – Townsend wagon train stuck two years before the Donner Party in the same part of the Sierra Nevada mountains during a heavy winter. ~Sherry K 

THANK YOU to those of you who kept subscribers informed with your contributions to eNews! THANK YOU for doing your part with news releases, agency and departmental reports, public meeting notices, classified ads, letters to the editor, and Spiritual Matters, (suggested by Pastor Keeney and most recently offered by Pastor Burgess on behalf of the Kent and Grass Valley Baptist congregations). THANK YOU, Mike McArthur, for bringing life-changing Lou Tice’s Pacific Institute training to Sherman County. THANK YOU, Times-Journal crew, for sharing your news reports. It’s been a wonderful, transparent partnership! THANK YOU, subscribers! A rare opportunity to volunteer in this way, it’s been very interesting and sometimes challenging! It’s taken me from actual reporting in the earliest years to posting – lots of copying and pasting – news releases, using spell check and the dictionary, from agendas to Oregon Revised Statute and editorials, from church programs to meeting minutes … an honor and a privilege! Make yours – and that of others – a very Merry Christmas! ~Sincerely, Sherry Kaseberg

THANK YOU! Your notes of appreciation are humbling, overwhelming and heartwarming! I assure you that it’s always been a team effort! I’m grateful for everyone who encouraged this free volunteer project, collaborated in making eNews an interesting and helpful local resource, sent suggestions, good ideas and links to interesting websites, submitted notices, news releases, calendar dates, Spiritual Matters and classified ads, challenged process, opinion and policy, and counseled the editor with journalistic wisdom. Please express your appreciation for eNews by your participation in your county communities and by being an informed participant! ~Sherry Kaseberg, Editor/Publisher, Sherman County eNews

Appreciation can make a day – even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. ~Margaret Cousins 

JOYFUL NEWS!

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FUND-RAISERS:

GORGE GROWN FOOD NETWORK. Thank you for supporting Gorge Grown Food Network. Together, we’re building a resilient and inclusive food system that improves the health and well-being of our community. We had a remarkable year in 2019.

  • Thousands of families throughout the Gorge received Veggie Prescriptions to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and spent more than $55,000 on produce from local farmers
  • Gorge Grown Farmers Markets put more than $620,000 back into the local economy and supported 82 family farmers, food producers and small business owners
  • The Food Security Coalition gathered a diverse group 50+ stakeholders from across the Gorge to build a stronger food system and make healthy, local food more accessible to everyone
  • The Mobile Farmers Market worked with 24 local farmers to consistently bring fresh produce to 7 rural communities throughout the Gorge and put $27,000 into the local economy
  • Columbia Gorge Gleaning rescued more than 6,500 lbs of fresh produce this fall and distributed the surplus to community sites that serve food insecure residents

In 2020, we will continue our groundbreaking work. To do this, we need your help. Please consider making a donation today: Gorge Grown Food Network, PO Box 752, Hood River, OR 97031. Thank you for your support of Gorge Grown Food Network!

WINTER CORNHOLE FIESTA – GRASS VALLEY PAVILION. January 18 1-9 p.m. 32 team tournament. Age 12 and up. $75/team or $25/individuals.  $10 all you can eat Taco Bar. The Riverside will be there to serve drinks.  Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place.  Please contact Keegan Kock at 541-993-9044 for further information or to sign up for the event. LET’S FIESTA!!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Volunteer SmileJUST ASK HOW YOU CAN HELP. Sherman County’s current activities require the equivalent of 290 volunteers – part-time, one-time, once-yearly, once-monthly, as needed. Just ask! How can I help? The need is great. Opportunities come to mind… Your child’s activities. Your church. 4-H. Sherman County Fair. Wasco Memorial Day Celebration. Sherman County Historical Museum. Sherman County School Booster Club. Wasco School Events Center. Grass Valley Pavilion. Cemetery clean-up days. Maryhill Museum. Food Banks. Vacant local government and nonprofit positions, including EMT training. Or… if you can’t give of your time, give your support with your tax deductible dollars. ~The Editor 

EMPLOYMENT:

PROGRAM TECHNICIAN. Farm Service Agency Job Opening – Temporary Position. Busy government office in The Dalles, Oregon has an immediate opening for a temporary office (Program Technician) position. Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field office level.  Successful applicant must be reliable, have professional attitude, and enjoy working with the public.  Individuals interested in applying need to contact Lissa Biehn (office manager) at 41-298-8559 ext. 110, or Lissa.biehn@usda.gov, or apply at Wasco/Hood River Co. FSA at 2325 River Rd, Ste 1. The deadline to apply is December 26, 2019.  FSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 12/27

HOUSE CLEANING. Seeking non-employee housekeeper to clean Catholic rectory in Wasco twice a month. Please call Molly Belshe for more information. (541)565-3315. 12/27

SERVICES:

SHERMAN COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY https://www.co.sherman.or.us/businesses/

NEWSPAPERS

VISITOR INFORMATION:

FOR SALE:

SHERMAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS support the mission to gather, preserve, research, interpret, exhibit and publish materials related to the history of Sherman County. The annual membership (per address) $30 includes free museum admission, a 10% discount in The Museum Store, and two issues of the historical anthology, Sherman County: for the Record. See: http://www.shermanmuseum.org/html/sc_membership.html.

SURPLUS SHERMAN COUNTY BUILDINGS.  BUILDINGS MUST BE REMOVED FROM CURRENT LOCATION WITHIN 90 DAYS OF SALE. ALL EXPENSES RELATED TO BUILDING REMOVAL ARE TO BE INCURED BY BIDDER. Surplus for sale by Sherman County: 1972 Royal Mobile Home 24’ x 62’ with addition, 3 Bedroom 2 Bath (Possible 4th Bedroom with addition). Sealed bids must be submitted by 5:00pm, Monday, January 13, 2020 to the Sherman County Court, in-person at 500 Court St, Moro, Oregon 97039, or by mail: PO Box 365, Moro, OR 97039. Minimum bid $5,000. To request a viewing appointment, contact the Office of the Sherman County Court at 541-565-3416. Contact the Sherman County Court 541-565-3416 with questions, or to schedule viewing appointments. 12/27

DEHYDRATOR, JERKY MAKER. New, still in the box never opened, Nesco Dehydrator & Jerky Maker FD-60 with 4 trays. asking $45 / best bid. Call 541-442-8572 Nancy 12/27

SHERMAN COUNTY CLASSIFIEDS, FACEBOOK  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1680690712181261/

SHOP LOCALLY! SHERMAN COUNTY BUSINESSES https://www.co.sherman.or.us/businesses/

FOR RENT OR LEASE:

FREE:

LOST OR FOUND: 

WANTED:

HOUSE CLEANING. Seeking non-employee housekeeper to clean Catholic rectory in Wasco twice a month. Please call Molly Belshe for more information. (541)565-3315. 12/27

3. CALENDAR (new or corrected)

LogoShermanCoSchoolSHERMAN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT EVENTS CALENDAR https://shermancountyschooldistrict.weebly.com/scsd-event-calendar.html

 

 

geese.moon2DECEMBER

1-31 Decorate the Mitten Tree at Sherman County Public/School Library

23-31 Sherman County School Christmas Break

27 Sherman County eNews ends 20-year run!

27-31 Oregon Whale Watch Week

31 NEW YEAR’S EVE

31-Jan. 1 Sherman County Government Holidays

time.hourglass.aniJANUARY

1 First Day Hike: Deschutes River State Recreation Area 9 Oregon Trail Kiosk

1 First Day Hike: Cottonwood Canyon State Park 10 Experience Center

2 Funeral Service for Eileen Moreau 10 St. Mary Catholic Church in Wasco

2 Sherman County Fair Board Meeting 6

4 Sherman Junior Hoops Begins

6 Grass Valley City Council 7

7 Moro City Council 7

8 Rufus City Council 7

8 Sherman Senior Center Advisory 12:30

10 Community Renewable Energy Association (CREA) Board Meeting 10-1

11 Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society Program 10:30 Discovery Center

13 Sherman County School District Board 6

14 Tri-County Mental Health Board 11

14 North Central Public Health District Board 3

15 Sherman County Court 9

18 Winter Cornhole Fiesta Tournament 1-9 p.m. Grass Valley Pavilion

29 Tri-County Court 11

29 Frontier TeleNet Board Meeting 11:30 

hearttinyFEBRUARY

3 Grass Valley City Council 7

4 Moro City Council 7

5 Sherman County Court 9

6 Sherman County Fair Board 7

19 Sherman County Court 9

 

Sherman County eNews #312

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CONTENTS

  1. Positive Visualization

  2. Dear Mom and Dad: Cool It

  3. The Human Side of Raising Children

  4. New Boating Laws for 2020

  5. Oregon Capital Insider Index: This week by the numbers

  6. Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.
    ~Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC), Pro Publio Sestio

In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate — look to his character. ~Noah Webster

1. Positive Visualization

~The Pacific Institute 2012

What do you know about visualization? Have you heard people talking about learning how to do it? Well, here’s something you should know. You don’t have to learn how to visualize. Visualization is something all of us do all the time, either positively or negatively.

What you can learn is that if you want to improve the quality of your life, visualization is the way to eliminate negative and increase positive thoughts. Now the term visualization may be a little misleading.  Some people do see clear, colorful images when they visualize, but for others it’s really something they hear, and for others something they sense or feel.  The precise way it works for you doesn’t matter so much as how vivid it is and how much emotion and clarity you associate with it.

Positive visualization helps you get comfortable with a new reality you are creating for yourself and move forward quickly with goals.  It also helps you decide between alternative courses of action – you choose those that fit in with your vision and avoid those that don’t.

So, those of you who are heading off to school shortly, what will you visualize? Short-term, it may be success in your classes, and long-term that degree. Will you visualize paying attention in class and absorbing all there is to learn, or will you visualize lunch breaks and free time after school? Will you visualize walking across that stage to receive your diploma at graduation? And ultimately, will you visualize that job or career that is the culmination of your education?

One important piece to remember is that visualization, or imagination, tends to become reality. Since this is the case, isn’t it better to focus your visualizations on positive ends? The human mind is incredibly creative and powerful. It is up to each of us to channel that creativity toward constructive objectives and one vital path is through positive visualization.

2. Dear Mom and Dad: Cool It

sport-basketballBy Karissa Niehoff and Peter Weber

If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete here in Oregon, this message is primarily for you.

When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun. But when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, cool it.

Make no mistake about it. Your passion is admired, and your support of the hometown team is needed. But so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Oregon has an alarming shortage of high school officials.

It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, more than 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. And 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing.

Why? They don’t need your abuse.

Plus, there’s a ripple effect. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 in many areas. And as older, experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The shortage of licensed high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or cancelled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.

Research confirms that participation in high school sports and activities instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like the value of teamwork and self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard. It will be putting a dent in your community’s future.

If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become a licensed official at HighSchoolOfficials.com. Otherwise, adult role models at high school athletic events here in Oregon are always welcome.

(Editor’s note: Karissa Niehoff is Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Peter Weber is Executive Director of the Oregon School Activities Association.)

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” — Unattributed

3. The Human Side of Raising Children 

If you are a parent or grandparent, you know there are plenty of rules for raising kids. Today, let’s consider why ignoring these rules can sometimes be a good idea.

Some years ago, in his book, How to Parent, Dr. Fitzhugh Dodson said that, “Raising a child is a human relationship, and human relationships cannot be reduced to a set of rules.” There is an inherent truth in that statement.

Rules are only guidelines, and both you and your child are unique. Each of you is a product of a special combination of genes and environment that has never existed before. What’s more, you have a special relationship with each of your children that is different from the relationship of any other two people on this planet.

So, avoid the mistake of trying to fit this relationship into any preconceived idea of what it is “supposed to be” like. Refrain from dogmatically following a set of rules, even when the rules are written by a so-called “expert.” (Remember, expertise does not mean “perfection.”) And, don’t try to force your child to conform to someone else’s idea of what she or he should be.

The most important thing you can do for your children or grandchildren is to offer them stability, guidance and support while they explore, and learn to realize, the unique potential self which is unfolding within them.

You can reinforce their efforts to achieve worthwhile goals, you can set reasonable limits, and you can remain flexible. But most of all, you can make sure they know that you recognize and respect them for the goodness that resides within each of them. ~The Pacific Institute 2014

4. New Boating Laws for 2020

Oregon.Flat.poleThe 2019 legislative session was a busy one in which seven bills were introduced by the agency. All of these passed, including the agency’s operating budget. Most of the legislative concepts were in response to issues brought forward from stakeholder groups, boating clubs, advocacy groups, and agency partners. There were also several non-agency bills sponsored by legislators on behalf of interest/environmental groups or private citizens that affect Oregon boaters. One bill allows the Marine Board to consider land use planning (Goal 15) in any future rulemaking on boat operations on the Willamette River (HB 2351). Another, HB 2352, creates a towed watersports education program within the Marine Board and requires an additional education endorsement for anyone engaged in wake surfing and wakeboarding activities on the Willamette River (Newberg Pool, RM 30-50) in Clackamas, Marion and Yamhill Counties.

Here’s a run-down of the new legislation and some of the changes coming to recreational boaters beginning January 1, 2020:

  • To minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species, motorized boaters will be required to “pull the plug” when leaving a waterbody and during transport to allow any water-holding compartments to drain (transporting live crab or fish is against the law per ODFW regulations). The fine for failure to pull the plug is $30 for non-motorized boats and $50 for motorized boats and is a Class D violation. Law enforcement was also given the authority to order a person back to an aquatic invasive species boat inspection station if a boater bypasses the mandatory boat inspection station and the station is within five miles. If a person fails to go back to the station for an inspection/decontamination, they can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor ($1,250 and or 30 days in jail). Protecting our waterways from aquatic invaders is the goal and compliance with boat inspection station requirements is vital to achieving it.
  • Boat Rental Business (Livery) registration will be required so the agency can gather more robust information about the type of boats being rented and provide businesses with applicable boating safety education and outreach materials for employees to pass along to their customers. Better-informed customers help make the waterways safer and help protect the rental business from liability. There is no charge associated with registration, but failure to register is a Class B violation ($265 fine). Current motorboat registration discounts apply.
  • There’s no longer a 60-day boating safety education card exemption for new boat owners.  Taking a boating safety course and carrying a boating safety education card is now required when operating a motorboat over 10 hp, regardless of when the boat was purchased.  A new boat owner will need to take an approved boating safety education course and carry a boater education card before taking the boat out for a spin, just like a motor vehicle requires a valid driver’s license. Most states have some form of mandatory education requirement and out-of-state boating safety education cards are accepted; however, if the resident state doesn’t have boating safety education, the boat operators will need the Oregon boater safety education card. The mandatory education program was first enacted in 1999, so the program is now 20-years old.
  • The definition of reckless boating was updated to reflect the motor vehicle code. The Marine Board and the courts can now suspend a boating safety education card if the operator is convicted for reckless boating or boating under the influence of intoxicants (BUII). Suspensions allow for up to one year for convictions of reckless boating and 1-3 years for BUII. On another note, the fine was reduced for not carrying a properly fitting life jacket from a Class B violation ($265) to a Class D violation ($115), to mirror a seat belt infraction in the motor vehicle code.
  • Motorized boat titles and registrations were increased by 33%, or $1.45 and fees are combined into a flat fee based on boat length. Title fees will increase to $75 and the boating safety education card will increase to $20. Replacement boating safety education cards will increase to $16.
  • The Waterway Access Permit replaces the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Permit for non-motorized boats 10’ long and longer. Permits are available online through ODFW’s eLicensing System and beginning January 1, 2020, the one and two-year permits are available through the Marine Board’s Boat Oregon Store. There are three permit options: one week (7-days) for $5 (through ODFW), one year for $17, and two years for $30. Rental businesses for non-motorized boats can receive bulk discounts for Waterway Access permits. A portion of the revenue will continue to support aquatic invasive species prevention program and new revenue will support non-motorized boating facility grants to facility providers for improvements or development of non-motorized boating access.

There are two things I want you to make up your minds to: First, that you’re going to have a good time as long as you live. I have no use for the sour-faced man – and next, that you’re going to do something worthwhile, that you’re going to work hard and do the things you set out to do.”  ~Theodore Roosevelt

5. Oregon Capital Insider Index: This week by the numbers

Oregon.Flat.poleCreated: 26 December 2019 | Written by Oregon Capital Insider, Here are 10 numbers that illustrate some of this week’s big, and small, Oregon news stories.

  • 4,000,000: People in the U.S. who could be displaced by one meter of sea level rise, according to OPB.
  • 4,191,000: Approximate population of Oregon in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • 192: Yurts in the Oregon State Parks system, according to The Oregonian.
  • 1993: Year the state started installing the sturdy tents in its parks.
  • $795,000,000: Amount the expansion of Interstate 5 in the Rose Quarter could cost, according to an internal ODOT report obtained by Willamette Week.
  • 500,000: Lights on display at the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights, according to Travel Oregon
  • 1,400,000: Oregonians who will travel 50 miles or more for the holidays, according to AAA Oregon.
  • 1,300,000: Among those travelers who will drive to get to their destinations.
  • $3.05: Average per-gallon price of gas in Oregon as of Dec. 23.
  • $2.99: Average per-gallon price of gas at Christmas in 2018.

6. Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something; and what I should do and can do, by the grace of God, I will do. ~E.E. Hale

bird.owl.limbFreedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Hillsdale College

National Center for Constitutional Studies

The Federalist Papers

ORMAP Property Tax System Maps 

The Oregon Encyclopedia (online)

Project Gutenberg’s The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, by Leonardo da Vinci

The Other Oregon, a Voice for Rural Oregon (magazine)

Sherry’s Sherman County History Collection

 

Sherman County eNews #311

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CONTENTS

  1. New Year’s Prayer

  2. Preparing for the New Year – Part 1

  3. Preparing for the New Year – Part 2

  4. The American’s Creed

  5. Essay: Constitutional Rule of Law – Part Two

1. New Year’s Prayer by Charlotte Anselmo 

Thank you Lord for giving me
The brand new year ahead
Help me live the way I should
As each new day I tread.

Give me gentle wisdom
That I might help a friend
Give me strength and courage
So a shoulder I might lend.

The year ahead is empty
Help me fill it with good things
Each new day filled with joy
And the happiness it brings.

Please give the leaders of our world
A courage born of peace
That they might lead us gently
And all the fighting cease.

Please give to all upon this earth
A heart that’s filled with love
A gentle happy way to live
With Your blessings from above.

2. Preparing for the New Year – Part 1

Do you know anyone who is addicted to negative thoughts? Perhaps it is someone closer than you think. As we prepare to close out the calendar year, it’s a natural time to start thinking about what we’d like to change about ourselves and the course our lives are taking. The first thing to do is become aware of the way we think.

We are familiar with addictions to drugs and alcohol. It seems that addiction is behavior that is usually harmful and that controls you, rather than the other way around. But, can negative thinking be an addiction? You bet it can. Can it harm you? Most definitely. How can you tell if your negative thoughts are out of control? Well, the first step is awareness.

Let’s make today your Day of Awareness. As an experiment, here is something you can try, something The Pacific Institute includes in nearly all of its programs. Try going through one whole day, a full 24 hours, without thinking a single negative thought. No sarcasm, no put-downs, no belittling – of others or of yourself. Yes, that includes time spent driving in traffic and maneuvering through the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Now, most people notice quite a few negative thoughts during this day of awareness. But that is not all they do. They get upset at themselves for thinking those negative thoughts, and they end up caught in a mental double negative.

So, give yourself a break. Just pay attention without blaming and without judgment. Notice your thought patterns for the next 24 hours. Once you become aware of how much control negative thinking has over your life, you may choose to change it. It may be a snap to change, or it may not be so easy, but you can do it! First, though, you need to raise your awareness of what is happening today – your Day of Awareness.

Have a terrific, illuminating evening, and we will continue this discussion tomorrow. ~The Pacific Institute

3. Preparing for the New Year – Part 2

So, how did you do in your 24 hours of “no negative thinking?” It was probably a very long evening, but if you truly worked at it, the time spent was eye-opening. Today, let’s talk further about trying to break negative thinking addiction.

We have been talking about the fact that negative thinking can be a harmful addiction, and about how to raise our awareness of the amount of negative thinking we do by learning to pay attention without blaming ourselves.

Today, let’s take it one step further and talk about what you can do to break this destructive habit – to do a pattern interrupt – once you realize that you have it.

The first thing to do is stop justifying or defending your negative thoughts. While it may be true that they are perfectly rational, they are not doing you or anyone else any good. They are getting in the way of your interactions with family and friends, and causing unnecessary distractions in the workplace. So, stop labeling them as reasonable or unreasonable. Just notice them.

Another thing to do is declare a ban on all negative thinking for short periods every day, say for 30 minutes when you get up, before you get in your car to drive anywhere, or right before you go to bed. Then, gradually extend those times.

One final strategy is to be a champion Disputer. Learn to argue with your negative thoughts and to replace them with positive ones. Every possible subject has a positive side. Accomplished positive thinkers know they have a choice about where they want to focus their attention, and they choose the positive aspect. You can, too. Say, “Yes,” to life and to breaking the negative thinking addiction.

If you start today, imagine how you will feel in a couple of weeks. The New Year is looking better every day! ~The Pacific Institute

4. The American’s Creed

By William Tyler Page

“I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.”

5. Essay: Constitutional Rule of Law – Part Two by Mark Alexander

First posted to eNews in 2009.

~ The Patriot Post: This essay is the second of a two-part seminal treatise on Constitutional Rule of Law in advance of Constitution Day, 17 September, the 222nd anniversary of our national Constitution. 

A “Wall of Separation”?

George Washington wrote in his Farewell Address of 1796, “Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation deserts the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in the Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the opposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

Our Founders affirmed that the natural rights enumerated in our Declaration of Independence and, by extension, as codified in its subordinate guidance, our Constitution, are those endowed by our Creator.

Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. … Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

Alexander Hamilton insisted, “The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…” These are natural rights — gifts from God, not government.

Moreover, it was with firm regard to this fact that our Constitution was written and ratified “in order secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” As such, it established a constitutional republic ruled by laws based on natural rights, not rights allocated by governments or those occupying seats of power.

John Quincy Adams wrote, “Our political way of life is by the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, and of course presupposes the existence of God, the moral ruler of the universe, and a rule of right and wrong, of just and unjust, binding upon man, preceding all institutions of human society and government.”

Notably, the conviction that our rights are innately bestowed by “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” is enumerated in the preambles of every state constitution of our Union.

But, for many decades, those who advocate a “living constitution” have used the “despotic branch” to remove faith from every public quarter, ironically and erroneously citing the “Wall of Separation” metaphor — words that Jefferson wrote to denote the barrier between federal and state governments, not to erect a prohibition against faith expression in any and all public venues.

The intended consequence of this artificial barrier between church and state is to remove the unmistakable influence of our Creator from all public forums, particularly government education institutions, and thus, over time, to disabuse belief in a sovereign God and the notion of natural rights. This erosion of knowledge about the origin of our rights, the very foundation of our country and basis of our Constitution, has dire implications for the future of liberty.

A republic … if you can keep it…

At the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was asked if the delegates had formed a republic or a monarchy. “A republic,” he responded, “if you can keep it.”

To that end, as a warning for future generations to beware of “cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men,” Washington wrote, “A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position.”

John Adams cautioned, “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”

Today, our Constitution is the oldest rule-of-law charter governing a sovereign republic. It authorizes a republican form of limited government with the express aim of defending individual rights, which are the gift of God.

Unfortunately, and at great peril to our liberty, our Constitution has for years suffered at the hands of “cunning, ambitious and unprincipled” politicians and judges who recognize only vestiges of its original intent for governance. Consequently, constitutional Rule of Law has been undermined by those who have deserted their sacred oaths to “support and defend” the same.

Our legacy of liberty, bequeathed to us by generations of American Patriots, is at risk. If we are to extend liberty to the next generation, we must renew our commitment to this animating contest of freedom as ordained by God, and as set forth by our nation’s Founders in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.

While the words “conservative” and “liberal” are ubiquitously used to describe party alliances, these words more essentially describe whether one advocates for the Rule of Law, or the rule of men; for the conservation of our Constitution as the Founders intended, or its liberal interpretation by “progressive” legislators and judicial activists.

It is well past time that we each ask of ourselves: “Which do I advocate?”

The role of, and limitations upon, our central government were and remain defined by the supreme law of the United States, our Constitution, as adopted, and aptly defended in The Federalist Papers.

Those of us who endorse the most basic tenets of our Republic, “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” are called to honor that heritage and set about the formidable task of restoring individual liberty and constitutional limits upon the branches of our national government.

On liberty.

The words of these Patriots ring as true today as they did at the dawn of our nation:

“The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People … they may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty.” –John Adams.

“Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them.” –Thomas Jefferson.

“A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one!” –Alexander Hamilton.

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” –Benjamin Franklin.

“If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” –Samuel Adams.

“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” –Patrick Henry.

“If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” –Thomas Paine.

To support and defend…

The last line of our Declaration of Independence reads, “For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

Indeed, many first-generation American Patriots died fighting for American liberty.

A decade later, their liberty won at great cost, our Founders further codified their independence and interdependence by instituting our Constitution, which specifies in Article VI, clause 3:

“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath [emphasis added] or Affirmation, to support this Constitution…”

The Constitution prescribed the following oath to be taken by the president-elect: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend [emphasis added] the Constitution of the United States.”

Regarding the Presidential Oath of Office, Justice Joseph Story wrote: “[T]he duty imposed upon him to take care, that the laws be faithfully executed, follows out the strong injunctions of his oath of office, that he will ‘preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.’ The great object of the executive department is to accomplish this purpose.” Story wrote further that if the president does not honor his oath, his office “will be utterly worthless for … the protection of rights; for the happiness, or good order, or safety of the people.”

Members of Congress and commissioned military personnel are also required by statute to “solemnly swear, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic: [emphasis added] that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

The oath for enlisted military personnel repeats the preceding affirmation, “that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,” and concludes with, “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

The subtle distinction between officer oath and enlisted oath is that officers are bound to disobey any order that violates our Constitution, while enlisted personnel are bound to obey only lawful orders.

Notably, these oaths mandate the preservation, protection, support and defense of our Constitution as ratified, not a so-called “living constitution.” And by extension, every American Patriot who has taken such an oath is bound by his or her pledge to also support and defend the Constitution’s foundation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Declaration’s basis, Natural Law.

As we speak, and while uniformed Americans serving our nation defend our Constitution with their lives, many elected officials debase it by enacting extra-constitutional empowerments of the central government, invariably to appease special constituencies or to perpetuate their office. Or to do both.

Though military service personnel who violate their oaths are remanded for courts-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, politicians who violate their oaths are often rewarded with re-election. However, those who do not abide by their oaths, elected officials first and foremost among them, must rightly and justly be removed from office, posthaste, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

If you have ever taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” [emphasis added] and you remain steadfast in your pledge to “bear true faith and allegiance to the same,” then take time to administer that oath to those who have not.

If you are among those who have not yet taken this oath, request its administration from a fellow Patriot who has, and stand ready to abide by it when duty calls.

Principium Imprimis

If there is to be a peaceful transfer of liberty to our posterity, then we must return to principium imprimis, or First Principles.

Short of another American Revolution to remove by force those who do not abide by their oaths, our freedoms cannot long endure unless we, the people, reaffirm what was well understood by our Founders: that our Creator is the only eternal assurance of liberty.

The primacy of faith must be restored in order to preserve the conviction that, as Jefferson wrote, our “liberties are the gift of God”; traditional families and values must be restored as the foundation of our culture; individual rights and responsibilities must be restored as the underpinning of republican government; free enterprise must be unbridled from government constraints; and constitutional authority over each branch of government must be restored to ensure liberty, opportunity and prosperity for a civil society.

The Cycle of Democracy has been accurately summarized as:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty (rule of law);
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage (rule of men).

Our Founders established a democratic republic, not a democracy, in order to enfeeble this cycle, but with the erosion of constitutional authority, our Republic is now in grave peril of following the same cycle as have all other democracies in history. Only intervention by citizens and leaders who advocate for the primacy of constitutional authority, those committed to supporting and defending that authority above their self-interest, can save the Republic for the next generation.

Irrevocably linked to liberty ensured by constitutional Rule of Law is economic liberty.

Nineteenth-century historian Alexis de Tocqueville once observed, “[Democratic Republics] and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

In 1916, a minister and outspoken advocate for liberty, William J. H. Boetcker, published a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots:

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

Fact is, the central government cannot give to anybody what it does not first take from somebody else.

And none can claim the name “American Patriot” if they comport with or adhere to laws and regulations which violate our Constitution.

At its core, the word “patriot” has direct lineage to those who fought for American independence and established our constitutional Republic. That lineage has descended most directly through our history to those who have pledged “to support and defend” our Constitution — those who have been faithful to, and who have abided by, their oaths, even unto death. On behalf of those gallant souls, Samuel Adams asked, “Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen and then ask yourself, What should be the reward of such sacrifices?”

The time is at hand when Patriots must inquire with a unified voice, “If there is no constitutional authority for laws and regulations enacted by Congress and enforced by the central government, then by what authority do those entities lay and collect taxes to fund such laws and regulations?”

On July 4th, 1776, our Declaration of Independence, this nation’s supreme manuscript of incorporation, asserted, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…”

Our Declaration’s principal author, Thomas Jefferson, also wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. … Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.”

While one hopes and prays that liberty can be restored and extended to our posterity without discord or rebellion, history does not favor such prospects.

Fellow Patriots, until the next Continental Congress is convened, I implore you to make no peace with oppression, and I leave you with these words of encouragement from the Father of our Nation, George Washington: “We should never despair. Our situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new exertions and proportion our efforts to the exigency of the times.”

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!

Mark Alexander
Publisher, PatriotPost.US

 

Sherman County eNews #310

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CONTENTS

  1. Edythe Eileen Ryf Moreau 1932-2019

  2. Sherman County Prayer Gathering 2020 Schedule

  3. Influenza Season

  4. Relationships

  5. Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program Seeks Applicants

  6. Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

 “May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.” —George Washington (1790)

1. Edythe Eileen Ryf Moreau 1932-2019

flower.rose.starEdythe Eileen Ryf was the fourth of six children born to John Ryf and Gladys Marguerite (Clark) Ryf. Born May 28, 1932, in Ridgefield, Washington, Eileen died December 18, 2019 in Baker City, Oregon.  Her childhood was full of sibling antics, school parties and dances, picking strawberries, and a deep love of family.

Eileen graduated from Ridgefield High School and went on to earn her teaching degree from Central Washington College in Ellensburg, Washington. It was on a double-date during her college years in Ellensburg, where she met a fine young man, George Moreau – who was friend Betty’s date – and the rest, as they say, was history.

George and Eileen were married June 11, 1955, in Seattle, WA, where Eileen was teaching second grade. The young teacher invited her entire class to the wedding, where the happy students occupied the front pew. George and Eileen first resided on the family ranch in Ellensburg. Later, an opportunity came about for the couple to stake their claim in Moro, Oregon, where the Moreau family lived until 2016. Two daughters were born to George and Eileen: Julee Ann and Jill Marie.

Eileen taught in a number of the elementary schools in Sherman County, but is probably best remembered for her role as the 5th-6th grade teacher in Rufus. Eileen was involved with her church, 4-H, and numerous community boards, including a reign as Moro’s mayor. She was appointed by Gov. Vic Atiyeh to the Fair Dismissal Appeals Board for the State of Oregon.

Preceding Eileen in death were her parents, John and Gladys Ryf, four siblings including John, Rose Marie, Clifford and Phyllis, and Eileen’s daughter Jill who died in 1983 and husband George, passing in 1991.

Eileen is survived by her brother, Ed Ryf and his wife Ellen; brother-in-law Frank Moreau, and sisters-in-law Marene Morrison and Frankie Melvin; daughter Julee and her husband David Hicks; Grandchildren include Annelle Hicks, and William Hicks and Will’s wife, Lindsey (Timmons) Hicks.

Recitation of the Rosary will be held at 9:30 am on January 2, 2020, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wasco, OR (807 Barnett Street Wasco, OR 97065). A luncheon at the Wasco parish hall will be held at 11:00 am and burial will follow at the Moro Cemetery.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Sherman County Education Foundation (C/O Anderson’s Tribute Center, Celilo Chapel, 204 E. 4th Street, The Dalles, OR, 97058).

Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson’s Tribute Center • Celilo Chapel 204 E. 4th Street, The Dalles, Oregon 97058. Visit http://www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.

2. Sherman County Prayer Gathering 2020 Schedule

church.family1

January 8             Rufus Baptist Church, Rufus        August 5

February 5          First Baptist Church, Grass Valley July 1

March 4                Presbyterian Church, Moro         September 2

April 1                   Church of Christ, Wasco                October 7

May 7 (Thursday) Kent Baptist Church, Kent        November 4

June                      Methodist Church, Wasco            December 25

This will be my final post since the Sherman County eNews will be shut down.

~Red Gibbs

3. Influenza Season

hand.wash2North Central Public Health District (NCPHD) has received information showing that influenza season has come early to Wasco County. It is NOT TOO LATE to get vaccinated if you haven’t received your flu shot. Vaccination is the best way to prevent spread of the flu.

It is very important that we protect those most vulnerable to influenza. If you have a fever and upper respiratory symptoms, please delay visits to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, day care facilities and hospitals until at least 24 hours after your fever subsides.

If you visit a clinic or hospital because you are sick, please wear a mask, and continue to wear a mask in public until you have been fever free for 24 hours.

The preventive measures listed below will also help stop the spread of flu, but because people infected with the flu may infect others 1 day before they become sick, vaccination is still the best way to avoid catching and spreading the flu:

 Cover your cough and sneeze.

 Wash your hands often, using soap and warm water.

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

 Limit close contact with those that are sick.

 Stay home when you’re sick. Protect others at school and work by staying home at least 24-hours after a fever (100+ degrees) subsides.

 Clean surfaces. Flu germs can live for hours on hard surfaces. Make sure your home and workspace are wiped down frequently, especially where children are playing.

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes nausea (more often in children than adults). Many respiratory viruses have similar symptoms, but influenza tends to be more severe. Having the flu is NO fun and can lead to hospitalization and sometimes death. For more information visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm/

4. Relationships

What can you do when you want to improve your marriage or close relationship, but your significant other seems to be content with the way things are?

Marriage or other close relationships offer us unique opportunities to grow. Sometimes, though, conflict arises when partners in romantic relationships have different visions of what the relationship should be like and different ideas about the direction it should take. When this happens, co-creating a future can be quite the challenge.

If you think your close relationship could use some work but your partner doesn’t, what do you do? Well, for starters, you don’t start blaming them for disagreeing with you and neither should you assume that there is something wrong with you. What you can do, instead, is share your visions with each other. Can you describe, as specifically as possible, without blaming or judging, just how you see the problem? Can you describe, just as specifically, what you see the future as being?

Sometimes professional couples counseling can be a great help in opening faulty lines of communication. Whether you decide to get help or not, make sure you stay focused on a vision of how the relationship will look when it is fixed, and maintain a non-blaming, non-judgmental attitude throughout. It isn’t always easy, but if you can take the emotion out of the situation long enough, the situation becomes clearer and possibly easier to manage when decisions need to be made.

Remember that disagreement doesn’t have to mean someone is wrong, and conflict can lead to greater harmony if it is handled properly. Think of it as clearing the rocks and brush out of the way, on your path to your shared future. ~The Pacific Institute

5. Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program Seeks Applicants

Oregon.Flat.poleApplications are now being accepted for the 2020 award year for the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program. The application deadline is May 1, 2020. Families throughout Oregon who have continuously farmed portions of their family acreage for the past 100 or 150 years are invited to apply.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program began in 1958 to honor farm and ranch families with century-long connections to the land. To qualify for a century or sesquicentennial award, interested families must follow a formal application process. Members of the Application Review Committee review each application against the qualifications, which include continuous family operation of the farm or ranch; a gross income from farm use of not less than $1,000 per year for at least three years out of five prior to application; and family members must live on or actively manage the farm or ranch activities. Application documentation may include photos, original deeds, personal stories, or other historic records. These records help support Oregon’s agricultural history by providing valuable information about settlement patterns and statistics on livestock and crop cycles. All documents are archived for public access.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch application and program guidelines are available at http://www.centuryfarm.oregonfb.org, or by contacting Andréa Kuenzi at 503-400-7884 or cfr@oregonfb.org.

Successful applicants receive a personalized certificate with acknowledgment by the Governor and the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and a durable metal roadside sign to identify the family’s farm or ranch as having historic Century or Sesquicentennial status. Each family will be honored during a special ceremony and reception at the Oregon State Fair on August 29, 2020.

Every Oregon farm and ranch has a unique history and special family story. The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch program encourages agriculture families to share these stories of century-long connections with a broader audience. By promoting family stories, rich cultural heritage is passed down to future generations while educating Oregonians about the social and economic impact of Oregon agriculture. To date, 1,227 families have formally received the Century designation and 46 families have received the Sesquicentennial Award.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program is administered by the Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education. It is supported by a partnership between the Oregon Farm Bureau, the State Historic Preservation Office: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon State University Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives Research Center, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and by generous donations of Oregonians. For information about the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program, contact Andréa Kuenzi Program Coordinator, at 503-400-7884 or cfr@oregonfb.org.

6. Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

birdHappyOwlBrilliant Maps: Nunavut is the Largest Electoral District On Earth

Editorial: Ban on CBD in beer makes sense

Stores Around The State Begin To Prepare For Oregon’s Plastic Bag Ban

In 2020 Climate Science Needs To Hit The Reset Button, Part One

Oregon Humanities Magazine

WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE! Quotation marks are often misused, ‘amusingly’

Pentagon advises troops to not use consumer DNA kits, citing security risks

Military Times | Independent News | Free Subscription

Defense News | Politics, Business & Technology | Free Subscription

The White House Newsletter

 

Sherman County eNews #309

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CONTENTS

  1. Funeral Notice. Eileen Moreau, Jan. 2

  2. Sherman County Court News, Dec. 4

  3. Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society Program, Jan. 11

  4. Replacing the Negative

  5. Gratitude

  6. Sherman County Senior & Community Center January Meal Menu

Christmas.Baby

Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

~Lyrics unattributed; music by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895

1. Funeral Notice. Eileen Moreau, Jan. 2

flower.rose.starEileen Moreau passed away on Wednesday, December 18th in Baker City. Her service will be held on Thursday, January 2nd at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wasco at 10 a.m. followed by a luncheon in the Wasco Parish Hall and burial at the Moro Cemetery.

 

2. Sherman County Court News, Dec. 4

ShermanCoLogoBy Administrative Assistant Tammi Gaskey 541-565-3416

DEQ TMDL Plan, County Mental Health Concerns, South Sherman Fire Chief Introduction & Financial discussion and New Fair Building were the main items on the agenda during the December 4th session of Sherman County Court in Moro.

Emily Freilich, NRCS, presented the John Day River Total Maximum Daily Load Implantation Plan as requested by Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The plan was requested by DEQ due to Sherman County being a designated management agency for the John Day Basin. She explained most of the items in the plan were already being executed, and those that are not, are being implemented. The Department of Environmental Quality required the plan be reviewed yearly and updated every 5 years. Court motioned to approve the Sherman County John Day River Total Maximum Daily Load Implantation Plan as presented, and authorize the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide an annual report, and update the plan every 5 years.

Brad Lohrey, Sheriff, explained the current mental health issues throughout the County and the school. Within the last five years his office had seen an increase in mental health related calls, but in the last year the number of calls to assist with mental health children in crisis at the School had significantly increased. He noted these types of incidents should not be dealt with by the Sheriff’s department; a trained mental health professional is needed.

Wes Owens, Sherman County School Superintendent, stated the School district had been trying to bring a mental health professional to the school, and in 2015 a grant was received for a part-time Mental Health Counselor, full-time Mental Health Therapist, part-time Counselor for the County, a vehicle and supplies. Mid-Columbia Center for Living (CFL) was to provide staff to fill the positions, but to date the positions remained unfilled. He stated the school was in high need of a Mental Health Professional, and better communication from CFL.

Sheriff Lohrey suggested the Court contact Community Counseling Solutions to see if they would be willing to help provide a Mental Health professional. He stated the surrounding counties are using them, and had good reviews. The Court conceded to discuss the issue further with CFL, and do further research on Community Counseling Solutions.

Brandon Hamilton, Interim South Sherman Fire Chief, gave an overview of his professional experience, and described the situation regarding the South Sherman Fire & Rescue District. He explained the District was in dire straits; financially and functionally. They had only two volunteers, though there were two additional volunteers in the works. Financially, the district was in a bind; a four-year grant was awarded in 2016, but the grant had been suspended due to funds issued in 2018 which had not been used for its intended purposes.  Hamilton explained that in order to get the district functional they would need financial assistance. The grant funds could be reinstated, but they would need to rectify the issue by purchasing the item the funds were intended for, and the district was not in a financial position to do so. He requested $60,000 to get the District back in order; $15,000 to reinstate the grant, $15,000 for vehicle repairs, $12,000 for an in-depth audit, and $18,000 for three months’ salary.

Brad Eakin, South Sherman Fire & Rescue Board president, described the struggles the Board had gone through since the previous fire chief resigned. He reiterated the needs of the district, and explained the necessity of employing Hamilton to get them operational again.

Shawn Payne, Emergency Services Director, explained that she and the other fire chiefs were supportive of South Sherman Fire & Rescue getting up and running. The other fire districts had been covering South Sherman, and having the district functional will alleviate the strain to provide coverage.  The Court asked Hamilton to come up with a written plan, and revisit the request in a month.

Bryce Coelsch, Fair Board, gave the Court an update on the proposed new Fair building. He explained that the cost estimate received was significantly higher than anticipated. The initial proposed budget was $3-4 million, and the cost estimate was roughly $5.8 million. Coelsch stated they would be working on other options in order to reduce the cost, and stay as close as possible to the proposed budget.

Actions taken by the Court included:

  • Approved the Order Directing Sale of Real Property, commonly known as 91415 Biggs-Rufus Hwy and 91413 Biggs-Rufus Hwy, Wasco, Oregon 97065.
    • Approved the 2019-20 John Day River Territory (JDRT) funding request in the amount of $4,000.
  • Approved the Community Renewable Energy Association (CREA) membership dues in the amount of $19,500; the SIP agreement amount for the 2019-20 Fiscal Year.
  • Authorized Extension Office Coordinator Sue Mabe to distribute Veggie RX coupons.
  • Reappointed Rick Jauken, for a 3-year term, to the Sherman County Fair Board.
  • Authorized Judge Dabulskis to sign easement agreements.
  • Approved the Minutes of November 6, 2019, as presented.
  • Approved the November 2019 Claims.
  • Approved the October 2019 Revenue/Expenditure Summary.
  • Approved the October 2019 Treasurer’s Report.

Topics of discussion were Fiber Easements, eNews, Commissioner Reports and Old Business.

3. Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society Program, Jan. 11

genealogy2The Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society will meet on January 11, 2020 in the downstairs classroom at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.  This month’s program will be the ” Individual Research Assistance” project. The project consists of members collaborating with other members in solving their research dead ends or brick walls. The project will run both January and February. Members are encouraged to bring their laptops and their research data.  A short business meeting will begin at 10:30 followed by the beginning of our research assistance project. There is no admission charge to the Discovery Center for attending our meetings. A $1.00 donation is appreciated to cover room rental.

4. Replacing the Negative

We have spent the last couple of days becoming aware of the negatives in our thoughts. Are you having trouble getting some of those negative thoughts to go away?

No one, not even the most optimistic person in the world, can think positively all the time. If we pay any attention to the daily news – and that is so easy to do – keeping negative thoughts at bay can be a real challenge. But successful people know how to get rid of their negative thoughts fast when they do appear.

Here’s a productive technique that originated with Matt Oechsli, a therapeutic hypnotist:

First, identify the thought that is bothering you. With most people, it is a fear of something. Is it failure? Rejection? Incompetence? Could it be illness or catastrophe? Being able to put a name to the problem is huge, as it brings it down to a manageable size and gives you a target.

Secondly, interrupt the problem thought by visualizing a candle flame and taking a long, deep breath. You cannot concentrate on two opposing thoughts at the same time, so you will find your fear diminishing, and the deep breathing triggers a relaxation response.

Third, eject it. As you exhale, imagine that you are breathing out the fearful or negative thought. See the candle flame flicker and go out as you blow it away with your breath.

Finally, replace it. Put a positive affirmation in its place, one that creates a replacement picture of what you want to think or feel. Then, repeat that affirmation several times, concentrating on creating a vibrant picture of whatever it is you want.

Remember: Identify, Interrupt, Eject and Replace. It will take some practice at first, but this is a technique that can help you learn how to take charge of your thoughts, and at the same time, you will be taking charge of your life. ~The Pacific Institute

5. Gratitude

ThankYou1“The pace of life can make us blur what is important: We are all very busy. That’s for sure, but somehow we must always make time for gratitude and new beginnings. There are moments in life when you appreciate someone so much that you just want to stop and applaud them. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it,” said William Ward, “is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Is there a teacher, leader, or mentor whose wisdom or guidance may have changed the trajectory of your life? Is there a customer who believed in you, a colleague who stood with you, a volunteer who served with you, an employee who moved mountains for you, or a friend who laughed or cried with you? Sometimes we can’t express exactly how we feel about them, but there’s one thing we can do: We can let them know that we are grateful.”

6. Sherman County Senior & Community Center January Meal Menu

Sherman County Senior & Community Center

Meal Menu

January 2020

We serve lunch at 12:00 noon sharp.  First come, first served.

If you have a group of 2 or more, please let the Kitchen staff know at 541-565-3191 the day before to ensure that we make enough food!

MEAL PRICING: Under 60 Yrs. $7.00 ~~ 60 Yrs. & Up $4.00 suggested donation!

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
  1            2 3
CLOSED Navy Bean & Ham Soup Chicken Pot Pie
FOR Cornbread Veggies
NEW YEARS Veggies, Salad & Fruit Salad Bar & Dessert
6 7 8 9 10
Beef Burritos Oven Fried Chicken Pork Chops Korean Ground Beef Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
Refried Beans Au Gratin Potatoes Mashed Potatoes/Gravy Over Rice Veggies
Veggies, Salad & Dessert Veggies, Salad & Fruit Veggies, Salad & Dessert Veggies, Salad & Fruit Salad Bar & Dessert
13 14 15 16 17
Chicken Corn Chowder Mac & Cheese w/ Bacon Meatloaf Pork Enchiladas Verde Baked Fish
Grilled Cheese Veggies Mashed Potatoes/Gravy Mexican Rice Clam Chowder
Veggies, Salad & Dessert Salad Bar & Fruit Veggies, Salad & Dessert Veggies, Salad & Fruit Veggies, Salad & Dessert
20 21 22 23 24
CLOSED Chicken Teriyaki Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce Ground Beef Stroganoff Hot Ham & Cheese
FOR Rice Garlic Bread Egg Noodles Tater Tots
MLK DAY Veggies, Salad & Fruit Veggies, Salad & Dessert Veggies, Salad & Fruit Veggies, Salad & Dessert
27 28 29 30 31
Taco Salad w/ Beef Chicken Broccoli Quiche Shepherd’s Pie Sweet & Sour Meatballs Fish & Chips
Tortilla Chips Muffins Cheesy Biscuits Chow Mein Veggies
Veggies, Salad & Dessert Veggies, Salad & Fruit Veggies, Salad & Dessert Veggies, Salad & Fruit Salad Bar & Dessert

Menu subject to change due to availability

ATTENTION:  For those who have food allergies, be aware that a large variety of foods are prepared in the kitchen.  Therefore, meals may be prepared with ingredients and food service equipment may come in contact with ingredients to which you may have an allergic reaction, such as nuts.

 

Sherman County eNews #308

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CONTENTS

  1. Monday Coffee Hour at Wasco School Events Center

  2. Effective Public Service Announcements and News Releases

  3. Local History Preserved: Sherman County: For The Record

  4. Expression of Anger

  5. Give Your Family the Gift of Cultural Understanding – Host an Exchange Student

  6. Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

  7. Oregon Capital Insider Index: This week by the numbers

Stille Nacht / Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright,

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child; Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia;

Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born.

Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure Light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at They birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night! Holy night! Wondrous Star, lend thy light,

With the angels let us sing, Alleluia to our King,

Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born.

~Joseph Mohr, 1818; ascribed to Franz Gruber, 1818

1. Monday Coffee Hour at Wasco School Events Center

The Wasco School Events Center hosts Monday morning coffee hour from 10 to 11. Get together with old friends and make some new ones!

2. Editorial. Effective Public Service Announcements and News Releases

computer.keysOur wise friend Steve reminded us that we need to get the news out in Sherman County seven times, seven different ways! Here’s a start…

  1. Submit a short Public Service Announcement (PSA) to radio stations & newspapers. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
  2. Submit a news release, not a flyer, to The Times-Journal, The Dalles Chronicle and The Goldendale Sentinel.
  3. Strategically post flyers to reach the specific audience that visits retail establishments and post offices. Rural mail route residents are not so likely to see these flyers.
  4. Post the details – what, where, when, who, how and why – on the Sherman County Facebook page.
  5. Post the details – what, where, when, who, how and why – on your Facebook page.
  6. Send e-mail notes to family and friends.
  7. Tell and text your family, friends and neighbors… at The Farm Store, after church, at lunch at the senior center.

Good information on writing an effective news release is here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2016/06/13/how-to-write-a-press-release/#105d43b03b93. “If you’re trying to convince the media to publicize your story, or posting this on social media hoping others will share, think of Dale Carnegie and his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.  “First, arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot walks a lonely way.” The process is simple.  Not easy, but simple. The three most important elements are:

  • Write a short, catchy headline.
  • Get to the Point –summarize your subject in the first paragraph.
  • Body – Make it relevant to your audience.”

Continue here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2016/06/13/how-to-write-a-press-release/#105d43b03b93.  You’ll be prepared to get your organization’s news out in January, 2020!

3. Local History Preserved: Sherman County: For The Record

Sherman County: For the Record is a publication of the Sherman County Historical Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing local history.   info@shermanmuseum.org – http://www.shermanmuseum.org

SHERMAN COUNTY: FOR THE RECORD

Contents 1983-2011:  https://www.shermanmuseum.org/products?category=For+The+Record

Contents 2012-2019 (by volume, number and year):

#30-1 2012

Sherman County Journal & Rural Newspapers by McLaren Stinchfield

Memories of a Sherman County Pioneer by J.A. Elder 1928

Navy Experiences, Memories of Easter 1966 by Doug Rhinehart

Harris Canyon Railroad Water Tower Restoration by Jerry Tanquist

Rev. Roy Harvey and Captain Joe Harvey by Joe Harvey

Columbia Southern RR Depot at Wasco by Susan Van Gilder Smith

The Caboose at the Wasco Depot

Pioneer Church Days by Harriet Nish 1927

Rhinehart Family – Coming to Oregon by Doug Rhinehart

The May Family Ranch at Grass Valley (Buckley, Rolfe) by Jean Anderson

Recipes for Margaret O’Meara’s Bridal Shower

The Tale of a Tail End, the Caboose by Les Bowser

#30-2 2012

The Making of an Exhibit: The Sherman County Journal by Sherry Kaseberg

Nina Rhinehart Fleckenstein & Regina Lee Gamble

Nursing School by Nina Rhinehart Fleckenstein

Halloween in Grass Valley by Jean Anderson

The Grass Valley Class of 1942 by Grace Zevely Busse, Emma Jean Eakin Smith & Dorothy Ball Morris

WWII Merchant Marine Experiences of Ted Carlson by Susan R. Smith

Biggs Arch & Oregon Geographic Names Board by Sherry Kaseberg

Stewart, Ball, Falk & Vannice Families by Richard L. Stewart

Old Barns in Sherman County by Carol MacKenzie

William Raymond by Susan R. Smith

#31-1 2013

Lt. Commander Gordon D. Helyer, U. S. Navy by Pat (Goodwin) Helyer

Doc Sanders, Veterinarian by Chris Sanders

Wasco Incorporated, 1898 from the Sherman County Journal 1951

Wasco, 1898 ~ The Dalles Times-Mountaineer

Grant – Our First Town by Sherry Kaseberg

A Mysterious Death at Grant by Mark Fields, Sherry Kaseberg & Chris Sanders

Old Time News: The People’s Republic, 1898 – 1899 compiled by Chris Sanders

Memorial Contributions by Christy Brown 

#31-2 2013

Early Pioneer Life Told by Frank Fulton by Aldruda Beletski

World War II Veterans Historic Highway by Dick Tobiason

Old Time News: Sherman County Observer, 1917 compiled by Chris Sanders

Sherman County Journal – 100 Years by Frederick K. Cramer

William & Harriet Graham compiled by Sherry Kaseberg

Catholic Churches in Sherman County by Bob Odell

Kent Baptist Church by J.R. Keeney

Miss Nora, Be Studious contributed by Joe Morrow

Holmes: Down East & Out West by Lauchie McMullin

Memorial Contributions by Christy Brown

#32-1 2014

The Adobe Point Kid, Part One by Harold Brown

History of Wasco School by C.A. Hockett

Zola, a Dream of a Town by Sherry Kaseberg

County Seat: Kenneth, Moro or Wasco? by Sherry Kaseberg

Moro 1898 from The Dalles Times-Mountaineer compiled by Chris Sanders

Dear Nora, Remember Me contributed by Joe Morrow (autograph album)

O’Sullivan by Dwight Scheer

Memorial Contributions by Christy Macnab

#32-2 2014

Fifty Years Ago: The December1964 Flood by Kathy McCullough and Julie Reynolds

Oregon’s Top 10 1900s Weather Events

An Aerial Survey by The Oregonian

The Slaughterhouse Gulch Project: Reducing Soil Erosion by Sandy Macnab

Roads, Bridges and the Railroad by Dewey Thomas with Mark Fields

Analysis and Abandonment from Rails to the Mid-Columbia Wheatlands

Sherman County Roads from Minutes of the County Court

A Favorite Christmas by Nell Coats Melzer

Girls are More Precious Than Trucks by Nancy Henrichs Simpson

A Watershed Event by Dean Ruggles

Terrible Erosion & Washed Out Bridges by John Hilderbrand with Mark Fields

A Sad Christmas by Roy Fanning

Hell, High Water and a Memorable Christmas by Christie Welk

Digging Out and Mopping Up by Larry Kaseberg

New Bridges Don’t Collapse by Sherry Woods Kaseberg

In the Care of Friends by Grace Zevely Busse

An Emergency Landing by Vada DeMoss

Muddy Boots & a Baby Shower by Rex Brown

The Adobe Point Kid: Part Two by Harold E. Brown

Memorial Contributions compiled by Christy Macnab. 

#33-1   2015

Power & Light on the Farm by Mark Fields & Chris Sanders

Model Sherman County Home from Sherman County Observer

Onion Syrup, Whiskey & Vaseline with Sugar by Frances Rolfe Mathews

Waterproofing the Kids by Forest Peters

Red Cross Water Safety Program: Part One by Sherry Kaseberg & Chris Sanders

The Adobe Point Kid, Part Three by Harold Brown

Memorial Contributions compiled by Christy Macnab

#33-2   2015

Young Athletes Branded With Range Marks of Ancestors, Other Stockmen

Growing Up in Grass Valley by Robert Ziegler

New Guinea, Philippines & Japan by Robert Ziegler

Hotel Sherman by Chris Sanders & Mark Fields

Kent Light Plant

James Hartley by Jean Zevely Anderson

The Adobe Point Kid: Part Four by Harold Eugene Brown

Red Cross Water Safety Program, Part Two by Sherry Kaseberg with Sheri Carlson, Cathie Martin & Fern Wilcox

Memorial Gifts compiled by Christy Macnab

#34-1 2016

Charlotte Ruggles Barnett by Terri Bibby

John Conroy by Anna Joyce

John & Julia Joyce and Family by Anna Joyce

Roy Powell Hauls Boiler to Railroad Builders by Jean Reckmann

Moro High School Optimist 1920

Henry Barnum on Raising Pigs, Sherman County Observer

Building a Grain Elevator at Grass Valley by Robert Ziegler

Stark Realities: The Gym at Kent by Mark Watson

Memorial Gifts

Photo of Baseball Team 1904

#34-2 2016 – No Publication

#35-1 2017

Three Ladies from Kent Celebrate 95th Birthdays:

Mary Fields by Terri Bibby

Anita Hooper by Keith Mobley

Eilene Eslinger by Eilene Eslinger & Leta Ann Reckmann

Patricia French Moore: Ink on Her Hands by Amber Tilton and Sherry Kaseberg

Memories of Ruby Petteys by Jean Zevely Anderson

Teaching School in Grass Valley by Dorothy Coyle Blagg

The Root Family by Robert F. Root

Miller Island: An Unexpected Chapter Part One by Sherry Woods Kaseberg

Wasco Auto Show Photos

#35-2 2017

Barnstormers: Let’s Put on a Play by Forest Peters

Mattie’s Hump & Dinty’s Café: “Eat, Sleep and Get Gas With Us” by Sherry Kaseberg with Teri Sanderson

History of the Sherman Seniors (1967) by Jane Macnab and Lois Kaseberg

Miller Island: An Unexpected Chapter Part Two by Sherry Woods Kaseberg

Memorial Gifts & Honorariums

Correction

Photo: Grass Valley Kindergarten 1954-55.

Photo: Moro Grade School 1st & 2nd Grades, 1956-57

#36-1 2018 Spring/Fall (no #36-2)

John Day Dam & Sherman County During the Construction Years by Gladys Wesley

Tracy and Jeanne Bird by Peggy Bird Allen

Interview of Charles and Norma Brown by Cindy Kaseberg Brown

The Dam Days of Wasco by Linda Macnab Krafsic

John Day Dam Dedication September 28, 1968 by Shirley Watkins Blaylock

Living in Sherman County During the 1960s by Nancy Grogan Bailey

Early, Oregon Inundated by John Day Dam Pool by George Fox, Sr. 1969

City Mouse, Country Mouse by Jennifer Macnab

Memorial gifts and Honorariums

#37-1 Spring/Summer 2019

Fire Destroys Elevator: Farmers Elevator Company Has Large Fire Loss at Moro

Kaseberg Cousins: The Journey from Germany to Oregon, an Oregon Trail Story by Augusta Kaseberg Copeland, Alice Kaseberg and Sherry Kaseberg

Township & Range System

The Morse Family, Mt. Hood Climb, the Columbia Southern Railroad Survey, and a Photograph by Alice Kaseberg

Helen White Bruckert by Sherry Woods Kaseberg

Grass Valley High School Class of 1942 by Grace M. Zevely Busse

Early Days Recalled by Former County Resident by W.E. Parry

James O. Elrod and Lawrence K. Moore by Gladys Wesley

A Crop Year’s Cycle Described by Sherman County Poet Farmer by H.B. Belshee

Memorial Gifts and Honorariums

Photo of Moro Main Street.

#37-2 2019

Sherman High School Foreign Exchange Students:

Simo Juhani Raula 1964-1965 by Simo Raula

Penthip “Penny” Saeheng Chitchumnong 1965-1966 by Penny Chitchumnong

Paul Patrick Murphy, 1979-1980 by Paul Murphy

Alba Patricia “Patty” Sanchez by 1986-1987 by Deanna Padget

Else Bach Rasmusssen 1994-1995 by Else Rasmussen

Sherman County Courthouse Facility Project History by Ron McDermid

Public Art: Itinerant Sign Painters and Artists by Sherry Kaseberg

Memorial Gifts

4. Expression of Anger

Driving in to work today, it was probably easy to notice that there are a lot of angry people out there. Angry adults, unfortunately, provide angry role models for the children in their lives. All of us, not just parents and grandparents, should be concerned about teaching our children to deal with anger in nonviolent ways.

Violence, which can be defined as intense anger, expressed in a way that hurts others, is something no parent wants their children to experience. Yet, it can be difficult to know what to do about it, when examples of it are so easily accessible on television, in the movies, and all over social media.

Parents may say, “Don’t feel this way,” or “Don’t behave this way,” to their kids, but it has little or no effect. What does work? First, teach your kids to differentiate between violent feelings, which everyone has from time to time, and violent behavior, which should not be condoned or tolerated.

Then, set a good example. Children imitate and learn from what they see. This doesn’t mean that you don’t fly off the handle once in a while, but it does mean that most of the time you keep your temper under control. Parents also want to set firm limits on physical expressions of hostility and violence. Over time, this helps kids develop their own internal system of self-control.

At the same time, you want to give your kids safe outlets for expressing hostile or angry feelings. Help them tell you what they are feeling in words, or say something like, “I know you are really mad at your brother right now and feel like you might want to hit him. I can’t let you do that. That is not right. How can we channel that negative energy into something more productive?”

Then, bring the child into the decision-making process (in an age-appropriate manner), to find positive ways to channel those feelings. You are helping them develop their own replacement picture for a positive end result – a skill that will prove invaluable throughout their lives. And, by turning a “have to” into a “want to,” you both will have greater success in changing destructive behavior patterns that can follow the child into adulthood. ~The Pacific Institute

5. Give Your Family the Gift of Cultural Understanding – Host an Exchange Student

world.globe.map
Give the ultimate gift of cultural understanding by hosting a foreign exchange student this upcoming year!  ASSE International Student Exchange, a public benefit organization, is seeking local host families for high school students from over 30 countries: Spain, Germany, Thailand, Denmark, Portugal, South Korea, Italy, France, The former Soviet Union Countries, Norway and more!

Couples, single parents, and families with & without children in the home are all encouraged to host!  You can choose to host a student for a semester or for the school year.

Each ASSE student is fully insured, brings his/her own personal spending money and expects to contribute to his/her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles.

Imagine the world of peace and greater understanding. Imagine yourself as part of the solution! Today’s teens are tomorrow’s parents, international business people and possibly even future political leaders!  Share your corner of America by helping a foreign exchange student experience life in your area!

Local area representatives are also needed to recruit and screen both potential host families and potential U.S. students interested in studying abroad. Representatives supervise the exchange students living in their community, organize activities with the students throughout the year and provide support to host families, students and schools. Area representatives receive a stipend for each student placed and supervised.

For more information, call (800) 733-2773, go online at www.ASSEhosts.com or email asseusawest@asse.com

6. Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

Oregon Online Historical Newspapers

RSVP Etiquette for Guests and Hosts: The Newest Manners for This Fading Art

Sherry’s Sherman County History Collection

What the Two Best Holiday Ads of 2019 Have in Common

Merkley, Wyden tout spending bill items to benefit Oregon

State foster care consultants wrap up $3.5 million contract

In a Politically Polarized Era, Sharp Divides in Both Partisan Coalitions

Christianity Today: Trump Should Be Removed from Office

Will there be enough electricity after coal plants shut down?

Pacific Northwest Volcano Forecast To Erupt Within 4 Years

Unaffiliated Voters

BLM argues against revoking Hammonds’ grazing permits 

7. Oregon Capital Insider Index: This week by the numbers

ORStateFlagCreated: 19 December 2019 | Written by Oregon Capital Insider

Here are 10 numbers that illustrate some of this week’s big, and small, Oregon news stories.

20: The number of feet cars must park away from an intersection under Oregon law. But state law gives cities leeway. Pedestrian advocates are lobbying the Portland City Council to line up with state law, according to Willamette Week.

2: Proposed ballot measures Secretary of State Bev Clarno rejected Thursday, according to environmental coalition Renew Oregon. Each would have required Oregon to ditch electricity sources that emit carbon in 25 years. 

108: Pages of an investigative report released Thursday finding that a Washington state representative, Matt Shea, helped plan and promote the 2016 armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Eastern Oregon, according to OPB. 

4: Oregon representatives — all Democrats — who voted in favor of both articles of impeachment Wednesday, according to The Oregonian. The lone “no” in Oregon’s U.S. House delegation was Republican Greg Walden.

0: CBD-infused alcohol that Oregonians will be able to buy starting Jan. 1. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission adopted a ban on beer and liquor infused with the non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, per OPB.

$35,000,000: Federal money allocated by Congress for new irrigation pipes in Central Oregon, according to OPB.

1975: Year Lori Gregory (then Lori Hitt) graduated from Forest Grove High School. Forty-four years later, a stranger found her class ring in her garden and returned it to Gregory, according to The Oregonian. 

4-8: Inches of rain coastal areas of the Northwest can expect to receive through Saturday, according to CNN. 

$11,500: Amount state regulators are fining the Oregon School for the Deaf for hazardous waste violations, according to The Statesman-Journal.

22: Containers of unused pesticides and chemicals regulators found at the school in a storage shed, the Statesman-Journal reports.

 

Sherman County eNews Special Edition H

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Sherman County eNews Special Edition H

Ask!

People give to non-profit organizations because they:

  • are asked (the #1 reason!)
  • believe in the cause
  • experience peer pressure or guilt
  • believe it’s good for their business
  • want to give back for services received
  • feel good about it
  • receive status & ego
  • receive a tax deduction
  • want to build community
  • like to have fun at fundraising events
  • want to change the world
  • want to make a difference.

Notes from the book, Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership, by P. Burke Keegan… by chapter…

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #1

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan

Why Non-profits?

  • Non-profit organizations exist to meet a need or solve a problem that exists outside of them. Some problems are everyone’s problem; some needs are those we all share. Think St. Vincent de Paul Society.
  • Need comes first.
  • Services and programs follow identification of the need. Think food bank, child care, museums.
  • What does your non-profit offer to meet the community’s needs?
  • What will happen for what people at what cost?
  • Where will the money come from?
  • Who do you need to help you?
  • How do you want to grow over the coming years?
  • Until your BUSINESS PLAN is in place, your organization is not ready for fundraising.

The Non-profit as a Business

  • In the for profit world, the business plan is the blueprint for production and sales.
  • In the non-profit world, services are more difficult to quantify. Think Theater Group buying wood, paint, costume fabric.
  • Quantifying hidden costs requires diligent efforts… the cost-equivalent of those who bring refreshments, use their own telephones, materials and tools.
  • Having a business plan means knowing what your services cost, including staff time, materials used, rent, utilities, accounting. What does it cost to serve each client, produce each concert, cook each meal.

Donors are becoming more sophisticated and want to see that you’re watching the balance sheet as well as the program!

Looking into the future:

  • Having a business plan means taking the time to figure out where you are going and how you will get there.
  • Know your costs. Count the cost of fundraising.
  • What will the need look like in five years, ten years?
  • Finding time to plan is always a struggle.
  • Good, realistic planning is the MOST IMPORTANT GIFT you can give your organization!

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #2

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

  1. Do you believe that fundraising is something like begging?
  2. Beggars ask another person to do something and the other person gets nothing in return.

Fundraising is very different!

  • What we are raising money for is something of value.
  • The something of value is your program.
  • Asking people for money for your program is, in fact, inviting them to be your organization’s partner in making something of value happen.
  • They are busy making a living, going to work, driving their children to music lessons. But do not presume that they do not care about the work of your organization.
  • You invite them to write a check, giving them an opportunity to feel as good as you do about the program.

Non-profits and the Corporate Sector.

  • Of course, non-profit organizations are businesses. They make up more than 8% of the national product. They buy computers, housing, paper and cars. They employ people.
  • For profit businesses do not exist to give away money. They exist to make money. See Tom Peters’ book, In Search of Excellence.
  • Start running your organization as though it were a business.
  • Find creative ways to expose your organization to the community as a business. Join the Chamber of Commerce. Serve on civic committees. Image is important here.
  • Involve other business people in the governing of your organization. Not all business people, or all-anything on your board, but a diverse, rich-in-experience board.
  • Consider asking business people to help develop your budget, plan fundraising campaigns, audit your books.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

Who do you serve?

  • Make a list of those you serve, whose lives are affected because you exist, your audience, clients, all kinds of folks who benefit from your work.

Who Needs the Arts?

  • Arts organizations typically focus on their audience as the primary group served.
  • What about needs met by the folks making money on the hall rental, the performers, artists, the Board members?
  • The graying of the audience… people who attend live performances and visit museums tend to be older, and younger people are not taking their places. Older people tend to have money to spend on performances.
  • Without music, math has little purpose.
  • Whose job is it, as school budgets are cut, leaving out arts and music and other enrichment programs, to educate young people to appreciate and understand the arts? Whose job is it to draw in the curious, undereducated young adults?
  • Ultimately this problem will fall on the empty museums and concert halls.
  • It’s in everyone’s best interest to challenge the arts to replace their vision with a broader one, to look way beyond their audience to the greater community.
  • If the organization is a 501(c)(3), their tax exempt status means that they have a responsibility to the community in which they live.

A Word about Free Social Welfare Programs

  • Working in the social services means that you must focus on what is right in front of you, your clients.
  • And… stand back and look out to the larger community beyond them in search of partnerships.
  • Do you provide free services to the indigent? Are your programs free of charge?
  • If so, think about the message you are giving to your clients, donors and the community.  Giving others the opportunity to write a check and become a partner is the real heart and soul of fundraising. People with money can be proud and take joy in helping others.
  • PARTNERSHIPS.

Beyond the Board: Inviting Community Input

  • Look to the community for partnerships, good-hearted volunteers who want to help your organization.
  • New blood opens your organization to the community. Recruitment of volunteers with energy and commitment takes a tremendous amount of energy.
  • The status quo, keeping board members forever, has a few problems: old age and death, burn-out before old age and death, difficulty in finding new donors when your askers never change, your organization becomes identified with a particular “circle,” and board members fall into a predictable routine.

Old board members and founders have valuable experience and donor connections. Strive for a balanced board that is representative of your community.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #4

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

How Foundations Fit into Your Fundraising Picture

  • The best thing for your organization is to have thousands of hands holding it up! Not one or two foundations or benefactors.
  • Going to foundations for money makes sense if:
    • You want to start up a new program
    • You have a new project you are itching to launch
    • You need technical assistance money to hire an expert to help you take the next big step.
  • Foundation grants by themselves do not make you stable.

Where do Corporations Belong in Your Strategy?

  • Corporations are part of the community and may be open to partnerships.
  • Corporate motives to support your organization may include smart advertising, name recognition, and genuine community good will.
  • Corporate executives are accountable to their stockholders.

Attitudes about Government Money

  • Untold numbers of non-profits believe they are entitled to government support, and a good argument could be made for this case.
  • Counting on government funding is the most foolish thing a non-profit can do! Ask the libraries and public schools!
  • If you think you are entitled to government funding, get over it.
  • Governmental support for non-profits is:
    • Quirky, shifting with political breezes
    • So full of strings!
    • Expensive. Reporting requirements are ridiculously bureaucratic and time-consuming.
    • Hard to get.
    • Political.

The only really reliable source of funds for non-profits is the COMMUNITY!

  • If people write checks to your organization, thank them, communicate with them… they will stay with you!

They will thank you for the good work you are doing!

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #5

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

So what is fundraising, anyway?

  • Terrifying!
  • Necessary.
  • Fun?
  • Mysterious.
  • Something like begging? No.  Beneath me? No.

Start by thinking about why the work of your organization is of value to your community.

  • What about your program makes you feel good?
  • Recognize that the work you are doing is something of value.
  • If you have trouble identifying that value, fundraising will be difficult, if not impossible.
  • An equation: The good things that are happening for people are equal to the money that makes those good things happen.
  • Fundraising is NOTHING like begging!
  • Fundraising gives others the opportunity to give something of value to make something of value happen.
  • As soon as your organization decides that fundraising will not work, they are absolutely correct. It will not work.
  • Back up and take another look. Without commitment, no strategy will work. When there’s commitment, there’s no strategy that won’t work.

Ownership.

  • The work we do comes from the community, so good community-based fundraising means going out to the community and giving people the opportunity to write a check to meet their own need, solve a problem or provide a needed service.
  • Ownership is a big, important word in fundraising. The feeling you get when you write a check for a non-profit and read about it in the newspaper… ownership, connectedness, invested.
  • Stay focused on the fact that you raise money for people… not projects. What people? What services for the people?
  • People give to people … when asked.

Crisis.

  • Most non-profits exist hand-to-mouth. Enough money to get by the next __ months.
  • Non-profit does not mean NO profit. It means that individuals in your organization may not profit from your organization’s work.
  • Fundraising from a crisis mentality isn’t a good argument, makes you look flaky. The only crisis you may take out to the community when you are asking for money is the crisis that would affect the community and the people you serve if you did not exist.

Walls.

  • Wall of time… enough time to do events, enough money for postage, enough volunteers to do the work. Over and over each year.
  • Wall of fear of fundraising. Rejection. Courage.
  • Potential donors are rejected because we don’t want to ruin friendships, or ask our friends, clients or volunteers, or ask those who we think don’t have money to

The ASK.

  • Call to make an appointment. Do your homework, know what you want to ask and why.
  • Tell the truth in your relationship with the donor. Be an open book.  Absolutely honest.
  • All non-profits exist to serve the common good. The community will be more inclined to be involved, donating money and time, if they are welcomed into the process.

Fundraising brochures.

  • Just enough words to make the reader want to know more.
  • Accompany the asker on a face-to-face ask, or it goes in a letter that requests money.
  • Must be beautiful and readable, too good to throw away.
  • Must be proofread by at least three people. Read it backwards, word by word.

A good fundraising brochure DOES include:

  • Great photos
  • Lots of white space
  • Opportunities for the donor
  • Your organization’s address and phone number
  • Soothing, warm colors
  • A brief explanation of how the money is used and what your organization does to enrich the world
  • Up-beat, readable phrases with bullets or very short sentences.

A good fundraising brochure does NOT:

  • Resemble a thesis.
  • Contain a complete history of your organization.
  • Contain irrelevant photos and miniscule type, impossible to open, read or understand.
  • Contain inserts that fall out when you open it.
  • Include a coupon for the prospect to clip and send in.
  • Ask for money.
  • Focus on more than three ways to give.

Focus on Fundraising Priorities.

  • Focus on the donor
  • Focus on why a particular fundraising activity is happening, then make sure it happens
  • “What do we want to have happen here?” Make a list.
  • “How much money do we want to raise? How little can we tolerate making?”
  • What media is best suited to our purposes?
  • What is the minimum gift we consider major? How will we honor those givers?
  • Focus on the goals. Write them down. Put them where you will see them every day.
  • Do not get distracted by frustrated board members, needy volunteers.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #6

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

The Myths of Competition

  • In non-profit arts organizations there is fierce competition for audience… competing with each other and with VCRs, sporting events, movies and school functions.
  • In non-profit social services organizations, there is enough need to keep everyone busy. It’s imperative that social services keep track of their community’s needs and work together to split up the pie and share resources.

The Myth of the Fixed Pot

  • Looking for a pot of money?
  • The myth that there is just so much to go around has left non-profits to fight each other.
  • There are so many non-profits out there asking. How can we compete?
  • The pot is not fixed. 40% of people feel they do not give enough. The reason? They are not asked.

Donors

  • People who give to non-profits generally have a variety of issues they care about. Very few give to just one issue.
  • The reasons donors stop giving to a non-profit is that they lose their shirts in the stock market, lose confidence in the non-profit’s ability to do what it did when they first invested, or they are not appreciated.
  • You must keep doing what you do… better and better! Thank your donors! If you don’t, they will go away.

There is plenty of room for excellence in fundraising.

  • Yes, it is incredibly hard, time-consuming and scary… and it will succeed directly in proportion to the seriousness of the commitment of the organization’s Board, staff and volunteers!
  • Folks who offer to get involved but refuse to take action will be of moderate service to your organization.
  • When you hear, “I’ll try” from your board colleagues, keep in mind that the words, “I’ll try” do not belong in fundraising.
  • Do it or don’t.

Why people give:

  1. Belief in the cause
  2. Peer pressure
  3. Good for business
  4. To give back for services received
  5. To change the world
  6. Fun to come to an event
  7. Status, ego
  8. Recognition
  9. Feels good
  10. Tax deduction
  11. To build community
  12. Guilt
  13. To make a difference.
  14. And the list goes on.. and all of these motives are valid.

AND, the most important motive?

  • I was asked!
  • The right person has to ASK the right person for the right amount at the right time.
  • That’s all there is. Special events, direct mail, membership drives… all window dressing.

The ASK is the heart of fundraising!

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #7

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

What do people want in return for their gift?

  1. First and foremost, they want their need to contribute met.
  2. The sense that their gift made a difference, knowing what their money will do.
  3. Ongoing involvement, communication, thank you letter, recognition, participation.

Whose job is it?

  • Fundraising cannot be done by one person, no matter who that person is. One person can be in charge, organizing and motivating others.
  • Ideal staffing for non-profit fundraising is, quite simply, EVERYONE! Board, staff and community volunteers.
  • The ideal situation is called “AGREEMENT TO FUNDRAISE” … everyone commits to doing their part.
  • The Fundraising Plan is drafted by the person with the most experience in fundraising, it is hashed out with staff, refined and presented to the board.
  • It is the Board’s opportunity to find, one by one, where they fit in the Plan, and roll up their sleeves for the task.

Making Your Case. Attracting Donors.

  • Learn how to talk about the work you do in human terms…. As compared to the writing done for grants and agency reporting, something like, “March was an exciting month for us…  …”
  • Not just your mission and goals.
  • It must come from your heart and leave the listener or reader with a vivid picture of how you are affecting lives of the people in your community.
  • Writing a descriptive case statement helps you explain what your organization does for people, how you change lives, what difference you are making in the community, why people are involved, who they bring with them.
  • Tell your story!

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #8

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

How to use direct mail to build a community base.

  • Make a great list.
  • Do NOT use the phone book or lists of people who bought BMWs last year.
  • Share lists with an organization with a donor or membership list likely to be sympathetic with your issues/programs.

A great list:

  1. You have reason to believe that the people on the list might like to know what you are doing, care about your cause or issue, and might be moved to give money.
  2. The list does not contain too many present donors or expired addresses.

THE PACKAGE.

  • A great letter.
  • A response device so donors can tell you about themselves and indicate the size of their gift.
  • A return envelope for the check or pledge.
  • And… in addition, a brochure, news clippings.

THE LETTER:

  1. Short and sweet.. people are busy. Get to the point. Say what you want.
  2. What you want is money… a check or a pledge. Say the amount. “Your $25 will …….”
  3. Do not take an organizational crisis out into the community. If you cannot meet payroll, you should not be attempting direct mail in the first place.  Don’t hide your crisis, or lie about it, but donors deserve the truth. Donors making an investment in your organization have heard pleas for help too many times, wondering why you are cutting it so close, whether you know how to manage money, and why you can’t run your organization like a business.

THE RESPONSE DEVICE:

  1. Make it simple.
  2. Name, address. Space to fill in with optional information.
  3. Suggested amounts with boxes to check off.

RETURN ENVELOPE:

  1. Pay the postage for donors.
  2. The expensive way is to put a first class stamp on every envelope.
  3. Less expensive is to secure a Business Reply Permit and you will pay only for envelopes returned… but each piece will cost more than the first class stamp.
  4. A nice touch… ask the donor to add a stamp and save your organization the ___ cents.
  5. An example… a letter with the top left corner chopped or torn off… the first line reading, “We’ve cut every corner we can, and now we’re coming to you.”  This approach, however, does take a crisis to the public.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #9

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

How to conduct a membership / fundraising drive.

  • A volunteer-intensive effort to reach potential donors through direct personal contact.
  • Not a direct mail campaign, not a phonathon.
  • Volunteers will solicit their friends, families and co-workers in person.
  • Face-to-face solicitation is the most effective way to raise money.
  • It is also the cheapest.

Setting your goal.

  • Can you name 100 people who can raise $100 each?
  • Ten people who can raise $500 each?
  • Judge your capabilities realistically.

Meeting your goal.

  • Fundraising drives may last up to six weeks, or be as short as 48 hours.
  • Everyone will complain that they didn’t have enough time.
  • 60% of the money will come in during the last few minutes of the campaign.
  • Volunteers can meet their goal any way they want… soliciting co-workers, calling friends, writing notes to acquaintances.

Recruiting and training fundraising volunteers.

  • Identify volunteers who will follow through.
  • They must know everything that is expected of them. Be realistic.
  • The more realistic you can be with your expectations, the more likely they will be to bow out if it is not for them or sign on with full knowledge of what they will need to do.
  • Write a job description … what you want the volunteer to do!

Job description for the fundraising volunteer:

  1. Write a check. It is very difficult to ask someone to do something that you yourself are not willing to do. The first dollar commitments should come from your fundraising volunteers… your board, members, other volunteers.
  2. Meet their goal. Everyone has to commit to the goal.
  3. Get trained. This is not negotiable. Give each fundraising volunteer a packet of information, brainstorm about who they will ask and give them an easy-to-remember description of what your organization does and why.
  4. Understand and use the packet of information. Financial statements, brochures, membership applications, copies of news clippings, list of Board members, a brief history… anything relevant that will help them answer questions.
  5. Attend. Launch your campaign with a kick-off party. Celebrate with a victory party.

Publicizing your fundraising drive.

  • Public service announcements and news releases are never done to bring in donors.
  • People raise money.

PR for your campaign keeps the volunteers excited and reminds them that they are involved in a wonderful activity!

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #10

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

A few notes on

Special Events

  • A need for celebration, affirmation and just silly fun in our oh-so-serious lives!
  • Done right, special events are a lot of fun!
  • It can be your gift to the community, a time to put aside everyday matters, to show support
  1. Review your fundraising plan!
  2. What place to events have in your plan?
  3. Maximum, 2 events per year.
  4. Know exactly why you are doing the event, set clear goals, choose your event and get help.
  5. Rule of thumb: be able to name 50% of your guests, have a good community base and an indication of broad-based interest and support.
  6. Do you really have agreement to do the event? Is this a Board event, not a staff event? Is the Board 100% committed to doing it. Each having agreed to take a major chunk of the work, to be available  for x hours for x weeks?  Is the Board going to bring their friends, spend money appropriately?
  7. Do you have enough enthusiastic core volunteers?
  8. Do you have the money to meet pre-event expenses?

Choose your event:

  • House Social
  • Public Party
  • Theme/Extravaganza

Budget!

  • Realistic, even generous.
  • The cost of EVERYTHING, even if you are working on sponsorships.
  • Include all the details that you can predict: insurance, extra hires, invitations, hall rental, staff costs.
  • Set revenue goals that will stretch but not dismay your volunteers.
  • Make sure everyone agrees on the general budget bottom line, knowing that line items may change.

Choose a team…

  • One person in charge of the event who knows, but does not do, everything.
  • To be named chairperson of this event is an honor, a prize. If you have to beg, you are asking the wrong person.
  • Look at the tasks, write job descriptions for each one, include deadlines, lines of communication, expectations, limitations and rules.
  • Be very clear about what you want your team to do.
  • Honor your volunteers for their successes… loud and clear!

Underwriting and sponsorship:

  • You should have a cash sponsorship program so businesses, corporations, interest groups and individuals can give you money in return for mention in or during your program. This is your absolute best way to make money on an event.
  • Underwriting is a fancy way to describe a cash gift that is earmarked to fund one piece of your event…. Printing, transportation, sound system, musicians, etc.
  • Name early sponsors and underwriters on the invitation.
  • Spend money on a post-event display ad in the paper recognizing donors.

Selling tickets.

  • Advertising does not sell tickets. Great ideas do not sell tickets. ONLY PEOPLE SELL TICKETS!
  • Encourage every Board member, volunteer and staff person to invite a group of friends who will sit at their table and participate together in some way.
  • Everyone in your organization, EVERYONE, is expected to sell tickets.

Donors.

  • Write a really good thank you letter.
  • Thank donors as graciously and as specifically as you solicited them. Use some humor, a light touch.
  • Ask your entire organizational family to support the businesses which supported you!

Evaluation.

  • How much money did we make?
  • How did we make it? Why?
  • What worked? What didn’t?
  • Evaluate the event right away… do the numbers, take stock. Your record keeping has to be impeccable.

Ask yourselves:

  1. Who supported our event?
  2. Who bought tickets? Who actually came?
  3. Did we meet our attendance and income goals?
  4. How well was our event organized? Did our organizational structure work?
  5. Who actually did the work?
  6. How much did the event cost?
  7. How much did it cost if staff/volunteer time is factored in?
  8. What went right with each part of our event? What went wrong?
  9. Was it worth it?

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #11

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

How to work with the Media:

  • Submit news stories, regular press releases and Public Service Announcements [PSAs] in the proper format to announce all the great things you are doing.
  • Invite media personnel to serve on your board or chair the PR committee for a year. Give them a chance to help out with your event or program… cook the pancakes, ride along with Meals on Wheels.
  • Write your own feature stories … complete with great black and white photographs and offer them to weekly newspapers looking for stories as fillers.
  • Develop your own news release list: print, radio and cable.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #12

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan. [This book is one of many offered at no cost to Ford Institute Leadership Program participants!] 

Working with Volunteers.

  • More than one in four people over the age of 13 volunteer.
  • More than 70% are willing to volunteer.
  • Volunteers in programs and fundraising keep organizations cost-effective and alive!
  • 1/3 of your volunteers are leaders and will take initiative and get things done.
  • 1/3 are good followers and will carry on very well, given good leadership.
  • 1/3 are flakes  and will never follow through no matter what.
  • Honor your volunteers for their accomplishments, and by having your act together in terms of planning, materials and leadership.

Find your volunteers!

  • Decide what you want volunteers to do.
  • Recruit among your board, staff and current volunteers, then broaden your approach.
  • Advertise in the classifieds, get the word out.

Use them well!

  • Offer a gracious, sincere interest in your volunteers.
  • Provide a full job description – exactly what the task is, when it must be done, budget and lines of authority – and appropriate training.
  • Share your expectations honestly.
  • Offer a volunteer packet… a bunch of stuff they will need… event/campaign/activity description, timeline, letter of introduction to prospective donors, job description, committee/board lists, organization brochure… and a hearty thank you.
  • Have you chosen volunteers who already know how to throw a great party, speak in front of groups or write great letters?
  • Does everyone have a job description?
  • Do they know how their jobs fit in the big picture?
  • Have they agreed to do that job?
  • Is there  a clear beginning, middle and end?
  • Do you have all the information you need from the volunteer… and for the volunteer?
  • Are there clear lines of authority?
  • How will you honor your volunteers?

You may, indeed, have to fire one of them!

  • In fact, you must fire them if they are not doing their job!
  • It’s about raising money for your valuable work to carry on… not about abandoning professionalism because someone’s feelings might get hurt.
  • First try to find out what’s wrong… what information might fix the problem, set some mini-deadlines for the volunteer to meet and check with him/her often to see how it’s going.
  • If it’s still not working out,  thank them for their effort and gently but clearly take the task away and give it to someone else. The volunteer is likely to be relieved rather than angry.
  • People like to belong to a group in which everyone pulls his or her own weight, with an activity that is exciting and moving in the right direction and where everyone feels utterly appreciated. This won’t happen if some folks work and others are let off the hook for whatever reason. You compromise the integrity of the group, and once that happens you’ll see the fabric of commitment and energy start to unravel.

The Famous Six Steps of a Project!

  1. Enthusiasm
  2. Disillusionment
  3. Panic
  4. Search for the guilty
  5. Punishment of the innocent
  6. Praise and honors for the nonparticipants.

Thank them!

  • Reward your three types of volunteers accordingly …
    • 1/3 of your volunteers are leaders and will take initiative and get things done.
    • 1/3 are good followers and will carry on very well, given good leadership.
    • 1/3 are flakes  and will never follow through no matter what.
  • Leaders. In addition to warm formal and informal letters, mementos and public kudos… thank your leader volunteers personally… at a board meeting, annual meeting or an open house. Write feature stories for the local newspaper. Do something special! Ask your leaders to join the Board. It’s always a compliment to be offered a bigger job with more responsibility.
  • Followers. Most are reliable worker bees, the ones who pick up the flowers, assemble activity materials, and go with someone to ask for money. They deserve to be thanked and rewarded for the work they do, right along with their leaders.
  • Deadwood. Thank them with a letter for offering to help. Do not credit them with any activity for which they volunteered but did not work. Add their name to the list: People Never to be Trusted with Responsibility Again.

Volunteer recognition parties.

  1. Formal or informal, a gathering or luncheon.
  2. ALWAYS WRITE THANK YOU NOTES (hand-written, personal… as well as formal letters from the Board) to your volunteers.
  3. Always thank them publicly… in your newsletter or display ad in the local paper.

Give them a small memento to remind them of your organization and appreciation.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #13

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

Working with Foundations.

  • A foundation is a tax exempt organization set up to give money away.
  • The foundation develops criteria for giving it away.
  • You can learn all about foundations at your local library.
  • [Sherman County Public/School Library and the Commission on Children and Families have copies of the Oregon Foundation DataBook.]

So you want to get a grant?

There are several problems with using foundation grant-writing as your primary fundraising strategy.

  1. Of all the money given in a single year by corporations, individuals, foundations and through bequests, foundation giving accounts for only about 5%. Corporate giving is another 5%, bequests 10%, and individual giving accounts for the remaining 80%.
  2. Foundations like new, start-up programs or special projects, and generally will not fund on-going operating costs. They want to know how you will sustain a project once they fund it.
  3. The current success rate (1990) for grants is about 7%. … … 93% of grant applications are turned down. The primary reason is that nonprofits take a shot-gun approach to grant-writing. They write “the definitive grant” asking for $50,000, copy it and send it to every foundation in the book. Wrong!
  4. Research, matching the foundation to your mission and geographic location, is the key. Each request must be tailored to the particular focus of the foundation you are approaching.
  5. The longer you rely on grants and ignore building your base of individual donors, the more project-oriented and dependent you will be.
  6. Good research takes time and is on-going.

Grant writing.

  • Grant writing is un-necessarily mystified.
  • Every foundation requires a slightly different approach.
  • Read the guidelines and follow them… to the letter.
  • Use descriptive phrases.
  • Avoid buzz words and phrases used in government grant applications, and make a list of buzz words that fit your organization (instead of units of service, say patients in our clinic).
  • Do not assume that funders understand the importance of what you do!
  • Get as much grant-writing training as you can.

How to approach a foundation.

  • Begin with exhaustive research!
  • Know what the foundation will fund, how much their average grant is, how to approach them, who else they fund.
  • If the foundation is staffed and open to receiving phone calls, by all means call them. Tell them what you have in mind and see if it seems fundable.
  • Go see them… or meet them at the occasional fundraising event.
  • Follow their guidelines! Send them what they want. If they request your by-laws, send them. Don’t make them call you.
  • A fine, well-thought-out presentation makes a difference… pleasant to look at, with photographs, graphs, art work as appropriate. Not too slick.
  • You must make a great case for need and your ability to spend it well.
  • Avoid: video tapes unless requested, tiny print, spelling errors, confusing financial data, too many words, trying to make it sound like more than it is, trying to take a need for operating monies and making it sound like a new and exciting project, and hiding the request in text.
  • Avoid assuming that they know what you do. Spell it out… what services or performances you gave last year and what you intend to do this year.
  • Remember to thank them! Send them your wonderful newsletter, keep them on your mailing list and treat them like major donors. They are!

Evaluation of Success.

  • Question on the grant application: How will you evaluate the success of this project?
  • This is a wonderful opportunity for your organization to check in with the community to make sure you really are meeting a need.
  • How do you know you are meeting a community need?
  • If your organization is a 501(c)(3), you have an obligation as a citizen of the community you are serving to make that community a better place. If society gives you dispensation from taxes, it is because you are performing a service that the community needs. Not the service the audience or patient needs, but community.
  • Every 3-4 years, get out into the community and find out if you are really meeting a need. What can an arts organization do for the community besides sing and dance? They can educate children, adults, local politicians about the importance of the arts in the community, network with other organizations to make sure they are all relevant, efficient and of high quality; they can serve on other non-profit boards to ensure that the arts are present in other organizations, teach classes and encourage young artists with auditions, talent contests and scholarships. What can the local day care center do for the community? Take care of the community’s children, of course… and lobby for day care in business and with politicians, create networking systems to educate parents, serve on PTA boards, educate the public, provide emergency respite for mothers.
  • Talk to former volunteers and members, teachers, police, organizations working with the same audience, the media, employers. Find out what they think about your organization’s programs, what they know about the issues and what could be done better.
  • “But we don’t have time to do all of this.”  It is about priorities. We all have the same 24-hour day.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #14

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

Working with corporations.

Attitude.

  • How do non-profit people feel about corporate people?
  • Our attitudes set the stage for the relationship.
  • Corporation employees are under pressure to make money for the corporation, the stockholders and themselves. Corporations are FOR-profits.

Partnership.

  • Do we want to set up a partnership with a corporation? If not, why not?
  • What can we offer a corporation in terms of exposure in return for their gift? Program ad space? Their name on our van?
  • How does our work and the work of local for-profit businesses complement each other?
  • What does the corporation want or need?
  • Join the chamber of commerce… this is where business people do business and networking.
  • A loaned corporate executive could assist with your long-range plan, solicit for a funding campaign, set up your fundraising software and develop staff benefit packages.
  • Some corporations have charitable foundations.

Notes from Fundraising for Non-profits, #15

Fundraising for Non-profits: How to build a Community Partnership by P. Burke Keegan.

The Board of Directors & Fundraising

Board Responsibilities:

  • Do boards have to do fundraising?
  • Do you need money?
  • If you need money, that is the Board’s problem.
  • Non-profit boards are usually a group of volunteers who sign on to guide the organization’s development. They struggle with finances, policies and supervision.
  • But mostly, it seems, they struggle with who they are and what it means to be a Board Member.

When a Board is functioning excellently:

  • It enjoys 100% attendance and 100% giving.
  • Every member raises money.
  • They have a team spirit that challenges every member to perform to the absolute best of his or her ability.
  • It has committees that answer specific needs, get their work done and report to the Board.
  • It lives in the future, guiding the organization forward, empowering professional staff, paid or unpaid, to handle the day to day operations.
  • It gives quality thought to the issues of planning and Board regeneration.
  • Members thank each other, trust each other, and get to grow in the areas of leadership development and community relations.

Getting to excellence requires:

  • Taking one deliberate step at a time
  • Starting with the best possible mix of people and an understanding that serving on your Board is an honor and privilege.

The Board’s Five Areas of Responsibility.

  1. POLICY. They set policy.
  • This means taking a broad brush and making a stroke.
  • They must answer the question: What will happen for what people at what cost?
  • Set the parameters within which the staff can work.
  • They must respond to the community need, the Mission and goals of the organization.
  • They look at the scope of need and decide how much can be accomplished.
  1. HIRE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (paid or unpaid).
  • The executive director, paid or unpaid, serves at the pleasure of the Board.
  • A professional who sees to the day-to-day operation of the organization and answers to the Board for decisions made.
  • Salary has nothing to do with this relationship.
  • The executive director tends to the details, hires other staff and makes sure that the policies of the board are carried out.
  • The executive director can be fired for not doing the job and the board can find someone who will do a better job, but they do not have the option of going in and doing the work themselves.
  1. EVALUATE THE ORGANIZATION.
  • This responsibility is often taken very lightly.
  • Boards are legally responsible for decisions made by them and their staff.
  • The Board of Directors has a legal and moral obligation to the community to know what is going on in the non-profit they are directing.
  • Evaluation is much more than reading the executive director’s report in Board meetings, much more than looking at the treasurer’s report.
  • It means teaching every Board member what the organization is supposed to be doing, showing them what the books look like, and giving them a chance to see for themselves.
  • It could be evaluation teams that talk with the executive director on a quarterly basis, asking questions, looking at the books, and asking people in the community if they’re happy that the non-profit is there.
  • The Board should be talking with like organizations in other parts of the country to see what’s being tried and how it’s going.
  1. REPRESENT THE ORGANIZATION IN THE COMMUNITY.
  • Board members are the organization’s ambassadors… at political and social functions, at work.
  • People in the community will judge your organization by the quality, standing and dedication of your vocal Board members.
  • Board members should have the organization brochure and business cards with the official logo, name and address of the non-profit and their name and title.
  • Board members must be well-informed about the mission and goals of the organization.
  1. GIVE AND RAISE MONEY.
  • It is the board’s responsibility to give and raise money. There is not a sentence in our language that will make a room full of Board members dig in their heels deeper than that one.
  • The best reasons for giving and raising money:
    • The board sets policy and decides what is going to happen for what people at what cost. If they are not raising the money to make it happen, they are creating an impossible situation.
    • Major donors, corporate givers and foundations are increasingly adamant about not giving until you have 100% giving from your Board members. Foundations often require a list of Board members and how much they give. If your own Board won’t give, you cannot expect anyone else to give. Until everyone on your Board is giving to the best of their ability, you have no business fundraising in the community.
    • Board members should give until it feels really good! For some, it’s $25, for others it’s $25,000. Everyone can give something.
    • The phone company does not accept “time” instead of money. Board members are expected to give their “time” AND money.  It is very difficult to ask someone else to do something you are not willing to do.
    • Writing a check is an important part of real commitment. It’s called, “putting your money where your mouth is.”
    • Once your Board members have their own money committed to the organization, they’ve bought in. It’s theirs. One Board member might assume responsibility… once a year stand up and say, “It’s that time again. If I don’t have your check or pledge by the end of the week, I will call you and talk about your gift.” It helps if this person is good at follow-through, and it helps if this person is someone that Board members would rather not have to deal with in person.
    • Board members should be required to pay the membership fee and make a gift on top of that and their time.

Board Development.

  1. A key tool for a strong, functional board is the nominating process. Term lengths are spelled out in the by-laws. If there are term limits, and they are enforced, then everyone moves on when their term expires with gracious exits and no hurt feelings. Some boards offer a time off the board and an opportunity to serve again.
  2. Hurt feelings are, in fact, a mine field, and more than one non-profit has blown itself up there. The fear of hurting people’s feelings makes organizations hang on to destructive volunteers or make convoluted plans based on whose feelings are in the way, effectively stopping forward progress while a fragile ego is being cared for.
  3. Your mission statement does not include sacrificing the health and well-being of your organization to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.
  4. If you have to step on someone’s toes, say you’re sorry but keep moving forward.
  5. Moving people out is part one.
  6. Moving people in is part two. Finding the right people is an on-going process that requires an active, inventive, energetic nominating committee.

The Nominating Committee should:

  • Meet year-round.
  • Work from the long-range plan to identify skills that will be needed in the coming years.
  • Be the best and brightest of the group.
  • Be willing to literally cold call, interview and keep track of potential Board members.
  • Be enthusiastic, positive and honest about the organization.
  • Be ad hoc, with everyone on the Board getting a chance to rotate through.
  • Include the Director of Development as a full-fledged member.
  • Build a waiting list for Board membership that the Board will use to choose new members when terms expire.

The Nominating Committee does not invite anyone to be on the Board. That is the responsibility and privilege of the entire Board.

How to build a Board waiting list:

  1. A list of people who have been interviewed by the nominating committee and who have clearly stated their interest in serving on the Board at a future date.
  2. Their skills and interests are noted.
  3. It allows the nominating committee to interview people without having to commit to asking them to serve.
  4. It serves to keep the Board on their toes…  we’ve all heard, “I would resign, but I don’t want to leave them in the lurch.” There are people waiting to sit in their seat.
  5. The waiting list energizes the organization. Rather than taking the “warm body” approach to Board development, the waiting list process is a constant reminder.

What specialties, skills or interests does the Board need?

  • Fundraising
  • Governance/leadership
  • School liaison
  • Business, merchant/mover and shaker
  • Connections to a PR firm
  • A visionary, futurist
  • High profile educator
  • Local politician

The Nominating Committee will approach the prospects, describe the organization and the nominating process, and what is expected of Board members, and make it clear they are not appointing to the Board. Make an interview appointment. Be totally honest. How much time is required? Other tasks? What skills are needed?

Welcoming new board talent.

  • Give them the opportunity to hit the ground running.
  • Recruit them for a specific reason and work with them to set their information, contacts and ideas directly into motion.
  • Try the buddy system… new Board member with a seasoned veteran, riding to and from meetings together, sitting together at meetings.  Make it clear there are no stupid questions.
  • Provide a Board member orientation, on-going training and yearly retreats.
  • Some organizations require Board members to attend the volunteer training so they have a hands-on sense of how the programs work.
  • Retreats offer time for reviewing and modifying the long-range plan, recommitting to goals and carrying on the organizational story. Hire an outside facilitator or assign skilled Board members to each lead sections of the retreat agenda.

Boards and Leadership:

  • People change because they want to or need to. We cannot change others.
  • When a Board has functioned by letting people off the hook, never enforcing bylaws and policies, and asking nothing more than attendance at meetings, it is a huge task to NOW ask them to WORK.
  • It is even harder to ask them to take responsibility for their planning and go out and find the money to make the plans happen.
  • The key ingredient for this kind of formidable movement is leadership.

A leader is someone who can:

  • Inspire people to do what the leader knows needs to be done.
  • Overcome his or her fear of not being liked to say what needs to be said.
  • Hold people to their word, remind them of their commitment and move them to act by setting a great example.
  • Give 30 hours to a project if he wants others to give 10.
  • Build a team and move them forward, a very selfless act, requiring the leader to put aside personal agendas and ego and act for the good of the organization.
  • Run a good meeting, bringing together the chemistry of the Board members to create something new and make important decisions, always starting and ending on time, setting a pace to keep the show on the road. No meetings over 90 minutes.
  • Does not ask people to meet to discuss anything that they cannot take action on.

A Board can:

  • Establish a long-range plan, goals and objectives.
  • Develop 11 or 12 agendas for the coming year
  • Get to the work at hand, pull back and see what they need to learn and where the organization needs to grow.
  • Focus on specific responsibilities of the Board.

Committees:

  • Establish a strong committee structure.
  • Eliminate the Fundraising Committee. Most of them were not there when they were appointed, hated the idea of asking for money.
  • An ad hoc approach helps create a more participatory atmosphere of problem solving. An attitude develops… this is how things work here… with a Board of people who wouldn’t dream of coming to a Board meeting and confessing, “I didn’t follow through.”

Living in the Future:

  • The Board’s job is to live in the future. The wheels are rolling slowly forward and the Board is usually running along behind.  Where the Board should be in out in front, having determined where the organization should be going, where it needs to be in 5 and 10 years, and they have hired a professional to run the organization day to day.
  • When your organization is given tax-exempt status, this means that it holds a special place in the fabric of your community. It exists to meet a need or solve a problem. That is how we are different from for-profit businesses.
  • The Board is the keeper of the Vision. This includes creating a viable plan, recruiting and challenging the absolute best team of Board members and continually making sure your organization is meeting the Mission.

Two-Step Program to Fundraising:

  1. Get over it.
  2. Get on with it.

[That’s it, the last chapter. ~ Notes by Sherry Kaseberg.]

 

Sherman County eNews Special Edition G

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Sherman County eNews Special Edition G

  1. Fundraising Basics

  2. 53 Ways for Board Members to Raise $500

  3. The Ten Most Important Things You Can Know About Fundraising

  4. Thanking Your Donors

  5. Donor Recognition: News Releases – Print, Radio & Cable – & Newsletters

  6. Why People Give: Tips for Effective Fundraising

  7. Grassroots Fundraising

  8. Book: Guide to Rural Fundraising

1. Fundraising Basics

~ http://www.grassrootsfundraising.org/howto/index.html

  1. Were you recruited to the fundraising committee of your board?
  2. Were you recruited to the board without being told fundraising was your responsibility?
  3. Did you recently add fundraising tasks to your other work?
  4. Do you have a great idea to improve your community but need money to do it?
  5. Do you find that you know less about fundraising than you wish?

Here are the three most important things to know about fundraising right up front:

  1. People give when they are asked, and rarely give when they are not. Even when people are asked, they don’t always give. So, you need to ask for more gifts than the number you need to bring in, and you need to be comfortable with people saying “No.”
  2. Donors are not ATMs. You need to thank them and keep them posted on what your organization is doing with their money if you want them to give more than once.
  3. You can’t raise all the money your group needs by yourself. Spend some time building a team of people to help you.

If you don’t have time to thank donors, you don’t have time to have donors.

2. 53 Ways for Board Members to Raise $500

~ Effective Organizations, Ford Leadership Institute and Rural Development Initiatives, Inc.  Summarized, briefly…

All good fund raising plans have one thing in common: they show a diverse number of sources for their income. The board of directors plays a crucial role in the selection, implementation and evaluation of fundraising strategies. Board members may individually commit to raising and giving a certain amount of money. The basic premise of fundraising – you must ask, you must give. Everything after that involves creativity, imagination and a sense of fun.

  1. Give $500 yourself, the easiest way.
  2. Hand write letters on your own stationery asking all your friends for specific amounts. Include an organizational brochure and return envelope. Phone those who do not respond in two weeks.
  3. Give part of the $500, then ask your friends to join you in giving smaller amounts to match. This is most effective because you are not asking them to do anything you haven’t done.
  4. Set up a challenge campaign, saying you will give $5 for every $25 they give. Challenge gifts can be quite small.
  5. Use all of your organization’s fundraising strategies.. raffle tickets, buying gift memberships, recruiting new members.
  6. Help with a phone-a-thon. Provide names of people you think would like to join or contribute.
  7. Acquire mailing lists for your organization. Set up an exchange with another organization.
  8. Give the organization something needed with a $500 value.
  9. Pledge $20 a month and get one other person to do likewise. Sell $20 worth of raffle tickets.
  10. Teach a seminar on a subject you know. Charge $35-50.
  11. Give some or a lot of things to your organization’s garage sale, total value of $500. Then help sell it all.
  12. With 4 or 5 friends, have a spaghetti dinner and charge $10 a head. Extra for wine or dessert.
  13. Have a fancy dinner in your home or a regular dinner in someone’s home.. serve unusual or gourmet food, special entertainment. Charge $25 for 20 or more guests.
  14. Get three friends help with a progressive dinner… hors d’oeuvres … next house for soup and/or salad … next house for the main course… last for dessert.
  15. Host a wine and cheese party. Do not charge admission, invite as many people as you can. Give a short presentation about your organization and ask everyone to consider a gift of $25, $50, $100…. Pass out envelopes. After the party, contact everyone individually and ask for a major gift or thank those who gave and indicate that you have given, and maybe how much.
  16. Get your gambling friends together for a poker party. Charge $5 entrance fee. Every pot will be split with your organization. Win-win!
  17. Do one fundraising event every other month that nets at least $75. This might look like this: Poker Party $100, Fancy Dinner 8 people x $25 = $200, 50 raffle tickets at $1 = $50.
  18. Solicit small businesses and service clubs for $500. Simple proposal and oral presentation.
  19. Take a part-time or temporary job and give what you earn up to $500.
  20. Ask 5-10 people to save all their change for 3-5 months.
  21. Ask 2-5 friends to help with a book sale, bake sale, garage sale. An excellent way to get people involved in fundraising without asking them for money.
  22. For those who can, give your organization $5,000 as an interest-free loan for a year. They invest it, earn interest and give you your money back at the end of the year.
  23. Sell your organization’s T-shirts, bumper stickers, books, novelties.
  24. The Farming-Out Method. Ask 5 friends to sell 50 raffle tickets each.
  25. Get a famous or popular person to attend a special event. Watch the costs on this one; you could lose money.
  26. Invite people to your birthday party. Ask that, in lieu of gifts, they give money to your organization.
  27. Canvas the neighborhood, taking your fundraising or project literature, and ask for contributions.
  28. Lead or ask someone to lead a nature walk, town walking tour, architectural tour, historic tour, boating trip, rafting trip or horseback ride. Charge $15-25 per person or charge $35 and provide lunch. Advertise well beyond your organization.
  29. Start a 12 x 12 dinner. Invite 12 people and charge $12 each. Get two of those 12 to do the same and two people from each of those two dinners to invite 12 to dinner and so on. Your dinner $12 x 12 = $144; next round $288; and so on!
  30. Collect cans for recycling. Ask all your friends to save their cans and bottles for your organization.
  31. Can you sell your frequent flyer miles or donate them for a raffle? Check airline rules.
  32. If you have access to a weekend cottage, rent it out for a weekend or a week two or three times a year and give the proceeds to your organization.
  33. If you own a valuable dog and breed it, you could donate the proceeds from one or two puppies.
  34. Organize a service raffle. Ask four people to donate a simple but valuable service that many people could use and sell raffle tickets for $3 – $5 each. Keep the price a little high so you don’t have to sell so many and so the buyers have a higher chance to win. Services could include child care for a weekend, a day of house cleaning or yard work or painting,
  35. Offer to do something your friends or family have been nagging you to do anyway, put a price on it and ask your friends to donate that to your organization. Example: quit smoking, stop eating sugar, start exercising on the condition that friends and family members contribute to your group.
  36. Does another organization you belong to have a small discretionary fund?
  37. Research service clubs to see what their giving policies are for small amounts.
  38. Determine what equipment or tools or materials your organization needs and try to get them donated. Great way for people who hate to ask for money to ask for things that cost money. Examples: garden tools, computer, paper, office furniture (second-hand from banks and corporations), calculators, etc.
  39. Ask someone to donate $50 a month for a year. Ask four people to donate $10 a month for a year. Ask nine people to donate $5 a month. Does your organization have the capacity to send reminders? Or send them yourself.
  40. Give the $500 yourself. This is so good it has to be said twice.
  41. Leave the organization a bequest.
  42. Get friends to include your organization in their wills.
  43. Ask friends belonging to other organizations to discuss your organization and pass the hat for donations. A once-a-year sweep of small organizations can yield $100 from each.
  44. Ask your church to pass the collection plate twice, once for the church, once for your organization and your group can give a brief talk about your organization and the importance of this money.
  45. A variation on the collection plate, get as many churches as possible to do this.
  46. If you have a childhood collection stored in the basement, consider selling it. Coins and stamps increased in value over the years. When you donate the income from the sale, you can deduct the amount from your taxes, since you paid little or nothing for these items.
  47. Have a sidewalk or garage sale for your whole neighborhood or work place. Ask them to donate all or half the proceeds.
  48. Artistic? Offer to design greeting cards, flyers, announcements, invitations or certificates for a fee that you can donate to your organization. Create unique Halloween costumes or masks and donate the proceeds.
  49. Create a take-off on the “adopt-a-highway” program by naming budget items that are available for adoption. Develop a flyer that asks for help, $25 a month, for example, for computer maintenance.
  50. Hold an “I’m Not Afraid” auction. Survey a few people and use your own common sense to determine what people need to have done in their homes and offices that they may be afraid of or would rather not do. Examples: window washing too high on the ladder, drain cleaning, rain gutter cleaning, minor roof repairs, cleaning out garages, woodsheds and basements, mowing, sweeping, cleaning, and designing paper goods (greeting cards, flyers, announcements, invitations or certificates).
  51. Hold a “Details Auction” for those whose desks are overflowing, piles are not filed, need addresses updated, envelopes addressed, flyers mailed, have shopping needs.
  52. Find out which of your friends work in corporations or businesses with matching gift programs. Ask them to donate and have their gift matched.
  53. Some local businesses where your organization’s members shop can afford to donate a percentage of profits for a day. Let everyone you know that Joe’s Shop will give 2% of each sale during Valentine’s weekend to your group.

3. The Ten Most Important Things You Can Know About Fundraising

~ www.grassrootsfundraising.org 

[NOTES from the article…] These are not presented in order of importance, although #1 is probably the most important; nor are they in order of difficulty.

  1. IF YOU WANT MONEY, YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR IT

While there are some people who will simply send an organization money or offer money without being asked, there are not enough of them to build a donor base around. Most people will not think to give you money unless you make your needs known. This is not because they are cheap or self-centered; it is because most people have no idea how much it costs to run a nonprofit, or how nonprofits get money. If you don’t ask them, they will simply assume you are getting the money somewhere. They have no reason to think your group needs money unless you tell them, the same way they have no reason to know if you are hungry, or unhappy, or needing advice. Millard Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity, says, “I have tried raising money by asking for it, and by not asking for it. I always got more by asking for it.”

  1. THANK BEFORE YOU BANK Once you receive money, you must thank the person who gave it to you. Thank-you notes do not need to be fancy and should not be long. If at all possible, they should include a personal note, even if it is from someone who does not know the donor. You can add something as simple as, “Hope to meet you sometime,” or “Check out our website,” or “Happy holidays,” or even, “Thanks again – your gift really helps.” Late thank-yous are better than no thank you at all, but photo-copied thank-yous are almost the same as no thank you.

The bottom line… if you don’t have time to thank donors, you don’t have time to have donors.

  1. DONORS ARE NOT ATMS

A survey of donors who gave away more than $5,000 a year asked, “What is your relationship with your favorite group?” Several gave similar answers, even though they did not know each other and did not give to the same group. All the answers were on this theme: “I would love to be considered a friend, but I am more of an ATM. They come to me when they need money, they tell me how much, I give it to them, and the next time I hear from them is when they need more.”

This is a terrible indictment of much of what passes as fundraising. How can we make sure our donors don’t feel this way? The answer is very simple, make sure you don’t feel that way about your donors. The majority of donors require practically no attention. They have the resilience of cacti — the slightest care makes them bloom. Thank-you notes, easy-to-understand newsletters, and occasional respectful requests for extra gifts will keep people giving year in and year out. Think of your donors as ambassadors for your group. Design your materials so that donors will be proud to give your newsletter to a friend or recommend your group when their service club or professional organization is looking for an interesting speaker, or forward your e-mails to several of their colleagues. By treating your donors as whole people who have a number of gifts to offer your group, including their financial support, you will have more financial support from existing donors, more fun fundraising, more donors and the peace of mind knowing that you are not treating anyone as an object.

  1. MOST MONEY COMES FROM PEOPLE, AND MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOT RICH

There are three sources of funding for all the nonprofits in the United States:

  • earned income (such as products and fees for service),
  • government (public sector),
  • and the private sector, which includes foundations, corporations and individuals.

For the nearly 60 years that records about who gives money away have been kept, at least 80% of this money has been shown to be given by individuals. In 2002, total giving by the private sector was almost $241 billion, and 84.2 percent of that ($202 billion) was given by individuals! These people are all people — there is no significant difference in giving patterns by age, race, or gender. Income is not nearly the variable that one would think: middle-class, working-class and poor people are generous givers and account for a high percentage of the money given away.

In fact, a study by Arthur Blocks of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University showed that 19% of families living on welfare give away an average of $72 a year! Too often, people think they can’t raise money because they don’t know any wealthy philanthropists. It is a great comfort to find that the people we know, whoever they are, are adequate to the task. Seven out of ten adults give away money. Focus your work on these givers, and help teach young people to become givers.

  1. PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY NO

No one is obligated to support your group — no matter what you have done for them, no matter how wealthy they are, no matter how much they give to other groups, how close a friend they are of the director, or any other circumstance that makes it seem they would be a likely giver.

People say no for all kinds of reasons: they don’t have extra money right now; they just gave to another group; they don’t give at the door, over the phone, by mail; a serious crisis in their family is consuming all their emotional energy; they are in a bad mood. Rarely does their refusal have anything to do with you or your group. Sometimes people say no because they have other priorities, or they don’t understand what your group does. Sometimes we hear no when the person is just saying, “I need more time to decide,” or “I need more information,” or “I misunderstood something you said.” So, first be clear that the person is saying no, and not something else like, “Not now,” or “I don’t like special events.” Once you are certain that the person has said no, accept it. Go on to your next prospect. If appropriate, write the person a letter and thank them for the attention they gave to your request. Then let it go. If you don’t hear no several times a week, you are not asking enough people

  1. TO BE GOOD AT FUNDRAISING, CULTIVATE THREE TRAITS

A good fundraiser requires three character traits as much as any set of skills. These traits are:

  •  first, a belief in the cause for which you are raising money and the ability to maintain that belief during defeats, tedious tasks, and financial insecurity;
  • second, the ability to have high hopes and low expectations, allowing you to be often pleased but rarely disappointed;
  • and third, faith in the basic goodness of people.

Fundraising is a means to an end, a way to promote a cause, a very necessary skill in achieving goals and fulfilling missions.

  1. FUNDRAISING SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH FUND CHASING, FUND SQUEEZING, OR FUND HOARDING

Too often, organizations get confused about what fundraising is and is not. To apply for a grant just because the money is available and not because the work will promote your mission is called fund chasing.

Similarly, if your organization seems to be running into a deficit situation, cutting items out of the budget may be necessary but should not be confused with fundraising. When deficits loom, the fund squeezing question is, “How can we cut back on spending?”; the fundraising question is “Where can we get even more money?”

Finally, putting money aside for a rainy day, or taking money people have given you for annual operating and program work and being able to put some of it into a savings account is a good idea. Where savings becomes hoarding, however, is when no occasion seems important enough to warrant using the savings.

Fund chasing, fund squeezing, and fund hoarding need to be replaced with an ethic that directs the group to seek the money it needs, spend it wisely, and set some

aside for cash-flow emergencies or future work.

  1. FUNDRAISING IS AN EXCHANGE — PEOPLE PAY YOU TO DO WORK THEY CANNOT DO ALONE

We need to eliminate the idea that fundraising is like begging. Begging is when you ask for something you do not deserve. If you are doing good work, then you deserve to raise the money to do it. What you must do is figure out how to articulate what you are doing so that the person hearing it, if they share your values, will want to exchange their money for your work. They will pay you to do work they cannot do alone.

  1. PEOPLE’S ANXIETIES ABOUT FUNDRAISING STEM FROM THEIR ANXIETIES ABOUT MONEY

We have been taught not to talk about money or to ask for it, except under very limited circumstances. Many of us are taught that money is a private affair. Having too little or too much can be a source of shame and embarrassment, yet money is also a source of status and power. Most people would like to have more money, yet most will also admit that money doesn’t buy happiness.

Our attitudes toward fundraising are a subset of our larger attitudes toward money. The most important change we can make in our attitudes toward fundraising is to remember that success in fundraising is defined by how many people you ask rather than how much money you raise. This is because some people are going to say no, which has got to be all right with you. The more people you ask, the more yes answers you will eventually get.

Finally, if you are anxious about asking for money or would rather not ask, this is normal. But ask yourself if what you believe in is bigger than what you are anxious about. Keep focused on your commitment to the cause and that will propel you past your doubts, fears, and anxieties.

  1. THERE ARE FOUR STEPS TO FUNDRAISING— PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, AND WORK YOUR PLAN

Though humorous, this formula underscores the fact that fundraising is three parts planning for one part doing … an hour of planning can save five hours of work, leaving much more time both to plan and to work. Planning also avoids that awful feeling of “How can I ever get everything done,” and that sense of impending doom. It moves us out of crisis mentality. … The easiest way to plan something is to start by defining the end result you want and when you want it to happen, then work backwards from that point to the present.

4. Thanking Your Donors

~ Also see #3 above: THANK BEFORE YOU BANK!

Thank your donors! Build your donor base!

  1. People need to be appreciated by and connected to your organization.
  2. Your thank-you note is an investment in maintaining your donor base.
  3. The more personal it is the better in cultivating your donors. Instead of Dear Friend make it Dear Betty.
  4. Thank the donor promptly.
  5. Let the donor know that your organization recognizes the importance of the gift.
  6. Be specific in how the money will be used: programs, operations, equipment, etc. “Your contribution allowed us to…”
  7. Enclose a receipt for the contribution to be used for tax deduction purposes.
  8. Provide an update with your thank you note … your organization’s accomplishments, a news clipping, information about the challenges you face, underscoring the importance of your work, statistical reports.
  9. Thankfulness expressed in a thank-you note can also be expressed to the donor AND a potential donor in a news release or your newsletter.

~ http://www.museummarketingtips.com/articles/quick_thankyou.html:

Don’t assume that people know you appreciate them or their help. Tell them. You know yourself how much a thank you means — and how good it makes you feel when someone says it. Take the time to thank people no matter how busy you are. It’s not only good for the soul, it’s also the best public relations booster there is.

Send thank you notes and, whenever possible, hand write them. Send them to donors, to volunteers, to colleagues, and to anyone else who does you a good turn. In this day of form letters, e-mail and printed receipts, handwritten thank you notes are cherished goodwill builders.

Always thank donors. When it comes to fundraising, saying thank you is essential. It’s hard to imagine it not being a priority for some nonprofits, especially since people are giving money that they aren’t required to give. Surprisingly, the number one donor recognition problem is not acknowledging gifts, period. 

When thanking donors, promptness counts. It can even make a difference in how much they’ll contribute in the future. How prompt is prompt? Donors who were called more than 48 hours after their gifts were received thought they were being solicited for another donation. 

Make your donor thank you letters warm and personal. To the recipient, a canned, overly formal thank you can sometimes feel worse than not receiving one at all. But unless you’re one of the lucky ones who has a natural talent for it, writing creative, meaningful thank you letters can be a challenge. You can be creative by leaving the thank you for the end. You might say, We received  your donation and I can’t tell you how important it is. We’re putting it into this program, this is what it’s going to do, here is the time line, and you can expect to hear from us again next October when we’re going to tell you what the money has accomplished. And then say thank you.

Thank-you notes do not need to be fancy and should not be long. If at all possible, they should include a personal note, even if it is from someone who does not know the donor. You can add something as simple as, “Hope to meet you sometime,” or “Check out our website,” or “Happy holidays,” or even, “Thanks again – your gift really helps.” Late thank-yous are better than no thank you at all, but photo-copied thank-yous are almost the same as no thank you.

Consider running a Thank-a-thon. In addition to thanking donors at the time of their actual gift, take thank you one step further by holding a holiday-thank-a-thon. Making holiday calls to those who gave to your organization during the year conveys the message that “We noticed you gave. It mattered. We appreciate you.”

A sincere thank you is one of the mightiest marketing and fundraising tools there is. Use its power often and well.

The bottom line… if you don’t have time to thank donors, you don’t have time to have donors.

5. Donor Recognition: News Releases – Print, Radio & Cable – & Newsletters 

Donors may be recognized in several ways.

  • PRIORITY #1 – Thank-you notes right away!
  • Organizational newsletters sometimes list donors in categories, recognizing their gifts… money, services, materials.
  • Print – newspaper public service announcements
  • Radio – public service announcements – fax or e-mail 16 lines, 16 point type.

6. Why People Give: Tips for Effective Fundraising

Looking at the Big Picture: The 5 Key Ingredients of Effective Fundraising

To fundraise effectively, an organization needs an effective fundraising plan. A concise plan will help an organization reach new donors. Objectives for increasing donors must be clearly outlined and planning needs to incorporate strong volunteer leadership, timelines, communications, and more.

The 5 key ingredients to effective fundraising are:

  1. Knowing what motivates individuals/groups to donate;
  2. Knowing your project;
  3. Being aware of potential sources of funding;
  4. Developing a strategy;
  5. Being familiar with your organization and its resources.

Knowing what motivates individuals/groups to donate.

“People give to people!” . . . a well used phrase in fundraising. Statistics indicate that 75 cents of every Canadian dollar donated in a year was given by individuals. Some examples of what motivates individuals/groups to donate include:

  • people like to help others;
  • they may have a personal involvement or commitment to the group and cause;
  • they seek recognition;
  • they enjoy the event;
  • ego gratification;
  • the need to belong to an organization by either donating their time or money;
  • community pride;
  • religious point of view;
  • compassion;
  • community pressure;
  • guilt;
  • just because they were asked to give!

If you don’t understand why people give, then you can’t design a program for them.

People will want to know what it is they are being asked to support. Some things to be aware of include:

  • the costs involved;
  • the benefits to community and organization;
  • exactly how much money you need – not how much money you think you could raise;
  • when are the dollars needed, and
  • the cash flow required to see the project through.

Potential Sources of Funding

There are several different ways your group can choose from to raise money. They include:

  • Special Event/Activity Fundraising;
  • Individual Donations;
  • Private Sector Foundations and Companies;
  • Foundations and other grant making agencies; and
  • Federal and Provincial Government.

Remember that enVision.ca’s Funding and Fundraising section offers an extensive list of funding sources, tips for recruiting corporate donors, and lots of ideas for fundraising activities.  ~  http://www.envision.ca/

7. Grassroots Fundraising

www.grassrootsfundraising.org

Five reasons that volunteers make the best fundraisers:

  • They’re passionate.
  • No financial self-interest.
  • They’re donors, too.
  • They can ask for help.
  • Donors admire their courage.

Because fundraising is about developing and honoring relationships, anyone can do it.

Fundraising Ideas That Work: Grassroots Fundraising Journal

  • “A pledge of $28 per month, which is relatively affordable, in three years adds up to $1,000.”
  • “Does everyone in the organization agree that your group should exist permanently?
  • What will endowment income be used for? … An endowment is like a cathedral… it is never finished.”
  • Total giving in the USA in 2004 is estimated to total $248.52 BILLION. As a percentage, individuals gave 75.6%, bequests totaled 8%, foundations gave 11.6% and corporations provided 4.8%, according to Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy 2004.
  • More information at American Association of Fundraising Counsel www.aafrc.org
  • www.grassrootsfundraising.org
  • Grassroots Fundraising Journal.

8. Book: Guide to Rural Fundraising

~ http://www.grassrootsfundraising.org/

Guide to Rural Fundraising By Kim Klein, National CASA.

Rural Fundraising: Success Stories for CASA/GAL Programs. The National CASA Association commissioned Kim Klein, the nation’s premiere grassroots fundraising authority, to develop this anthology of successful strategies.

This guide describes successful and easy-to-imitate fundraising strategies. An introductory essay by Kim Klein titled “Raising Money in Rural Communities” describes basic principles of rural fundraising. The second part of the manual contains 15 examples of successful strategies, from direct mail to events to earned income. Each example is described in some detail, and most are accompanied by sample materials. While the majority of the examples are not from CASA/GAL programs, they can easily be easily adapted for your use.

 

Sherman County eNews #307

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CONTENTS

  1. SPIRITUAL MATTERS

  2. CLASSIFIEDS

  3. CALENDAR

1. SPIRITUAL MATTERS

church.family1Christ the Greatest Gift

After Mary gave birth to Jesus, wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in that manger, we read in Luke chapter two that a celebration broke loose in the heavens. Of this we read, “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”” (Luke 2:8–14, NASB95)

Babies are amazing, but Christmas is more than the birth of a special baby. The importance of the Christmas message and the heart of the Christian Christ-mas celebration is the coming of the Savior sent by God. “Christ” is not a last name, but a title meaning anointed. Jesus, as the Son of God, was set apart and sent by the Father to be our salvation. As such His birth cannot be separated from His death on the cross or His resurrection. It is because the One born for us came and died for our sins that we have forgiveness. And, it is by His resurrection that we also are given new life and an eternal hope. This is what makes Jesus God’s great gift given for us and the declaration made by the angel on that night so critically important.

Merry Christmas!

Joe Burgess

Pastor, Kent Baptist Church

2. CLASSIFIEDS (new or corrected)  

THANK YOU & CONGRATULATORY NOTES:

CONGRATULATIONS, JANE KIRKPATRICK! “One More River to Cross” made it to the top 25 books of Christian fiction and in the Pacific Northwest, it’s been number 7 for two weeks in a row. This is a story of the Stevens – Murphy – Townsend wagon train stuck two years before the Donner Party in the same part of the Sierra Nevada mountains during a heavy winter. ~Sherry K 

THANK YOU to those of you who kept subscribers informed with your contributions to eNews! THANK YOU for doing your part with news releases, agency and departmental reports, public meeting notices, classified ads, letters to the editor, and Spiritual Matters, (suggested by Pastor Keeney and most recently offered by Pastor Burgess on behalf of the Kent and Grass Valley Baptist congregations). THANK YOU, Mike McArthur, for bringing life-changing Lou Tice’s Pacific Institute training to Sherman County. THANK YOU, Times-Journal crew, for sharing your news reports. It’s been a wonderful, transparent partnership! THANK YOU, subscribers! A rare opportunity to volunteer in this way, it’s been very interesting and sometimes challenging! It’s taken me from actual reporting in the earliest years to posting – lots of copying and pasting – news releases, using spell check and the dictionary, from agendas to Oregon Revised Statute and editorials, from church programs to meeting minutes … an honor and a privilege! Make yours – and that of others – a very Merry Christmas! ~Sincerely, Sherry Kaseberg

THANK YOU! Your notes of appreciation are humbling, overwhelming and heartwarming! I assure you that it’s always been a team effort! I’m grateful for everyone who encouraged this free volunteer project, collaborated in making eNews an interesting and helpful local resource, sent suggestions, good ideas and links to interesting websites, submitted notices, news releases, calendar dates, Spiritual Matters and classified ads, challenged process, opinion and policy, and counseled the editor with journalistic wisdom. Please express your appreciation for eNews by your participation in your county communities and by being an informed participant! ~Sherry Kaseberg, Editor/Publisher, Sherman County eNews

JOYFUL NEWS!

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FUND-RAISERS: 

WINTER CORNHOLE FIESTA – GRASS VALLEY PAVILION. January 18 1-9 p.m. 32 team tournament. Age 12 and up. $75/team or $25/individuals.  $10 all you can eat Taco Bar. The Riverside will be there to serve drinks.  Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place.  Please contact Keegan Kock at 541-993-9044 for further information or to sign up for the event. LET’S FIESTA!!

Remember Local Needs with Year-end Giving

Remember Local Needs for Year-end Giving | tax-deductible non-profit organizations | Updated 12/2019:

  • ABC Huskies Day Care, Sherman County Child Care Foundation, P.O. Box 424, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center – Sherman Station Foundation, 36656 Lone Rock Road, Moro, OR 97039
  • Columbia Gorge CASA, P.O. Box 663, Hood River, OR 97031
  • Grass Valley Pavilion Renovation & Rejuvenation Project, City of Grass Valley, P.O. Box 191, Grass Valley, OR 97029
  • HAVEN from Domestic and Sexual Violence, P.O. Box 576, The Dalles, OR 9058
  • Little Wheats Day Care Inc., P.O. Box 71, Moro, OR 97039
  • Maryhill Museum of Art, 35 Maryhill Museum Drive, Goldendale, WA 98620
  • Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Cultural Trust, 775 Summer Street NE, Ste 200, Salem, OR 97301 – a portion of these funds are allocated to Sherman County Cultural Coalition for distribution, & matched to local cultural non-profit gifts provide a tax credit.
  • OSU Extension 4-H Programs, 36656 Lone Rock Road, Moro, OR 97039
  • Salvation Army, 623 E. 3rd Street, The Dalles, OR 97058
  • Sherman County Ambulance, PO Box 139, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Athletic Foundation, P.O. Box 191, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Community Transit
  • Sherman County Cultural Coalition, P.O. Box 23, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Education Foundation, P.O. Box 68, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Fair, P.O. Box 45, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Sherman County Food Bank, P.O. Box 14, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Historical Society & Museum, P.O. Box 173, Moro, OR 97039 –qualifies for Oregon Cultural Trust Tax Credits
  • Sherman County Junior Hoops, c/o Sherman County Athletic Foundation, P.O. Box 191, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Lions Club, P.O. Box 27, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Sherman Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, 69512 High School Loop, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Public/School Library, 69512 High School Loop, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Scholarship Association, 65912 High School Loop, Moro, Oregon 97039
  • Sherman County Senior & Community Center, P.O. Box 352, Moro, OR  97039
  • Sherman Development League, P.O. Box 11, Moro, OR 97039
  • Sherman County Preschool, 69512 High School Loop, Moro, OR 97039
  • Wasco Cemetery Association, Sun Rise Cemetery, P.O. Box 155, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Wasco RR Depot & History Center, City of Wasco, P.O. Box __, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Wasco School Events Center, City of Wasco, P.O. Box __, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Wasco Salmon/Steelhead Tournament, P.O. Box __, Wasco, OR 97065
  • Your church.

Consider gifts to these organizations to honor someone with a shared interest, to recognize someone’s achievement or success, in memory or remembrance, to express your appreciation, or as the perfect gift for someone who has everything. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: 

EMPLOYMENT:

PROGRAM TECHNICIAN. Farm Service Agency Job Opening – Temporary Position. Busy government office in The Dalles, Oregon has an immediate opening for a temporary office (Program Technician) position. Duties include general office activities supporting FSA programs administered at the field office level.  Successful applicant must be reliable, have professional attitude, and enjoy working with the public.  Individuals interested in applying need to contact Lissa Biehn (office manager) at 41-298-8559 ext. 110, or Lissa.biehn@usda.gov, or apply at Wasco/Hood River Co. FSA at 2325 River Rd, Ste 1. The deadline to apply is December 26, 2019.  FSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 12/27

HOUSE CLEANING. Seeking non-employee housekeeper to clean Catholic rectory in Wasco twice a month. Please call Molly Belshe for more information. (541)565-3315. 12/27 

See Classifieds in The Times-Journal.

SERVICES:

SHERMAN COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY https://www.co.sherman.or.us/businesses/

NEWSPAPERS

VISITOR INFORMATION:

FOR SALE:

SURPLUS SHERMAN COUNTY BUILDINGS.  BUILDINGS MUST BE REMOVED FROM CURRENT LOCATION WITHIN 90 DAYS OF SALE. ALL EXPENSES RELATED TO BUILDING REMOVAL ARE TO BE INCURED BY BIDDER. Surplus for sale by Sherman County: 1972 Royal Mobile Home 24’ x 62’ with addition, 3 Bedroom 2 Bath (Possible 4th Bedroom with addition). Sealed bids must be submitted by 5:00pm, Monday, January 13, 2020 to the Sherman County Court, in-person at 500 Court St, Moro, Oregon 97039, or by mail: PO Box 365, Moro, OR 97039. Minimum bid $5,000. To request a viewing appointment, contact the Office of the Sherman County Court at 541-565-3416. Contact the Sherman County Court 541-565-3416 with questions, or to schedule viewing appointments. 12/27

DEHYDRATOR, JERKY MAKER. New, still in the box never opened, Nesco Dehydrator & Jerky Maker FD-60 with 4 trays. asking $45 / best bid. Call 541-442-8572 Nancy 12/27

SHERMAN COUNTY CLASSIFIEDS, FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/groups/1680690712181261/

SHOP LOCALLY! SHERMAN COUNTY BUSINESSES https://www.co.sherman.or.us/businesses/

FOR RENT OR LEASE:  

FREE:

A SHERMAN COUNTY LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION ONLINE.  http://shermancountyoregon.com/ 

LOST OR FOUND:

FOUND:  

WANTED: 

HOUSE CLEANING. Seeking non-employee housekeeper to clean Catholic rectory in Wasco twice a month. Please call Molly Belshe for more information. (541)565-3315. 12/27

3. CALENDAR (new or corrected)

LogoShermanCoSchoolSHERMAN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT EVENTS CALENDAR https://shermancountyschooldistrict.weebly.com/scsd-event-calendar.html

DECEMBER

mittens11-31 Decorate the Mitten Tree at Sherman County Public/School Library

23-31 Sherman County School Christmas Break

24 CHRISTMAS EVE

24 Moro Community Presbyterian Church Candlelight Service 6

24 Wasco United Methodist Church Candlelight Service 5

24 Christmas Eve Mass 5 Grass Valley

24-25 Sherman County Government Holidays

25 CHRISTMAS

27 Sherman County eNews ends 20-year run!

27-31 Oregon Whale Watch Week

28 Holy Family Mass 5 combined Mass, Wasco

31 NEW YEAR’S EVE

31-Jan. 1 Sherman County Government Holidays

compass.roseJANUARY

1 First Day Hike: Deschutes River State Recreation Area 9 Oregon Trail Kiosk

1 First Day Hike: Cottonwood Canyon State Park 10 Experience Center

2 Sherman County Fair Board Meeting 6

6 Grass Valley City Council 7

7 Moro City Council 7

8 Rufus City Council 7

8 Sherman Senior Center Advisory 12:30

10 Community Renewable Energy Association (CREA) Board Meeting 10-1

13 Sherman County School District Board 6

14 Tri-County Mental Health Board 11

14 North Central Public Health District Board 3

15 Sherman County Court 9

18 Winter Cornhole Fiesta Tournament 1-9 p.m. Grass Valley Pavilion

29 Tri-County Court 11

29 Frontier TeleNet Board Meeting 11:30

StarPurpleArtFEBRUARY

3 Grass Valley City Council 7

4 Moro City Council 7

5 Sherman County Court 9

6 Sherman County Fair Board 7

19 Sherman County Court 9

 

Sherman County eNews Special Edition F

Posted on by

Sherman County eNews Special Edition F

  1. Meeting Room Checklist

  2. Conducting Meetings

  3. Meeting Ground Rules – A Parts List – Make Your Own Rules

  4. 26 Steps to Improving Committee Functioning

A board member recruitment process should mirror the processes we are so used to with employees.  First we determine what qualities we are seeking. We create a job description. We advertise the position, use word of mouth, see if there are already good candidates in our midst. We look for a pool of people as applicants, not just accepting the first one who says “yes.” We have them fill out applications. We interview prospects. We check their references. These are all the things we do when hiring employees. These are also the things a good organization does to recruit its board members.

1. Meeting Room Checklist

  • Abundant parking
  • Catering, cafeteria, or restaurant available
  • Appropriate number of chairs and tables for group
  • Chairs and tables that are movable
  • Appropriate room setup for event
  • Registration table
  • Table for coffee, snacks, food, water, cups, napkins
  • Trash cans
  • Telephone in the room
  • Internet access
  • Electrical outlets
  • Projection equipment
  • Microphone
  • Extension cords
  • Dry erase board, markers, & eraser
  • Flip chart & markers
  • TV/VCR
  • Variable lighting capabilities
  • Temperature control
  • Wall space & appropriate tape for posting flip chart paper

2. Conducting Meetings

Following is a much-abridged version of Robert’s Rules as they might be adapted for nonprofit meetings. The goal is to promote a balance of fairness and efficiency. Tailor them to fit your own organization. Meetings should be fair so that people who have a point to make are given an opportunity. Meetings should be efficient so that time is spent on discussion relevant to the matter at hand. ~ American Society of Corporate Secretaries.

Order of business–[per agenda circulated in advance]

  1. Opening of meeting (Chair)
  2. Submission of minutes of previous meeting (Secretary)
  3. Reading of reports, i.e. Treasurer’s, Fund-Raising, Program Committee’s and discussion
  4. Old business
  5. Unfinished business from previous meetings
  6. Motions that were tabled from previous meetings
  7. New business–motions to be made for voting by the board
  8. Meeting closing (on schedule)

Discussion

  • Only members and guests recognized by the Chair may speak. 

Motions and Voting

  • Generally, before any item can be discussed, there should be a motion made and seconded. Once a motion has been seconded, discussion will follow. After discussion, one of four things can happen:
  • There can be a vote on the motion.
  • The motion can be amended (second required). Then there can be discussion on the amendment. The amendment can be voted. If the amendment passes, the motion automatically passes. If the amendment fails, the motion still stands and can be discussed until voted.
  • The motion can be tabled (second required). There can be no discussion on a motion to table–a vote must be taken immediately. If the vote is to table, no further discussion can take place on the motion.
  • There may be no action on the motion–therefore it becomes old business at a future meeting.
  • Motions must be clear and concise. A motion to “improve fund-raising” would be vague and discussions could meander. However, a motion to “sponsor a benefit golf tournament” is specific and could be effectively discussed and acted on. 

Committees

  • Make general board meetings more productive by use of committees and rely on committee reports as a basis for action. Committees can sort through minutiae and come forward with a well-developed proposal for the whole board to consider. Committees can also be a development pool for future board members.

Disagreements

  • The Chair of the meeting is responsible for maintaining order. On procedural questions, the Chair’s ruling will be determinative and final.

Also see: Governance for Nonprofits: From Little Leagues to Universities A Summary of Organizational Governance Principles and Resources for Directors of Nonprofit Organizations By The American Society of Corporate Secretaries and The National Center for Nonprofit Boards.

3. Meeting Ground Rules – A Parts List – Make Your Own Rules

Ground rules are agreements about expected behavior in meetings. The purpose of ground rules is to make explicit the group’s norms about how team members will interact, thus preventing or reducing misunderstandings and disagreements. Ground rules may differ greatly by department, committee or group, but they should always contribute to the group’s ability to work together effectively.

  • List your primary ground rules on each agenda.
  • If you have new attendees/board or committee members who are not used to your meetings, you might review each ground rule.
  • Keep the ground rules posted at all times.

Make your own ground rules!

A parts list:

  • Participate. Speak up!
  • Focus.
  • Maintain momentum.
  • Reach closure.
  • Trust. Good intentions can work through difficult issues.
  • Respect. Respect the rights of others to different points of view.
  • Inquire. Explore feelings, ideas, thinking; listen for new understanding.
  • Share your ideas and thoughts. Be authentic. Seek feedback.
  • Engaged listening. Focus. Refrain from judging & giving advice. Reflect and summarize.
  • Be on time.
  • Listen with interest.
  • Signal respect by your body language & eye contact.
  • Be open minded.
  • Interact with others.
  • Participate in discussions.
  • Be willing to compromise.
  • Listen twice as much as you speak.
  • Listen to yourself.
  • Capture your ideas on your notepad as they happen.
  • Headline first when you speak, then give a brief background.
  • Stay open-minded to new ideas; suspend judgment.
  • Speak only for yourself; let others do the same.
  • Offer ideas or make statements instead of asking questions.
  • Find value in what others say.
  • Assume positive intention.
  • No heat-seeking missiles.
  • Keep the best interest of the organization in mind.
  • Treat everyone in a dignified manner.
  • Support decisions made by consensus.
  • Everyone participates–no one dominates.
  • Listen as an ally, a partner, and work to understand before evaluating.
  • Silence will be interpreted as agreement.
  • We will assume positive intent first when things begin to go wrong.
  • Minimize interruptions and side conversations.
  • Cell phones must be turned off. Leave the room to answer calls.
  • We encourage dialogue, not argument.
  • We do our homework in order to be ready to work.
  • We seek group consensus.
  • In dealing with conflict, listening, giving and receiving feedback, we will not shoot the messenger.
  • We will be honest in our communication.
  • Membership implies commitment, engagement & attendance.
  • Respect one another with voice and body language.
  • Speak only for yourself.
  • Focus on interests.
  • Work together to reach mutually acceptable solutions.
  • Speak up.
  • Ask questions.
  • Listen carefully.

4. 26 Steps to Improving Committee Functioning

~ By Terrie Tempkin, Ph.D., NonProfit Management Solutions, Inc.

Nonprofit Boards and Governance Review
April 3, 2003

Most of the nonprofits with which I work expect their board members to actively participate on at least one committee. The expectation is that it is through committees the work of the organization will occur. However, few see committees as an expedient means of accomplishing their goals. Laurence Peter, author of The Peter Principle, echoes the true feelings of many when he facetiously suggests, “to get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of them absent.”

Despite their various drawbacks, you can expect to spend a lot of time in committees, especially with the traditional concern in nonprofit organizations for people and process. Minimize your frustration and maximize your productivity by following some simple steps.

  • Be clear about the committee’s purpose.  What does it exist to accomplish?
  • Stay away from standing committees wherever possible.  The urgency and importance of the committee’s tasks tend to get diluted when the group meets month after month.  Instead, rely on ad hoc (self-limiting) committees to deal with specific issues.
  • Give considerable thought to who should sit on the committee.  Look outside the board and, perhaps even, the organization.  You will not only increase your chances of finding people with the specific skills you need, you will end up cultivating potential board members for the future.
  • Tell people why they were asked to sit on the committee and what is expected of them. Include likely commitments of time, energy, skills, contacts and money.
  • Spend some time allowing committee members to bond.  People are more willing to participate and take on responsibility when they feel a commitment to the group.
  • As a group, state the problems or issues to be tackled.  This way everyone starts on the same page.
  • Limit committee discussions to topics that fit the organization’s mission, vision, values and priorities.
  • Send out agendas and preparatory materials ahead of meetings so that people can come prepared to work.
  • Meet only when there is something substantial with which to deal.  There is nothing sacred about monthly meetings.
  • Give people sufficient notice of meetings and try to avoid making last minute changes to the schedule.
  • Begin and end your meetings on time.  People are far more likely to come if they feel you respect their calendar.
  • Assign tasks as evenly as possible.  While it may be easier to ask the same handful of people that do everything, it guarantees that you limit participation, leadership development and potential productivity.
  • Solicit then listen to everyone’s input. After all, the value of committees is summed up in the adage “two heads are better than one.”
  • Don’t just accept comments at face value.  Feed back the comments in your own language, applying your interpretation. Ask questions. Probe.  Be sure you understand what is being said, and why it is being said.
  • Assume that even the most off-the-wall ideas make sense to the people who express them.  Instead of rejecting such ideas out of hand, ask for clarification.
  • Don’t fight over ownership of an idea.  The important thing is that the idea is out there to potentially benefit the organization.
  • Speak only for yourself.  Let others provide their own explanations or rationales.
  • Play the devil’s advocate.  Always ask the group to consider the downside of a pending decision.  When people feel they have thoroughly looked at all the potential negatives, they are more confident of any decisions to proceed.
  • Strive for consensus.  While time consuming, it simplifies implementation and ensures commitment.
  • Bring conflict into the open.
  • Don’t assume that silence means agreement in situations where decisions are being made.
  • If you can’t reach consensus, consider:
    a) identifying shared interests and working to build on those;
    b) thinking up ways to make the most promising option better or more palatable;
    c) putting aside the solutions already on the table, restating the mission, vision and goals, and generating a new list of possible solutions that might also/better meet the organization’s needs;
    d) initiating a trial period in which the strongest option is put to the test;
    e) changing the scope of the problem:
    f) agreeing to limit the decision to procedural items rather than substantive.
  • Stay focused on the goals and tasks of the committee.
  • Keep action-oriented minutes
    a) record only resolutions and votes, not “he said,… she said”;
    b) include sections such as supplies to order, ideas to implement, people to call;
    c) Summarize with who will do what, by when.
  • Follow-up after the meeting.
    a) ask committee members if they are comfortable with their decisions;
    b) set up a system to bring those who missed the meeting up to date;
    c) do what you promised to do at the meeting.
  • Prepare a report to the board. Include:
    a) the committee’s recommendations;
    b) the pros and cons of each recommendation;
    c) the rationale for the recommendations made.

Following these 26 steps will ensure that your committees won’t operate like those cited by Milton Berle. The comedian used to say that a committee is a group that keeps minutes and wastes hours.