We’ve been a bit quiet, but we’ve been busy so far this year!
In December, the R3V steering committee decided to explore supporting the LTRG executive director, Caryn Wheeler-Clay, as she builds what will be a key organization in our recovery from the Alameda and Obenchain fires as well as our resiliency from any potential future challenges.
Backbone Organization
To step into the work of exploring how we might support Caryn and the LTRG, we had a series of meetings with the LTRG executive committee and full board to discuss in detail how we can support their efforts.
I now meet three times per week with Caryn to support her work and help build the organization. Together, we are working through the details of hiring, the grant writing function, meetings and rationalizing committee structures, board strategic planning, IT infrastructure, and community relationship building.
We have contracted with Sequoia Consulting to begin grant prospecting for the LTRG. This will be invaluable support for Caryn and her teams’ work in the coming months and years. We think OCF for allowing us to use the community rebuilding funds they made available to R3V in a way that will support the recovery of our community.
Housing
The R3V project work on land availability for housing continues as I reach out to the leaders of similar land campaigns in Colorado and California. We already have one deal in the preliminary contract stage and are in discussions with a local institution about their excess land and how we might support converting some of that into housing.
Community Rebuilding
Carrie Turney-Ross of the Jackson County Library System facilitated our last Spanish adult literacy conversation and has agreed to lead the program forward.
Our support of the Zone Captains program continues in a variety of ways and now includes community leadership training, see the course outline here.
Please reach out if you have any thoughts on how we might support the recovery further,
