Archive for category: Community Spotlight

October 20, 2018

As the library closed its doors at the end of the day, the staff at Curry Public Library reflected on their week. Over the previous seven days, the library hosted 26 different programs and meetings. Five public programs were held for children and families. The library hosted meetings for public interest organizations working on the south coast including Advanced Health, the Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board, and the State Watershed Enhancement Board. Nonprofits including the Gordon Elwood Foundation, the Gold Beach Youth Fund, Curry Arts, Gold Beach Main Street, and Daughters of the American Revolution met at the library. Public trainings and informational sessions were held for conversational Italian, Medicare, and First Aid. A button collecting club met, a group of local artists met to share their work, a group of regional early childhood educators met to discuss their work, and members of the Gold Beach City Council hosted an informational meeting and public forum on housing in Gold Beach.

Cumulatively, this week of meetings was the fulfillment of the library’s long-term vision for a multi-use community space that would effective foster learning and civic engagement.

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Two Months Earlier

At 11:55 am on August 18th, 2018, Curry Public Library ushered construction workers out of the building, and at 12:00 pm opened the doors to its new Harald Haug Library Learning Center. Visitors entering the space had the opportunity to tour an elegant 6,400 square foot addition to the original library.

On the first floor visitors viewed a multi-purpose meeting hall designed to accommodate arts and cultural activities, programming for children and families, and hold up to 150 people. The meeting hall features performance quality acoustics, a portable stage, high definition video projection, high speed Wi-Fi capable of supporting over 100 simultaneous users. Adjacent to the meeting hall is a catering kitchen and lobby, the future home of a coffee shop that will serve as a work experience program for youth and young adults learning job skills.

Proceeding to the second floor, visitors were introduced to a technology teaching and learning lab that can provide access for both youth and adults to scanners, color printing, 3-D printing, and specialized software for video editing, graphic arts, CAD, design, and modeling. A conference room adjacent to the technology lab is available to community groups and includes video teleconferencing equipment. The second floor also includes a gallery space, which features rotating single and multi artist shows.

The Ribbon Cutting for the Harald Haugh Library Learning Center in Gold Beach, August 18, 2018.

The Fundraising Effort

Ten years earlier, the ribbon cutting and celebration for the opening of the main library facility in 2008 was not a long-lived party. Curry Public Library Board of Directors and the Friends of the Library immediately started raising money to support the construction of the community meeting spaces they were forced to cut out of their architectural plans to make budget. For the next ten years the Friends of the Library held annual book sales and dessert auctions to raise $100,000. By 2015 the prospect for being able to expand the facility was looking good as a result of generous bequests from the estates of Harald Haug ($1,200,000), Charles Rouse ($305,000), and Cliff & Maxine Yadon ($50,000). In that year, the library paid off its $425,000 mortgage, and started serious planning for a facility expansion. Over the next three years, the Friends of the Library applied for and received matching grant funding from The Ford Family Foundation ($250,000), the Southwest Oregon Children’s Foundation ($155,000), the Collins Foundation ($50,000), the Southwest Oregon Workforce Investment Board ($25,000), the Oregon Community Foundation ($20,000), the Smullin Foundation ($20,000), the Mike Keiser Fund ($12,000), the City of Gold Beach Urban Renewal Fund ($13,000), and an anonymous $20,000 grant.

Harald Haug Library Learning Center under construction, January 19, 2018.

Gathering Community Input

Knowing that a successful community space would need to be designed to meet real needs, the library began an effort to gather ideas and input. From July 1-December 1, 2015, the Friends of the Library distributed surveys, asking the community for their input on how the new facility should be used, and what equipment and technology they wanted included. The Friends hosted stakeholder meetings, asking for input from local leaders in business, government, education, the nonprofit sector, and parents. As a result of the feedback from the surveys, and brainstorming with stakeholders and library Board members, plans for the new addition grew into a fully functional library learning center. The vision for the new space was passed on to HGE, Inc., Architects from North Bend, Oregon, who created plans for a space that would meet the library’s goals and meld effectively with the existing library structure. In August 2017 contractors broke ground on the new facility.

Community members gather for the inaugural event in the Harald Haug Library Learning Center, a talk by Northwest Author Jim Lynch.

Expanding Program Offerings

Since the opening of the original library structure in 2008, the library struggled to provide program and meeting spaces. The main atrium of the library was the only available program area, which resulted in conflicts between library users and serious space constraints for programs. Any time there was a speaker, a concert, or a class, furniture was moved to make room. This make-do space could comfortably accommodate 20 people, while the library occasionally hosted programs with 100 attendees.

The need for additional programs and program spaces was confirmed by the widely distributed community survey conducted by the Friends of Curry Public Library. Respondents stated they wanted to see more programs for children, arts and cultural programs, and access to technology resources not available in Gold Beach.

“Bloom,” a painting by Clara Herbage on display in the gallery of the Harald Haug Library Learning Center.

Immediately after opening the new learning center space, the library began to see the benefits for the general public of expanded opportunities for learning. Author talks, movie nights, concerts, lectures, workshops, conversation groups, movie screenings, children’s programs, and artist talks are all available to community members at the library, almost all free and open to the public. Since opening the new learning spaces, the library has hosted a weekly Kaleidoscope Play and Learn group, a facilitated play group for children and their caregivers, and has been able to move their weekly Baby Storytime and regular Storytime to a room with fewer distractions.

Planning for future programs is underway. First Chapter Coffee House, based on a collaboration between Curry Public Library and Southwest Oregon Workforce Investment Board, is slated to open in early 2019 in the main lobby of the learning center. The coffee shop will provide hands-on work experience for young adults. Collaborations between the library’s new middle school after school program and adult and children’s programs are in the works, with the goal of providing more family and inter generational programs.

Students from Southern Oregon University’s Theater Program performed scenes from Shakespeare at Curry Public Library, one of the opening events for the new learning center. 

The ASCEND Program

One of the library’s priorities for its new space was an after school program. This seemed like an undertaking that might take years to plan and implement, but in July 2018, after a competitive application process, Curry Public Library was fortunate to receive a $1.2 million-dollar, 5-year, 21st Century Community Learning Center grant from the Oregon Department of Education to provide after school programming for students in 6-8 grade. Curry Public Library was the only library to receive one of these grants, and was one of only 24 programs in the state to receive funding.

The After School Commitment to Education and Development (ASCEND) Program is a collaboration between Curry Public Library and Central Curry School District. The program provides opportunities for enrichment and tutoring; works with community partners to offer an array of programs and activities to broaden horizons and promote exploratory learning; helps students navigate the transition from middle to high school through a bridge program; and promotes meaningful dialogue with students’ families.

Under the leadership of Karlie Wright, the program successfully launched on October 22nd with 50 student attendees. Since the program began, these students have received extra support with their academic work from tutors and volunteers, and have had the opportunity to do hands on activities, like mask making, and pumpkin painting. Plans are underway for dog walking at the local shelter, pie making, babysitter trainer, cooking and nutrition lessons, activities in the school garden and so much more. Organizations and volunteers throughout the community have signed on to provide relevant and fun programming for the student participants.

ASCEND participants make masks with ASCEND staff member, Perry Kishaba.

Reflections

Reflecting back over the Harald Haug Library Learning Center project, one thing stands out: the incredible support from a community that first transformed an idea into a physical building, and then filled that building with people and opportunities for learning. So, whether you want to check out a book or use a computer, attend a local concert, take a cooking class or have a meeting, you very well might find yourself at Curry Public Library in Gold Beach.

 

A Note for Community Groups & Nonprofits:

Room Reservations at Curry Public Library: The Harald Haug Library Learning Center is available to community groups to use for activities that fit under the umbrella of learning. The Meeting Hall and the Conference Room are both able for rental. For a room reservation, contact Curry Public Library at 541-247-7246. Nonprofit groups may apply to have fees waived.

Wild Rivers Connect: Wild Rivers Connect provides networking opportunities and resources for nonprofits in Curry and Del Norte Counties. Curry Public Library and Friends of the Curry Public Library have listings on the Wild Rivers Connect (WRC) website. If you have questions about how WRC can help your nonprofit organization, please contact us.

 

Nonprofit Profile: Brookings-Harbor Food Bank

“Give people an opportunity to give, and they will.”

–Pamela Winebarger, Executive Director of the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank

During the Chetco Bar Fire in August of 2017, there was a 400% increase in people coming to the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank. In August alone, the numbers went from a normal 1800 people helped, to over 4300; the need tripled. The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank stopped requiring income verification- anyone who needed food during the crisis got some- and they started handing out weekly boxes instead of the normal monthly one.

Since that time, the food bank has still seen some increase in their numbers. Their daily counter food, where individuals can come to the food bank daily and receive protein rich items, such as a boiled egg, chicken and several other items, sees 800-900 individuals monthly for the daily program. Approximately 400 food boxes go out monthly, feeding around 1200 people. Weekly snack packs go out to many children ages 2-17. 2017 was their biggest year thus far with over 3,900 children receiving snack packs.

With this ongoing and increased need for food in the community, the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank has had to respond creatively. I recently interviewed Pamela Winebarger, the Executive Director of the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank to get the story.

How It All Got Started:

Brookings-Harbor Food Bank was established in 1984 by local citizens who saw a need for food assistance in Brookings. In 2017, they served 29,684 individuals in the Brookings-Harbor area through their daily counter, food box and snack pack programs. Pamela Winebarger has been their Executive Director since April 2017. She has over 6 years’ experience managing a food bank in California and Nevada. Before that, she spent over 30 years in social service type work, helping people from all stages of life.

 

Meeting the Community Need:

When asked what she attributes the food bank’s successes towards, Pamela responds that networking and being proactive have been crucial to their success. “Nonprofits have to reach out to others, see what they are doing. Go out and get information.” Pamela does this in a variety of ways: she attends the St. Tim’s soup kitchen once a month on Saturdays, as her schedule allows, and she regularly attends Wild Rivers Connect luncheons to network with other nonprofit leaders in the community. She also works to get the word out about what is going on at the food bank.

Pamela attributes support from organizations and individuals in the community to their success as well. “Those people keep us in a place where we can help other people.” Their list of community partners is long: The Oregon Food Bank, South Coast Food Share, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Chetco Grange, Emblem Club, Church of the Nazarene, Rotary Club, High School garden program, Girl Scouts, Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree, Bi Mart, Fred Meyer, The Salvation Army, Oregon Coast Community Action, multiple churches, civic organizations, and the list goes on!

Volunteers are also crucial for the day-to-day operations of the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank and really step up in times of crisis. Pamela reflects on the Chetco Bar Fire: “Thank goodness for our Food bank manager, Carolita Briggs, and the 18-20 other volunteers who pushed themselves all of August and September, during the worst of it,” Pamela recalls, “they were a Godsend, and I had to be constantly making sure they would take a break and not push themselves so hard!”

In addition to accepting donations, Pamela applies for grants to support their programs. She recently received a grant to increase protein items, like yogurt, cheese, and tuna, in the snack packs that go to children. She is seeking a grant to increase the protein of their counter options for people coming in daily, which was over 10,000 people last year. Protein and carbohydrates are crucial to sustain people who are hungry.

 

Projects in the Works:

The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank is always on the lookout for creative solutions to the increased need in the community. Sometimes that means learning from programs that already exist instead of reinventing the wheel. They are working on two new projects, Full Plate Partners and the Neighborhood Food Project to engage donors. “A lot of people want to donate, but they don’t know how,” says Pamela. “This makes it easy.”

Full Plate Partners is a donation program that began in Eureka, California. People in the community that choose to participate are sent 12 pre-addressed envelopes; this makes it easy for them to send a monthly donation to the Food Bank. Brookings-Harbor Food Bank is rolling out the Full Plate Partners locally, and Pamela is working with Del Norte Office Supply for supplies. Pamela thinks this a great method for many nonprofits, not only food banks, to engage their donors. People are responding well, “I have had such an outpouring of positive feedback,” says Pamela. Whenever she shows people the envelopes, they want to sign up for the program.

The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank also has plans to support a Neighborhood Food Project in the Brookings area. This program started in Medford in 2008 and has been successfully introduced in many other communities across the U.S., both rural and urban. This is how it works: a volunteer called a neighborhood coordinator recruits neighbors to participate in the program. The neighbors each receive a green reusable bag, and when they visit the grocery store, they purchase an extra non-perishable food item and store it at home in the bag. Every two months, the bags are collected and participants receive a new empty bag. It is a way of enlisting long term donors and making it simple to donate. Currently the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank is looking for a volunteer to head up coordination for this project.

This video shows a Neighborhood Food Project in action:

How to Donate:

Money and food donations are always appreciated at the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank. With monetary donations, the food bank is able to purchase food at a lower price. However, if you do want to donate food, they are always in need of protein packed items such as peanut butter and tuna. Visit their wish list here. A note for all the gardeners out there: Brookings-Harbor Food Banks is able to accept donations of fresh produce from home gardens!

To contact the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank visit their website here or come network with Pamela at the next Wild Rivers Connect luncheon. Sign up here to join the Wild Rivers Connect email list.

About Wild Rivers Connect:

Wild Rivers Connect provides networking opportunities and resources for nonprofits in Curry and Del Norte Counties. The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank has a listing on the Wild Rivers Connect (WRC) website. If you have questions about how WRC can help your nonprofit organization, please contact us.

Article based on an interview conducted with Pamela Winebarger on February 5, 2018.