CSC Homebuyer Workshops in Lincoln County

This eight hour workshop helps prospective homebuyers learn how to successfully navigate the home buying process.

If you’re planning on buying a home in the next few months or next few years—this class is for you. Learn how to search for and evaluate homes, work with housing industry professionals and gain knowledge and confidence with the home purchase process. You’ll receive a certificate at the end of class that may help you to qualify for a number of assistance programs.

Tuesday & Thursday, Feb. 7, 9 14 & 16
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Umpqua Bank
1250 North Coast Hwy, Newport

Tuesday & Thursday Apr. 17, 19, 24 & 26
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Beacon Crest Apartments Family Center
2897 NE 47th St., Lincoln City

Register by emailing Beth Larsen at blarsen@communityservices.us or calling 541-704-7647

Garden Season Begins at CSC

Jesse Hernandez and Jason Swanson are youth that participate in our CSC Youth House Garden project. This project provides quality education, training, life skills and employment opportunities to at-risk youth in Benton County. We have kicked off our 2012 gardening season.

We will be selling our produce at the Corvallis Saturday Market starting in April. Please come visit our booth, speak with our youth about our project, and you will have the opportunity purchase some of our delicious local produce and vegetable starts to take home and enjoy. We hope to see you there.

Show your love for Dutch Bros coffee and Linn Benton Food Share!

On Valentine's Day, Feb 14, all 16 oz drinks can be had for $1.00 and three cans of food at Dutch Bros. locations in Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon and Sweet Home

Food collected during this one-day drive benefits Linn Benton Food Share and it's network of 74 agencies.

Healthy Kids Window Display at Footwise

Jeannie Ramsey, CSC Healthy Kids Coordinator, and Maria Powell, CSC Intern, collaborated on a window display to promote the Healthy Kids program in Corvallis.

The Display, designed by Maria, will be in the Footwise shoe store window on the corner of Monroe and Third streets in Corvallis until the mid-February.

Healthy Kids provides healthcare coverage for Oregon residents up to their 19th birthday. For more information on the program, contact Jeannie at 541-928-6335 ex. 335, or jramsey@communityservices.us

Trevor Thibert, 9 years old has a history of donating to Food Share

Trevor Thibert last year at age 8 when he donated $404.32 to Food Share from his earnings at the farmer's market and a match from his grandfather.

Trevor Thibert, aged 9, donated to Linn Benton Food Share for the third year in a row. He played his fiddle with his grandfather at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market this summer to raise money for Linn Benton Food Share. Last year he raised around $202 at the market which his grandfather matched for a $404 donation. Three years ago he asked his friends to bring a donation of canned food for Food Share to his birthday party instead of presents.

This year Trevor reached his goal of earning $250 (plus 66 cents) at the Corvallis Saturday Farmer’s market and talked his father’s boss into matching his donation with a check for $250.66. Trevor and his brother, Brayden and their parents brought their donation of $501.32 to Linn Benton Food Share this month.

Linn Benton Food Share salutes you, Trevor. The money will go to buy nutritious food for people in Linn and Benton counties who need the food this winter.

Cheadle Challenge Adventure Run Volunteers

Throughout late October and early November, CSC YouthBuild AmeriCorps students volunteered over 15 hours to help the Lebanon Community Foundation (LCF) prepare for the first-ever Cheadle Challenge Adventure Run that occurred on November 12, 2011. The event was held at Lebanon Community Park near Cheadle Lake and funds raised will benefit the LCF, as well as the Oregon Military Support Network. Over 300 runners participated in Cheadle Challenge, including eight YouthBuild students who were given complementary registrations by the LCF as a gracious thank you for students’ efforts. Such efforts included trimming blackberry bushes and removing brush to clear several trails along the course of the Adventure Run. In addition, students assisted with creating obstacles and even built an 8-foot tall wall which runners had to climb over during the first mile of the 3.6-mile race!

AmeriCorps*VISTA Team Spends the Day Learning About Homelessness in Benton County and Giving Back

CSC’s Building BridgesAmeriCorps-*Vista Leader, Katherine Finch, right, gives the fridge a thorough washing, while Melissa Poole, left, VISTA member at ChristWalk Supportive Transitional Housing in Lebanon helps organize the cabinets.

Last month, on November 16th, the ‘Building Bridges’ VISTA team gathered together for an educational, entertaining and service-filled team day.

The group started their day at Community Outreach Inc.(COI), a local agency that provides services and assistance to the homeless and poor individuals in the mid-Valley area. They toured the facility and learned about its services and resources from Volunteer Coordinator, Gerry Perrone.

They moved on to COI’s Supportive Permanent Housing Program, located in Benton Plaza. They assisted Case Manager and Coordinator, Angie Dahlke, clean, organize and decorate the community room for the holiday season. The team was joined by residents of the housing units for a hot apple cider social, accompanied with holiday-themed games and goodies made by the programs women’s group.

After a dinner at Downward Dog restaurant, that was graciously partially donated by the restaurants’ owner, Cloud Davidson, the members headed to the Oregon State Campus to attend the OSU Center for Civic Engagement’s faces of Homelessness Panel Discussion. Representatives from Jackson Street Youth Shelter, COI, OSU’s Human Services Resource Center and community members shared their personal and work-related experiences with the issues of hunger and homelessness. Commissioner Jay Dixon provided attendees with an update to the progress on “Benton County’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.”

The day was considered to be a huge success by all, and the team parted knowing a little more about homelessness and poverty in Benton County. They felt positive about being able to give back through their volunteer project.

CSC Open House

Martha Lyon, Executive Director and Sharon Barricks from Citizens Bank at Greeter meeting at CSC.

Albany Greater Area Chamber of Commerce held their Greeters meeting at Community Services Consortium at 250 Broadalbin, Albany on the second floor of Two Rivers Market. The Greeters meeting paved the way for CSC’s Open House held from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00.

Sharon Barricks from Citizens Bank won a prize for guessing the increase of emergency food box requests July through September over the same period last year. The correct answer was 15%.

Executive director Martha Lyon hosted the event and talked about CSC’s services to low-income families in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.

The consortium is one of 18 community action networks statewide. It offers programs in energy, housing, education and nutrition. The Albany regional office is on the second floor of Two Rivers Market.

For more information about Community Services Consortium, call 541-928-6335 or email albany@communityservices.us.

Ruby Tuesday’s Community GiveBack Program

Community Services Consortium's Linn-Benton RSVP is partnering with Ruby Tuesday to raise funds to support our programs, including SHIBA, Senior Peer Counseling and Tax-Aide.

Dates: November 8 & December 13
Where: RubyTuesday, 1895 NW 9th St., Corvallis

To help us and enjoy a great meal, just mention to your server that you are dining to support the RSVP program. We will receive 20% of each “non-specials” purchase for the entire day on the 2nd Tuesday of November and December.

Please join us for Second Tuesday @ RubyTuesday!

A Time for Parents Class presented in Spanish

A free workshop series taught entirely in Spanish will be presented Fridays starting Nov. 11 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Albany.

“A Time for Parents,” a series based on Guiding Good Choices, is a research-based curriculum for parents of pre-teens and teens.

Classes will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 11 and 18 and Dec. 2, 9 and 16.
Topics include how to strengthen family bonds, setting family policies, teaching children skills to make healthy choices and keeping kids involved in the family.

To register or for more information, call 541-979-2487.

Fifth Annual Newport Project Homeless Connect

This year’s Fifth Annual Newport Project Homeless Connect was hosted by the Church of the Nazarene on October 6th, 2011. The successful community events lead organizer was Elise Jordan, CSC's ‘Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps VISTA member, with the Lincoln Commission on Children and Families.

Over 100 volunteers and 45 community agency partners pooled together their valuable time, energy and resources to provide 185 homeless individuals in Lincoln County many needed services. Incoming people seeking assistance were greeted with a friendly face and escorted to the intake table where volunteers helped them map out a plan for their afternoon. Event hosts escorted the service seekers throughout the event and joined them for a warm community meal, which had accompanying tunes from local musicians.

Homeless individuals who attended the Homeless Connect received services from Bike Newport who repaired bicycles and wheelchairs, volunteer dentists with their dental teams that provided over $20,000 worth of extractions and emergency dental care, and the hair cut team which provided 51 haircuts. Other services available included: free flu shots to all, resources and referrals for legal services, assistance in processing birth certificates for obtaining identification, housing and job support, onsite medical and vision screenings, as well as numerous other agencies that provided clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags, veterinary services for pets and much more.

HandsOn Linn-Benton Coat Drive

Make a difference by joining HandsOn Linn-Benton, RSVP and Community Services Consortium in a community coat drive culminating on Veteran’s Day, November 11. The organizations are partnering with local nonprofits to collect and distribute new and gently used winter coats. The coats will benefit homeless and low income persons in the two counties served.

Drop-off locations in Benton County include Community Services Consortium, Good Samaritan Episcopal School, and First Congregational Church. In Linn County, coats may be donated at Community Services Consortium, Albany Senior Center, Albany Public Library, and two Richards Cleaners locations.

Nonprofit partners receiving the coats will include Vina Moses and Old Mill Center in Corvallis. Albany Helping Hands Homeless Shelter, Christ Walk and Sweet Home Emergency Ministries are recipients in Linn County.

Richards Cleaners, located at 623 Lyons Street and 630 Hickory NW in Albany, will donate their services and will dry-clean the Linn County donated coats.

For more information or to see how you can volunteer in your community, visit http://www.handsonlinnbenton.org/.