Ryan McCambridge Serves as Chair of the Oregon Food Bank Network

Ryan McCambridge, Linn Benton Food Share Coordinator, has been elected to serve as Chair of the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) Network. The network is made up of 20 regional agencies serving Oregon. CSC’s Linn Benton Food Share program is one of the network’s agencies. McCambridge comes to the position from two years of service to the network as the Vice Chair. He will serve as Chair for two years.

“During my tenure as Chair, I hope to encourage the network as a whole toward statewide solutions to food security problems while remaining focused on our respective local efforts,” said McCambridge. “We can accomplish a great deal as a network. For instance, the OFB network, working together at the state capitol, was able to increase state funding to increase capacity at food banks throughout the state. The General Food & Fund program has had a dramatic impact on providing food to Oregonians seeking emergency assistance.”
CSC’s Linn Benton Food Share distributes nearly 5 million pounds of food in Linn and Benton counties to its 75 member agencies which include emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, day care centers, and many other non-profits serving people with low and moderate incomes.

My Most Memorable Experience in the Building Bridges AmeriCorps*VISTA Program

Last week the CSC ‘Building Bridges’ program said goodbye to the ten people pictured below as they completed their year of AmeriCorps*VISTA service.

Tifani Erpelding, Project Coordinator, with the departing 2009 ‘Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps*VISTA team: From the left, Rachel Karasick, Megan Davis, Melissa Clark, Kaija Daniel, Megan Hutchinson (sitting on floor), Miao Zhao (hidden), Tifani, Hilary McAlister, Jen Crist (front and center) April Pritchard, and Matt Walker.

By Hilary McAlister, who served at CSC's Santiam Wilderness Academy in Lebanon

My most memorable experience this year was a presentation the Santiam Wilderness Academy youth gave to the Lebanon Genealogical Society. We received a grant to do restoration work on a pioneer cemetery and the students presented their work. I showed the pictures on the projector and the students spoke about their experiences.

The community members were excited to hear about this cemetery, which due to terrain, is out of reach for most of them. They were thrilled to hear the youth caring and connecting to the past and to local history. As for the students, they blossomed under the interest and gratitude of the Genealogical Society members. They excitedly recounted the work they did in the field, the grave marker assessment activity, the hike up the hill, the importance of the work, and most importantly, how it made them feel.

They were able to share their own thoughts and feelings for people who were interested. A couple of students remarked afterwards how nice it was to share their hard work with people who cared. Although this did not earn money, in-kind donations, volunteers, or partnerships (all of our “measurable outcomes” as VISTAs), it was a positive community connection for everyone involved. For me, those spontaneous connections between people are the reason I serve.

CSC Head Start...the Good News

We were so proud to see all of our 160 children graduate from Head Start in Toledo, Newport, and Lincoln City. We had a total of six hundred people in attendance throughout the day at the sites. We had great food, ceremony and piñatas for the children to play with and receive gifts. We know that graduation in 2011 will be just as wonderful.

In spite of the serious budget crisis in our state, and the cuts that CSC Head Start received (9.5%), we are still in business. While we reduced the number of children served by six in the coming year, we have retained all our classes and will begin September 14th with optimism, joy and good will.

Head Start is more than a pre-school. We care for the well being of the children and their families, making sure that health needs, nutrition as well as education are addressed throughout the year. We have family meetings, monthly, and our teacher/advocates visit our families each month in their homes or at our school sites.

With all the services that CSC provides, many referrals for support are made to our parents for connections throughout the county. Parents have received job training, help with a first home purchase, energy assistance and more. Even with the absence of our transportation service, our families are committed to giving their children the best Head Start on their lives and will work together to bring their children to school.

Our friends at DHS Self-Sufficiency program will assist parents in their Jobs program with transportation costs. Our “Friends” group is planning the second “Dinner Down the Bay” this year in October to help raise money for Head Start; many of the restaurants in the historic Bayfront in Newport are contributing to the “progressive dinner” that will include a boat ride on the bay.

We welcome volunteers in any and all aspects of our program operations and hope many people will call us to step up for our children and the future! You can count on us to be there, welcoming children and families on September 14th to begin a wonderful year of education, fun, and support.

Suzanne Miller, Director
CSC Lincoln County Head Start

Gleaners Spend a Second Season Helping With Blueberry Project

CSC's Linn Benton Food Share Gleaners have been assisting with a blueberry research project for a second season at the Oregon State University Lewis/Brown Farm.

The gleaners pick blueberries from specifically marked sections. These berries are weighed to provide data on crop yield. At the end of the day, the gleaners get the berries to share with their adoptees and groups made up of low income individuals and families.

Dr. Oscar Vargas, from the OSU Horticulture Department is conducting the project to study crop yield by using different types of fertilizers and application processes. His main objective is to compare conventional fertilizer application and fertigation, fertilizers applied through the irrigation water.

This summer CSC’s Workforce & Education department got in the act by sending their Garden Youth Crew to work along with the gleaners for two days on the project.

“It’s been a great opportunity for gleaners and adoptees to reap the benefits of gleaning nutritious blueberries while providing a useful service to Dr. Vargas and his great team of assistants,” said Susan James, Linn Benton Food Share Gleaning and Volunteer Coordinator.
“They often picked side by side with the gleaners, explaining their project while also learning about our gleaning program. We also really enjoyed having the Garden Youth Crew join in with gusto. “

Second Chance Renter Rehabilitation Program

The next session of the Second Chance Renter Rehabilitation program will be held at CSC's
Corvallis office from 5:30-7:30 on the following dates.

Workshop Schedule:

September 20th , 22nd, 27th, 29th and

October 4th & 6th

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Workshop Topics:

* How to be a Good Tenant
* Landlord/Tenant Issues
* Goal Setting/Self Esteem
* Energy Education
* Financial Fitness
* Conflict Resolution

Participants must attend all six classes in order to receive a certificate. If you know of anyone who is interested in taking the classes, please call Cindy Pratt in the Corvallis office to request a registration form. Registration deadline is Wednesday, May 26th.

Who is the program for?
The course is designed to help the prospective renter help themselves by attending six classes taught by qualified instructors from the community.

Prospective tenants will Learn:
how to demonstrate consistency, trust, and a desire to succeed
how to be a good tenant
how to have a good relationship with the landlord
about Tenant Law and Fair Housing issues
how to set reachable goals
how to repair credit
how to better manage money

For more information, please contact
Cindy Pratt at Community Services Consortium (541) 758-2798

Current Job Openings

* Eligibility Clerk - opens August 11
* Maintenance worker ( Head Start ) - Position open until filled
* Project Instructor 1 ( Lincoln City ) - Position open until filled
* Project Instructor 1 – ( Youth House Garden ) - Position open until filled

To apply for a job at CSC you must submit a CSC application.

CSC’s Community Housing Services Receives $5,000 For Foreclosure Counseling

John Wendel, Assistant Manager of the Bank of America’s Corvallis branch presents a $5,000 check to Tom Hatley, Director of Community Housing Services and Jon Polansky, Housing Resource Coordinator.

Community Housing Services (CHS) a program of Community Services Consortium (CSC) received a $5,000 grant from The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc. to provide foreclosure counseling to residents of Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.

The grant will allow CHS staff to offer free one-on-one foreclosure intervention counseling for residents at risk of foreclosure because they are coming close to missing their mortgage payments or already in the process of being foreclosed.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this grant from The Bank of America Charitable Foundation at a time when the number of foreclosures in Oregon has risen to 3rd in the country,” said Hatley. “We are one of just a few resources for families to turn to and we appreciate this support of our foreclosure counseling program.”

In addition to foreclosure counseling, Community Housing Services offers weatherization, home rehabilitation loans and home buying and financial fitness classes to low and moderate income persons and families.”

FREE Homebuyer Workshop

Community Housing Services (CHS) a program of Community Services Consortium, will hold a free homebuyer Workshop in Lincoln City.

Thursdays
August 5 and 12,
1:00pm to 5:00 pm


At: Beacon Crest Apartments,
Oceanspray Center
2897 NE 47th St.
Lincoln City

Please register by calling 866-245-1780 or E-mailing blarsen@communityservices.us

THIS CLASS WILL HELP YOU:
• Search for and evaluate homes
• Work on damaged credit and evaluate credit worthiness
• Work with housing industry professionals
• Gain knowledge and confidence with the home purchase process
• Learn about financing the purchase of your home and learn about loan products for low-income homebuyers
• Learn how to close on a purchase and protect your investment

Serving Linn, Lincoln and Benton Counties as the Regional Housing Center since 2004, Community Housing Services(CHS) is the center for access to home ownership and housing resources.

CHS provides information and access to low and moderate income individuals and families for homeownership, home rehabilitation, and educational programs available from the housing providers in the Tri-County area.

CHS helps encourage a vibrant and thriving community by providing counseling on homeownership and foreclosure prevention, workshops on home buying and financial fitness, and connecting current and potential homeowners to resources, including Individual Development Accounts.

CSC Offers Foreclosure Counseling

Are you or someone you know facing FORECLOSURE? We offer Free HUD Certified Mortgage Intervention Counseling at Community Housing Services, a member of the Community Services Consortium.

Call us: (541) 758-2786
Toll Free: 1-866-245-1780

Happenings in Housing and Community Resources

As reported in the latest Management Team meeting minutes, Tom Hatley's crew continues to be busy on all fronts:

• Pelican Place permanent supportive housing in Newport started construction. The open house is scheduled for September 29.

• The Weatherization Program continues its multi-family projects, with 31 units completed in June as well as counting substantial progress on four to five other multi-family units.

• Housing Rehabilitation is busy fixing up owner-occupied houses, which includes housing purchased by the program utilizing the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds. NSP funds are part of the federal stimulus program and is related to the purchase of foreclosed properties in counties with high foreclosure rates. The homes, once rehabbed, will be turned over to already-identified organizations to be used as transitional housing to assist people out of homelessness.

•Community Development met with Sunshine Industry in Sweet Home and Sweet Home City Manager Craig Martin to talk about how the department might assist Sunshine Industry with acquiring a new facility.

Please check out the website for more information on the Housing and Community Resources department.

CSC Head Start of Lincoln County Now Enrolling

CSC Head Start, a no-cost preschool serving Lincoln County, is now enrolling for the 2010-2011 program year at their sites in Lincoln City, Toledo, and Newport. Children must be 3 or 4 years old by September 1, 2010. Applications with enrollment information are available at each site or by calling 541-996-3028.

Head Start sites:
• Lincoln City: 2130 SE Lee Street Lincoln City, OR
• Newport: 253 NE 1st Street Newport, OR
• Toledo 845 NW A Street, Toledo, OR

Summer Status No Slow-Down for CSC Head Start

CSC Head Start (CSCHS) continues to be busy, even though the Program is on summer status.

Donations
We are pleased to have received donations from:
$4,800 from Spirit Mountain for classroom related expenses
$700.00 unrestricted funds from the Eagles of Newport

With the budget cuts that CSCHS is experiencing from the state, the generosity of the community becomes more and more important. WE are very grateful to our supporters!

Public Outreach
Head Start Director Suzanne Miller has been on two local radio interviews and will be invited back to Newport KCUP radio in September and possibly before for further interviews and specialized focus on Head Start. We are looking into public presentations as well as possible public television for continued public relations.

Our “Friends of Head Start” group has met regularly and although small in size are committed. To celebrate the National Week of the Young Child in April, our Friends helped set up a children’s art show titled “Head Start Art” throughout Lincoln County which was covered by newspapers in Newport and Lincoln city. We currently have good media relationships and will continue to maintain these relationships.

Graduation
Graduation occurred at each Site on Wednesday, May 12. Over 400 family and community members attended programwide to participate in the festivities as 92 children moved on to Kindergarten and 67 children commenced into their second year of Head Start.
For the upcoming Program year, Lincoln City is expecting 33 returning children; Newport is expecting 27 returning children; and Toledo has 7 children who will return.

Enrollment
We are actively enrolling families throughout the County. We have had a major reduction in state grants this year and will have to reduce the number of children served by six. This is very sad news particularly in light of the underserved population throughout Lincoln County. Nonetheless, we are nearing our capacity numbers and will, of course, waitlist families.

In order to remain fiscally responsible, CSCHS’s Director, Suzanne Miller, announced that the current transportation system provided by CSCHS would have to be cancelled, which resulted in employee reductions.

It is important to remember that Head Start is the cornerstone of early education in our nation. So many people do not know all the services that Head Start offers that serve the child and families beyond school education and include health, nutrition, emotional well being, family involvement, as well as a host of other services offered through CSCHS by monthly family visits and continual outreach. Many families have utilized our services for job training, new home purchasing and other vital services.

Please check out the website for more information on CSC's Lincoln County Head Start Program.