Archive of Past Editions
Fall 2020
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We started researching the stories for this edition of Community Vitality in the summer of 2020. It was clear then that our nation and our region were experiencing an... View Issue
Spring 2020
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The grand opening of the $50 million Sky Lakes Collaborative Health Center in Klamath Falls celebrated much more than the completion of a successful building project. The December... View Issue
Fall 2019
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Butte Creek Mill has been a mainstay of the economy in Eagle Point and its surroundings since it first opened its doors in 1872. More recently, the mill — still in commercial... View Issue
Spring 2019
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Ana Gomez began working with OSU Open Campus’ Juntos program at its inception in 2012. She believed in its purpose: to provide Latino families with resources to support the... View Issue
Fall 2018
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Early ranchers shared the wide-open lands of Central and Eastern Oregon with about 1 million acres of native western juniper. Today, biologists estimate that juniper stands now... View Issue
Spring 2018
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Teachers see it all too often: a young child melting down and reacting inappropriately — even violently — to everyday occurrences such as being told to put his or her toy away.... View Issue
Fall 2017
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Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services employees are practicing the healthy strategies that they teach. The wellness committee there recently implemented strategies that... View Issue
Spring 2017
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The statistics are staggering — one in 10 children experience some form of sexual abuse before they turn 18. And studies have shown that consequences don’t stop with the abuse,... View Issue
Fall 2016
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Incentive-based business attraction strategies like the ones employed by the Central Oregon region to attract Facebook data centers are a favorite economic development tool for... View Issue
Spring 2016
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Oct. 1, 2015, was a day that rocked our world and broke our hearts. The mass shooting at Umpqua Community College was so personal, so local, so much about us. The kind of tragedy... View Issue
Fall 2015
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In July, Ford Institute Director Roque Barros and Associate Director Max Gimbel met with a community action team in Ontario. The group had identified 10 priorities after a Ford... View Issue
Spring 2015
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On the morning of Sept. 15, 2014, people in the northern California community of Weed were enjoying a sunny fall day. Children were settling into their week at school. The Weed... View Issue
Fall 2014
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What happens in early childhood matters. Those of us who have dedicated our careers to early childhood issues know that the early years of life are crucial not only for individual... View Issue
Spring 2014
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No one likes to think that he or she will ever experience a catastrophic event — a natural or manmade disaster that puts lives and communities at risk. Yet we’ve seen it happen... View Issue
Fall 2013
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When I was a younger mother (a long time ago), I was worried about my 15-year-old son. He was defiant. He was a marginal performer at school and lacked motivation. I kept thinking... View Issue
Spring 2013
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For the past few years, I have been privileged to volunteer as a board member for a large, local nonprofit organization. The organization is complex and provides services that are... View Issue
Fall 2012
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For many years, my family has taken camping trips with several other families. It’s a lot of fun, but it also was a lot of work. The process would start in midwinter, as we... View Issue
Spring 2012
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The Ford Institute for Community Building has been conducting leadership classes in rural communities throughout Oregon and northern California for the last nine years. The... View Issue
Fall 2011
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It is hard for me to reconcile that at age 65 I’ve lived about one third of Oregon’s history since Lewis and Clark visited our north coast in 1805. Yet, it is rather easy to look... View Issue
Spring 2011
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Oregon rancher Connie Hatfield often visits urban grocery stores in her role as co-founder of the Country Natural Beef cooperative. When she tells customers that she is from a... View Issue
Fall 2010
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It’s almost impossible to read the news and not find a story about a community in trouble. We hear about high unemployment rates and low graduation percentages, empty storefronts... View Issue
Spring 2010
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In the tiny town of Dayville (pop. 138), the general store does a lot more than sell groceries. It’s a feed store, a liquor store, a variety store and—like many rural mercantiles—... View Issue
