1999 Annual Report Executive Summary*
Josephine County Enterprise Community
The EC/EZ Community: the Sunny Wolf Community Response Team (SWCRT) covers the northern part of Josephine County and the Illinois Valley Community Response Team (IVCRT) covers the southern and western parts of Josephine County.
Executive Summary, IVCRT: 1999 was a busy and very successful year for the IVCRT. Altogether the IVCRT supported 21 projects through direct funding and participated in many more initiatives and projects as a key community stakeholder.
In 1999, the IVCRT was able to make significant progress in two key areas: First, organizational development and capacity building, and second, project work especially as it pertains to creating economic opportunities.
As reported in last year's annual report, the IVCRT amended its Bylaws in 1998 to open the organization to general members, thus significantly increasing the level of community participation. This process of reaching out and reconnecting with the community continued in 1999. As a result, new general members have continued to register with the organization, and IVCRT general members have elected a total of fourteen new board directors representing a wide variety of community interests and perspectives. IVCRT board directors come from all five communities in the Illinois Valley, are between the ages of seventeen and seventy-two, and hold a wide range of occupations.
Our general members and new board directors have greatly reenergized the organization introducing new ideas and showing a great willingness to work hard on behalf of the community. This reinvigoration is evidenced by the many new projects and programs pursued by this organization in 1999, making last year one of the most successful years for the IVCRT.
When it comes to economic and community development, the IVCRT is committed to the goal of establishing and maintaining a well-diversified economy that creates employment opportunities for local residents without endangering the area's high quality of life. In pursuing this goal, the IVCRT has taken an approach that focuses on identifying and implementing multiple development strategies that are mutually supportive and complementary, foster small-scale, incremental growth, and lead to the employment of local residents.
The economic and community development work of the IVCRT in 1999 reflects this philosophical approach. Over the last year, the IVCRT has simultaneously pursued development projects in the following strategic areas: (1) Comprehensive assessment of the Illinois Valley economy and identification of area-specific, high-impact economic development strategies and actions; (2) Conventional economic development in the form of infrastructure improvements at the Illinois Valley airport to establish a light industrial park; (3) Small business development through the establishment of a Small Business Revolving Loan Fund Program; (4) Facilitation of access for businesses to business development support programs offered by Southern Oregon Women's Access to Credit, Inc. and the local Small Business Development Center; (5) Job skills training through the IVCRT's Community Education Program; and last but not least (6) Sustainable nature-based and culture-based tourism development.
Through these initiatives, the IVCRT is attempting to create and improve conditions that stimulate value-added, meaningful economic activity and employment in the Illinois Valley while safeguarding the area's high quality of life.
Correspondingly, the major accomplishments of the IVCRT in 1999 include, but are not limited to, the following:
Successful development, design and conduct of a valley-wide business assessment as a key tool for future economic and community development in the Illinois Valley (Benchmark # 41)
The main objective of this project was to identify specific, action-oriented strategies for job and business development in the Illinois Valley that are to guide the area's future economic development. Identified strategies and actions were derived from a thorough assessment of the current state of the economy in the Illinois Valley and its on-going structural transformation.
With the final report Making Connections: Research and Action Planning for Economic Development in the Illinois River Valley (1999) - solidly based on extensive qualitative and quantitative research conducted by two independent research teams - the IVCRT feels that it has a potent tool in hand to positively impact the future economic development of the area through focused and strategic action. Indeed, the coming months will bring this project truly to fruition, as the IVCRT begins implementing the proposed economic development strategies and actions.
· Establishment of a $40,000 Small Business Revolving Loan Fund for the Illinois Valley (Benchmark # 47)
In 1999, the IVCRT took another bold step toward improving the economic prospects of the Illinois Valley through the establishment of a $40,000 Small Business Revolving Loan Fund Program, a direct response to the above mentioned valley-wide business assessment.
The fund is custom designed to meet the venture capital needs of start-up and expanding businesses at a micro loan level with loan sizes ranging from several hundred dollars to a maximum of $5,000 per loan. Loans will only be made to local entrepreneurs who are unable to get capital through conventional sources but have sound and promising business ideas. This will address a current gap in access to financing for poor, local entrepreneurs who - because of their impoverished status - often do not have a sufficient credit history to qualify for loans from conventional sources.
· Continued successful sponsoring of business development programs in partnership with both Southern Oregon Women's Access to Credit, Inc. (SOWAC) and the Rogue Community College Small Business Development Center (RCC-SBDC) resulting in the creation / retention of 70 jobs in the Illinois Valley (Benchmark # 7)
In 1999, the IVCRT continued its partnership with SOWAC for a two-track, 10-week entrepreneurial development program in the Illinois Valley. Six Illinois Valley residents graduated from this program resulting in the establishment of five new businesses in the Illinois Valley that created 10 new jobs.
The IVCRT also continued to sponsor highly successful business consultations for local entrepreneurs and business owners through a partnership with RCC-SBDC. In 1999, loans in the amount of $608,191 were made to local businesses, which were leveraged or matched, with $600,000 in private capital. Loans included one light industrial loan, two commercial loans and three service loans resulting in the creation / retention of 60 jobs in the Illinois Valley.
· Third consecutive and highly successful year of the IVCRT's Community Education Program, a very popular jobs skills training, education and workforce support program (Benchmark # 7)
1999 was a milestone year for the Community Education Program, a jobs skills training, education and workforce support program sponsored, organized and administered by the IVCRT. Due to unprecedented community demand, the program's curriculum was expanded several times during the term. Computer classes proved to be especially popular with over 120 community members and one of the Illinois Valley's largest employers taking advantage of this affordable training opportunity. Undoubtedly, with its large course offerings the Community Education Program has become an integral part of job skills training and workforce support in the Illinois Valley.
Altogether, 16 classes - designed and taught exclusively by local community volunteers - were offered through the program in 1999 covering a wide variety of topics from bird watching to foreign languages. Over 200 students enrolled in the program, thus, making 1999 the first year for the program to financially break even. This is truly a major accomplishment in a community as impoverished as ours.
· Successful kick-off of a comprehensive sustainable tourism development initiative in the Illinois Valley (Benchmark # 4)
A three-day community workshop around sustainable tourism development in the Illinois Valley was held in the summer of 1999 to develop a framework for tourism development in the Illinois Valley that maintains the beauty of the area and high quality of life while creating economic opportunities. The workshop resulted in the development of the comprehensive Action Plan for Sustainable Nature and Culture-based Tourism in the Illinois River Valley (1999) covering further planning, product development, business development and marketing.
The workshop has spawned a number of new sustainable tourism initiatives. Efforts are underway to fund a regional tourism coordinator as part of a region-wide tourism-marketing plan; coordinate and possibly jointly promote local festivals with tourism partners in northern California and southern Oregon; develop a new, approximately 35-mile long horseback, bicycling and hiking trail from Lake Selmac, a popular county park, to the Oregon Caves National Monument; organize a hospitality training for employees in the local service industry; and to define limits of acceptable change for our community as part of efforts to monitor and manage tourism development impacts on the valley's natural and cultural tourism assets and quality of life.
Yet, the accomplishment that promises to have the greatest immediate impact on the Illinois Valley has been an initiative to revitalize Cave Junction's downtown area. A three-day planning workshop is currently being organized as a major community event and has been scheduled for mid-February 2000.
All in all, the IVCRT feels that it is in a strong position to positively and significantly impact the future of the Illinois Valley in the year 2000.
Undoubtedly, the IVCRT will continue its organizational renewal and redevelopment process through increased community outreach efforts and by focusing on the issue of sustaining the organization financially for years to come. At the same time, the IVCRT plans to focus its project work on the implementation of strategies and actions recommended by the two key studies conducted in 1999, the Illinois Valley business assessment report Making Connections: Research and Action Planning for Economic Development in the Illinois River Valley, and the Action Plan for Sustainable Nature and Culture-based Tourism in the Illinois River Valley.
Executive Summary, SWCRT: 1999 was a year of transition for the Sunny Wolf Community Response Team. With an almost complete turnover in staff including the executive director, the SWCRT took time at the end of the year to focus inwardly on community building and organizational development.
A comprehensive evaluation process focusing on the Community Response Team and its impact on the Sunny Wolf Community was conducted this past summer with the SWCRT board and membership continuing to look for ways to increase awareness and improve communication and involvement in enterprise community activities and projects.
The Sunny Wolf Community Response Team continues to register record participation in its semi-monthly meetings of 30 to 40 people. This is a phenomenal level of involvement for a community with approximately 1600 residents. People are passionate about issues affecting the community and express strong opinions on the direction that they feel that the SWCRT should take in regards to community development. A total of 18 board members ranging in age from 13 years to mid-70s represent the communities of Sunny Valley, Wolf Creek and Galice. The board is overwhelmingly low income and there are four active youth representatives.
There has been a 60% reduction since March 1997 in the total number of Adult and Family Services public assistance cases in Sunny Wolf. Through job training programs and the small business development loans through the SWCRT, people are getting off welfare and back to work. Through a combination of providing social and health services locally and providing job training and loan funds for businesses, more people are finding and retaining jobs in the area.
The focus over the past year has been on community education, provision of health and human services and the creation and expansion of businesses. The area is replete with cottage industries and artisans and the SWCRT continues to look for ways to help support and maintain these businesses through the publication of a business and skills directory, the micro-loan program and the availability of community education classes.
The major accomplishments of the SWCRT in 1999 include the following:
The development of an office/classroom complex which houses the Oregon Parent Information and Resource Center, Southern Oregon Head Start, and the Siskiyou Medical Clinic. The Oregon Parent Center offers a preschool playgroup, parent education and access to health and human services including the Wellness Wagon and Project Babycheck. The Sunny Wolf area now has access to medical care in the community through a clinic at the OPC housing a physician's assistant.
The publication and distribution to over 750 families of a monthly community newspaper.
The publication and distribution of a local Business and Skills Directory.
The development and expansion of over 20 businesses through the Small Business Development Revolving Loan Fund, now in its third year of operation.
The procurement of a community van operated by the SWCRT to provide transportation for preschoolers and their families, seniors and disabled and the general public.
Academic and social skills activities for youth and teens through the Boys and Girls Club and the Wolf Creek Teen Center. The Teen Center was able to secure operating money to keep operating for the next 18 months, which was a successful benchmark.
Computer and internet classes for jobs skills training through the Community Education Program's Technology Lab. There were over 55 people participating in classes over the past 6 months.
For every SSBG dollar spent by the SWCRT in 1999, the community was able to leverage $8, of which only 7% was in-kind services.
Contact Person for SWCRT:
Name: Louise Dix
Address: P.O. Box 127, Wolf Creek, Oregon 97497
Phone: (541) 866-2600 Fax: (541) 866-2449
E-mail address: swcrt@echoweb.net
Contact Person for IVCRT:
Name: Winfried Danke
Address: P.O. Box 1824, Cave Junction, Oregon 97523
Phone: (541) 592-2838 Fax: (541) 592-4106
E-mail address: ivcrt@cdsnet.net