As weeks go by of Oregon’s Stay Home order, people are getting frustrated and tired of the uncertainty.
A good friend of mine is an author and well-respected professional speaker on happiness (and easily the most positive person I have ever known). Even she has struggled with finding the light in the current situation we are all living in. But every time recently that she has felt sadness or negativity, she forces herself to find gratitude. One of her most recommended tips for getting through life when it is hard is to identify 3 things everyday that you are grateful for. For me it often includes things like the good health of my family, being able to work from home, having sunshine, and living in such a great community. From the Crook County Foundation’s perspective, we have been appreciative that adjusting to this new life situation hasn’t been as difficult as it has been for many other nonprofits across the state.
The largest change to our schedule was regarding our 7th annual Paddy Pint Run. The Paddy Pint Run was only 4 days away when Governor Brown announced that gatherings were canceled. Our planning committee had an emergency team meeting and felt that postponing the race to May 3rd would be far enough out with the information that we had at that time. However, as we approach May, it is apparent that a gathering of nearly 700 people is not going to happen soon. Our team re-grouped again and decided to host the race virtually with a curbside swag bag pickup on May 2nd and 3rd from 11 am-2 pm on 3rd Street in front of Good Bike Co. We will provide the race route maps electronically and in paper form so that people can leisurely enjoy the route (or another route of their choice) walking or running when they can. We encourage participants to take a selfie on their run or walk and tag #paddypintrun when they post it to one of their social media accounts. We do want to remind people to adhere to social distancing rules and to not run or gather in groups.
Since we are unable to host in person What’s Brewing? programs, we have launched a weekly ‘What’s Brewing? online edition’. Our first video interview was published last week and was with Melody Kendall, Prineville Senior Center Coordinator. We learned how the construction was proceeding on the updated center, how the impact of the Neat Repeat being closed was being overcome by the Meals on Wheels program, and where they need community support most. This week’s video will be with Buzzy Nielson, Director of the Crook County Library, to learn how they have adapted to providing services to our resident’s while being closed to the public. Each program will be viewable through our YouTube page, Crook County Foundation Facebook page, and will be shared on the community Facebook pages. Our goal is to continue these online videos as they are going to assist people in better understanding out community.
We have been fortunate to be able to continue with our scholarship program due to the amazing work of Crook County High School staff, especially Karissa Kingsbury, the ASPIRE coordinator. With sadness, we know that the senior awards night where our donors announce the recipients will not be happening. However, our committee is working hard to make sure that all the scholarships stay on schedule and the students are recognized virtually.
The Crook County Foundation has been grateful that the above programs, and others that we produce, have been able to move forward during the ‘Stay Home’ order. Even though so much is out of our control right now, it is important to focus daily on what you can control. I have been putting my energy into developing new versions of our programs, catching up on projects, and re-organizing my office. From a personal level, I have been able to spend more time with my kids and enjoy the additional time I have in my day. We know that this has been a difficult experience, but we encourage you to find gratitude in the simple things in life: healthy family, good friends, the ability to stay in contract through technology, and knowing that the world will go back to normal in the near future.
For more information about the Crook County Foundation, please contact Brandi Ebner, Crook County Foundation Executive Director at 541-362-1210 or email info@crookcountyfoundation.org.
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