McKenzie CDC
Newsletter
Holiday Issue 2021
A lot has happened since the Holiday Farm Fire devastated the McKenzie Valley Community. Our residents, local organizations, and elected representatives have rallied admirably and achieved concrete progress towards recovery in the past fourteen months.
Alongside heartbreaking milestones such as the one-year anniversary of the fire on Labor Day, we have also celebrated hard-earned positive ones, such as the re-opening of the O’Brien Memorial Library in a new temporary location at the Upper McKenzie Community Center, and completing the cleanup of Blue River Park, which had most of its trees destroyed, but has – with the help of volunteers and support from organizations such as the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce – been able to bring forth beauty and hope for the community from the ashes, much like the wonderful “Viribus” sculpture which now stands on Blue River’s Cascade Street.
Even as the cleanup efforts progressed in partnership with organizations such as Cascade Relief, returning residents and business owners had to navigate through complex issues around planning and insurance, labor shortages, and dramatic rises in the cost of building materials, to name but a few. All of this is in the context of a worsening global pandemic and an unprecedented heatwave that also caused wildfires in areas surrounding the valley and severely impacted air quality for several weeks this summer.
Yet among these monumental challenges, there is also much to celebrate, and many reasons to look towards the future with hope. Earlier this year, the Oregon State Legislature awarded a comprehensive package of Wildfire Recovery funding for the region, which secured the development of key infrastructure such as a water and sanitation district, among other initiatives. Places that are crucial to our communities, such as the Vida McKenzie Community Center, are on their way towards rebuilding, and there are plans to bring connectivity to the valley spearheaded by our partners at McKenzie Communications.
The McKenzie CDC has played a key role in supporting, connecting, and amplifying these various efforts. From the very first day after the fire, we were there for our community, and our role has evolved to meet its needs. We will be continuing this work, even as we transition from emergency response and recovery towards building long-term resiliency in our river communities. The environmental, economic, and logistic challenges ahead are, if anything, even more, complex and difficult than those we have already overcome, yet we are confident that with the help of generous supporters such as yourself, we will be able to provide a voice for our local communities in how their future is shaped.
Should you wish to support our programs that assist these communities and survivors, please do so by donating through the Big Yellow PayPal Donate button below.
Donate to Help Communities on the McKenzie Recover!
News & Info.
Welcome Baskets for Returning Residents
With more families returning to permanent accommodation in the valley after the wildfire and working hard to rebuild their lives The McKenzie CDC wants to provide a warm welcome and let them all know we are glad to have them back in the community. If you have recently moved back into permanent accommodation get in touch with Spencer at contact@mckenziecommunity.org and register your interest in receiving one of these Welcome Baskets. Each basket should contain a house plant, a Home rug, a fire extinguisher, and a selection of kitchen and cleaning supplies. The McKenzie CDC hopes the baskets will bring a little joy to those getting back on their feet in the McKenzie valley!
Quilt Raffle
This is an opportunity to show your support to a local organization that looks after the communities of the McKenzie Valley, which has been badly affected by the devastating wildfires last year. Three talented friends have collaborated to create this unique quilt featuring all fifty US state birds. This beautiful piece was lovingly hand-sewn over hundreds of hours and will be the prize for this raffle. Proceeds will go in their entirety to The McKenzie CDC to help towards their ongoing work with projects that support and build resilience in our local community. Each ticket is $10 and to enter the raffle click the Big Yellow PayPal Donate button on this page and select Quilt Raffle in the drop-down menu. The proceeds of the Raffle will be used to meet the immediate needs of the survivors with gift cards that can be used to provide the necessary bridge to get them through the winter.
The McKenzie CDC Wants Your Feedback – Website Survey
As we approach the end of another turbulent year and our communities move into recovery and rebuilding mode the McKenzie CDC is taking stock of our efforts going forwards and evaluating how we can best help and support the McKenzie valley in 2022. With Covid-19 still limiting in-person gatherings and the type of on-the-ground, face-to-face assistance we can offer, the MCDC is looking to redevelop our website with the goal of providing helpful information, learning resources, and economic and environmental support to our communities in a user-friendly form. We are asking you, the people of the valley, to input on our new online services via this short online survey. You can anonymously share your thoughts and feelings about our current website and comment on what you would find most useful on a new website. We want to hear what we can do for you as we all work towards rebuilding our beautiful valley.
New MCDC Treasurer & Call for New Board Members
Jane Wilson is the newest member of the Board of Directors at The McKenzie CDC and we are happy to announce she is now taking on the job of Treasurer too. Our previous Treasurer Larry Brown has been instrumental in helping guide the MCDC through a period of growth and change but is now stepping down. We are grateful for all the time he has dedicated to the organization and the community. The McKenzie CDC is now looking to expand our Board to meet our extended mission of Building Resilience and Economic Sustainability. Please contact Jeff Dehne at jeff@mckenziecommunity.org if you can give back to our community by serving on our Board.
our Recovery Partners
Support Recovery Efforts for the McKenzie Valley by Purchasing #McKenzieStrong clothing
You can support the ongoing relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts for the McKenzie Valley community by purchasing and proudly wearing some of the #McKenzieStrong clothing items available below – or visit the shop directly here. All proceeds will go directly into community initiatives so please give generously, it is much appreciated!
Holiday Lights 2021
The McKenzie CDC is sponsoring the Holiday LIghts for the second year. Everyone, home or business is encouraged to put out lights during the month of December to help bring a little joy to everyone this season. For those that are still having trouble financially, we can provide a string of lights at no cost. These will be distributed through local churches and Food Pantries. Help us by lighting up your homes.
Subscribe to these Newsletters
Keep up to date on the McKenzie CDC’s work here in the valley and Subscribe to these monthly Newsletters by emailing us at contact@mckenziecommunity.org or getting in touch through our Contact Us page. A huge amount of work has been done by locals, volunteers, and organizations such as the Cascade Relief Team but to bring our beautiful valley back there remains much more to do. We would love to keep you up to date and involved so subscribe now and we will email you a fresh Newsletter every month!
Donate to Help Communities on the McKenzie Recover!
Help Us Help The McKenzie Valley
You can help us reach our recovery goals by donating through the Big Yellow PayPal Donate button above or mailing us at PO Box 406, Walterville, OR 97489. We hope you will continue with us on our journey to a rejuvenated and beautiful McKenzie, any support you offer is much appreciated!
