2024: Building on Strong Community Partnerships Thank You for Another Year of Real Impact

What an incredible year 2024 has been for Pine Valley! Thanks to continued partnership from foundations and the generous support of community members, we’ve been able to accomplish some amazing things together. Here’s what your support made possible this year.

Record-Breaking Community Support

Our annual fundraising campaign had another outstanding year! By June, we’d received $3,240 – exceeding our $3,000 goal thanks to Pine Valley residents and supporters who believe in this work. In September, we welcomed a special $400 donation from Richland residents specifically to help families affected by local fires, showing how our network of support extends beyond Pine Valley itself.

Individual donors like you provide the flexible funding that allows us to respond quickly to new opportunities and maintain programs that serve our neighbors year-round.

Village Fund: There When Neighbors Need Help

Our Village Fund helped three more families this year, bringing our total to 54 families assisted since we started this program in April 2020. The fund now holds $5,191.62, ready to help when unexpected challenges hit Pine Valley families.

Thank you to our Village Fund committee members who carefully review applications and ensure help reaches people who need it most. This program continues showing what Pine Valley does best – neighbors taking care of neighbors.

Pine Valley Firewise: Keeping Our Community Safe

Thanks to continued support from the Oregon State Fire Marshall through our Community Wildfire Risk Reduction grant, Pine Valley stayed prepared for fire season. In June, we held a Community Workshop & Tour at Betsy and Rob Crawford’s place, followed by hands-on fuels reduction work at Eileen Monti’s property.

Our October Community Cleanup Day brought neighbors together for another day of working on defensible space projects. The Idaho Conservation Youth crew spent three weeks in October doing fuels reduction work on properties around the valley, along with professional tree trimming services.

When the Town Gulch fire threatened our community, Pine Valley Firewise kept residents updated with information from the Fire Chief. The community really appreciated having that reliable communication during a stressful time.

Pine Valley 2050: Community Planning That Works

Thanks to continued Ford Family Foundation support, Pine Valley 2050 had a busy year helping our community plan for the future. We assisted the City of Halfway with their Strategic Planning process, and the City voted to approve their new plan on August 8.

The PV2050 steering committee – Rachel Cairns, Mallory Rex, Linda McEwan, Julie Stromer, and Cindy Thayer – planned community gatherings throughout the year. Their $290 per event support helped fund the Farm Show (working with the Grange on food concessions), New Moon Halloween 2 Party in November, and the Holiday “Jingle All The Way” event in December.

Debi Lorence recruited another group of students for the Mentor Match Teen Entrepreneur program, with five students participating and launching their own businesses. You can see a slideshow of their work on the PV2050 website!

Dark Sky Halfway: Working Toward Starry Skies

Our Dark Sky Halfway project made real progress this year! The steering committee – Liz McLellan, Rachel Cairns, Celinda Miller, Pam Conley, Kim Jones, and Shannon Neilson – submitted our application for Dark Sky Community status. This process can take up to three years, but we’re making steady progress.

Dark Sky Halfway was able to promote their program and hold community events. The August 3 Star Party was such a hit that we’re doing it again – the New Moon Halloween 2 Party on November 1!

Rachel Cairns serves as the City of Halfway liaison for this project, reporting progress at each council meeting. We’re working on a city dark sky lighting ordinance using the one recently passed by Sisters, Oregon.

Supporting Local Organizations

This year UCP approved grants that directly support the organizations making Pine Valley special. We provided $500 to the Chautauqua Music Festival, helping bring culture and joy to our valley every summer. We also donated $1,000 to the Pine Valley Fair Association’s carnival fundraising effort and $750 to help with the Farm Show at Brisk’s.

Thanks to the Roundhouse Foundation’s $2,500 grant, we were able to provide computers and technical equipment for the new fire station – exactly the kind of practical support that helps our volunteer firefighters serve the community better.

New Leadership and Strong Governance

At our August 1 Annual General Meeting, we welcomed Amari Fauna and Jenn Berg to new board terms running through 2026. Jenn Berg stepped up as our new Treasurer, with Jack Greenman moving to Secretary and Pam Conley continuing as President.

Kim Elton resigned from the board in May after years of service, and we’re grateful for all his contributions to UCP’s work. Jenn has been working hard to get our QuickBooks system fully up-to-date, ensuring professional financial management that meets all state requirements.

Looking Ahead: New Projects Taking Shape

We’re excited about the Hells Canyon Action Hub – a new UCP project that will provide space for dance classes, yoga, tai chi, art classes, and other activities. We’re starting with a pilot project supporting Millie’s Dance Class, renting the Grange and applying for grants to make this community gathering space a reality.

Professional Financial Management

Thanks to responsible financial stewardship by Treasurer Jenn Berg and the board, UCP finished 2024 with strong reserves that enable us to respond to community needs and support ongoing projects. Our money market account earned over $8,500 in interest since opening in August 2023, showing careful management of community resources.

What Your Partnership Made Possible in 2024:

– **Village Fund assistance** for three families facing unexpected challenges
– **Fire safety preparedness** through community workshops, cleanup days, and youth crew projects
– **Community planning support** helping the City of Halfway develop their strategic plan
– **Local organization grants** totaling $2,250 to groups that strengthen community life
– **Dark Sky Community progress** toward official recognition and starry night protection
– **Professional financial management** with updated QuickBooks systems and transparent reporting
– **New project development** including the Hells Canyon Action Hub initiative
– **Annual fundraising success** exceeding goals and building community support

Deep Gratitude for This Community

From our board members – Pam Conley, Jenn Berg, Jack Greenman, Amari Fauna, and Liz McLellan – to every family who has benefited from community support, thank you for making Pine Valley the kind of place where neighbors look out for each other and work together toward shared goals.

Thank you to the Ford Family Foundation for their continued investment in Pine Valley 2050, the Oregon State Fire Marshall for keeping us safe, the Oregon Community Foundation for supporting multiple initiatives, and the Roundhouse Foundation for practical help when we need it most.

Most of all, thank you to the Pine Valley residents and supporters whose individual contributions make everything else possible. Every donation, every volunteer hour, and every person who shows up to community meetings helps create the kind of place we all want to call home.

Got a Community Project Idea? We’re Here to Help!

Looking at everything we accomplished together this year, we’re reminded that every successful project started with someone who had an idea and wasn’t sure where to begin. If you’ve been thinking about a project that could benefit Pine Valley – whether it’s big or small – UCP is here to help you figure out the next steps.

We Can Help With:

**Fiscal agency or sponsorship** for community projects that align with our mission – this means we can handle the money management and paperwork while you focus on making your project happen.

**Small grants** to get projects started – we’ve funded everything from the $500 Chautauqua Music Festival to the $5,000 MainStreet Stage project. Every idea deserves a chance!

**Project development support** – help turning your idea into a plan that works, finding the right people to work with, and figuring out what resources you’ll need.

**Training and workshop access** – connecting you with the skills and knowledge that make projects successful.

**Networking within our community** – we know who’s doing what in Pine Valley and can help connect you with people who share your interests or have complementary skills.

How to Get Started:

The easiest way is to come to one of our monthly UCP meetings and share your idea during our Open Discussion time. This is when community members bring projects, ideas, needs, or plans to the group. Don’t worry about having everything figured out – we’re here to help you work through the details!

You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page to get your idea out there and maybe find people willing to roll up their sleeves and help make it happen.

**Remember:** This list isn’t exhaustive. If you don’t see exactly what your project needs, please get in touch anyway. We may be able to point you in the right direction or help you find the resources you need.

From Ideas to Reality:

Some of our most successful projects – like the Village Fund, Pine Valley Firewise, and Pine Valley 2050 – started as conversations at UCP meetings. Someone said “What if we could…” and the community said “Let’s figure out how!”

Whether your project needs $250 or $2,500, whether it serves five people or the whole valley, we want to hear about it. Pine Valley grows stronger when community members step up with ideas that make this place even better.

**Questions?** Any of our board members can help you with getting started! Just get in touch!

Here’s to continuing this important work together in 2025!

Your grateful neighbors at United Community Partners

United Community Partners is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting community-driven initiatives that strengthen Pine Valley. All contributions are tax-deductible and go directly to projects that make our community stronger.