News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
According to city councilor Jean Cooper, the city "may have been more generous than we could afford to be."
But the council decided Thursday, November 21, to follow through with the contribution after SOAR supporters turned out to make an impassioned case for the value of the program.
"I guess I look at the SOAR program as something that's important to the residents of the city first, to the community and our country," Colin Adams testified.
He noted that the program served 1,185 individual children last summer. "That indicates to me that there is a pretty significant need we're filling," Adams said.
Adams noted the benefit to the community of providing constructive activities that kids really use in after-school hours and vacation times when they might otherwise be idle and possibly prone to trouble.
"I think of it as preventive maintenance," Adams said. "You can ask (public works director) Gary Frazee what would happen to his budget if he had to forego his preventive maintenance. It's cheaper to buy that oil than to buy a new truck."
SOAR director Tom Coffield said SOAR's "latchkey program" is most in need of funds. That program offers elementary school children activities from 2 to 5:30 p.m. during the school week, including study sessions, arts and crafts and structured play.
Coffield said SOAR wants to expand the program to serve middle school children as well. SOAR is also developing a program called "Project Adventure," a team-building activity in which kids role-play and do activities that build trust and cooperation in ways that directors hope will help them cope with the social pressures of their age.
After that testimony, the city council agreed that the program should receive the $5,000 paid quarterly as promised.
"We ought to stand up to a commitment we made," said councilor Gary Miller. "We're not in a pretty financial picture, but, darn it, that's not SOAR's fault."
Cooper concurred. "This shows that people are participating, that you do have support," Cooper said. "That's my comfort zone. I wanted to know that I was making the right decision."
Mayor Dave Moyer asked whether SOAR had received any financial support from local homeowner's associations.
Coffield said that, while most of the private donations to SOAR come from donors who live outside the city limits, the program has not received funding from the homeowner's associations.
Indian Ford resident Howard Paine encouraged Coffield to approach the homeowner's associations in the area.
Paine believes they would be receptive to helping the program.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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