News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Lorri Craig. Photo by Jim Cornelius
Lorri Craig will step down as the Community Advocate for the Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS), effective June 1.
"It's time," said Craig, who has been involved with the activist group in various capacities for more than five years.
"I'm ready to move on to the next chapter in my life. I'm going to return to private practice as a financial advisor."
Craig will go to work for the Pacific Northwest firm, Planning Resources Corporation. The firm specializes in "socially responsible" or "ethical" investing -- aligning clients' financial goals with their values.
Craig said she is particularly proud of CATS' Community Partners mentoring program, which matches local families with problems associated with poverty with mentors who give them guidance and moral support.
Craig researched mentoring programs from all over the world to come up with one suited to Sisters.
"There wasn't anything quite like it," she said.
The individual interaction was a critical element, Craig said.
"Every single person is different, so how are you going to help them unless it is one-on-one?" she said.
Craig also cited CATS' efforts in compiling a strategic action plan for economic development and forming the Community Assets Coalition to mitigate substance abuse among local youth.
That effort has helped create a life-skills program at Sisters Middle School and has also developed mentoring relationships with and among students.
The CATS Community Trails effort has reached a stage at which action will be seen on the ground. According to Craig, the organization is awaiting a Forest Service Environmental Analysis, which is the final step before signing of the trail system can begin.
Improvement of the trails will be undertaken over a period of years, she said.
No decision has been made on a permanent replacement for Craig. Judy Trego is trained for the work and could serve as an interim.
Craig an her husband Jim will stay in Sisters.
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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