Roundhouse Foundation boosts arts/economy

Over the years, The Roundhouse Foundation has been a spark-plug for creative endeavors in Sisters Country. Evolving through small financial boosts for the arts, the foundation's giving has grown into a significant contributor to the local economy. For foundation founder Kathy Deggendorfer, the two are inextricably linked.

"The foundation of American success is creativity," Deggendorfer says.

She has long believed that the arts are a primary economic driver for Sisters Country, whether it's the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show or the Sisters Folk Festival bringing people to town for events, or artists and artisans setting up shop here to create their products.

The interconnectedness of arts and economy has led to an expansion of the foundation's efforts.

"We've expanded our outreach beyond the arts," Deggendorfer says. "That's still my basic love."

The Roundhouse Foundation recently provided a matching grant of $5,000 to help fund the Stroll Sisters program, which was designed to help downtown businesses weather the disruption of the Cascade Avenue renovation project. For Deggendorfer, helping the community over the hurdle created by the project is completely compatible with the effort to enrich the community through support of the arts. Keeping people engaged with the arts-based economy through the construction seemed an obvious necessity.

The strolls, organized by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, have proved a signal success. Chamber Executive Director Erin Borla says that merchants are interested in continuing to carry them on a regular basis on the fourth Friday of each month.

Chamber Board President Ann Richardson noted: "The Chamber can't thank The Roundhouse Foundation enough for their support for Stroll Sisters. The strolls were a great success. Thanks to Roundhouse, many more businesses were able to participate and leverage their advertising dollars to bring locals and visitors to town during the challenging days of the road construction."

Providing matching funds is a typical Roundhouse Foundation strategy - providing a boost so that organizations can help themselves.

"A lot of the funding we do is catalyst funding," Deggendorfer says.

The outreach has, indeed, expanded well beyond the arts, but there is still a firm connection. For Deggendorfer, grants to assist with community health initiatives have a direct bearing on boosting creativity.

"People can't be creative when their teeth are killing them," she says. "You can't be creative when you're super-hungry."

The foundation's work comes out of an ethic of active contribution to one's community. Deggendorfer insists that for people who have enjoyed good fortune in life "it's their obligation to make ways to help other people."

Deggendorfer credits her mother, Gert Boyle, not only for funding support, but for the impetus to create a legacy in the here and now.

Kathy recalls her mother's saying: "It's better to give with a warm hand than a cold one."

Operating a foundation entails a considerable amount of work to do due diligence and to keep abreast of legal requirements. Deggendorfer expressed her appreciation for the assistance of Susan Robinson in helping to keep the functioning of the foundation on track.

"She's a terrific asset," Deggnedorfer says.

Deggendorfer regards Sisters in many ways as a model community, not least in the way it brings people together from varied walks of life.

When working on community projects alongside others, "you don't know what people's other lives are. That person could be a CEO of a major company or they could be a person who's been a logger. You get to know them. I like that."

For more information on The Roundhouse Foundation, visit www.gosw.org/sites/roundhousefoundation.