Residents share vision, values

More than 100 people shared while they shopped at "Values & Visioning" booths stationed last weekend at Ray's Food Place.

Organized by Citizens4Community, the booths were part of the kick-off of the public engagement phase for the visioning effort, "Sisters Country Horizons."

City and county Horizons project reps were on hand, and passers-by shared what they value most about Sisters and offered ideas for what might make the community better. Participants also took surveys, and many wrote their values and ideas on quilt squares for a Community Quilt Project. The quilt will be sewn together by the East of the Cascades Quilters, and the finished piece will make its debut at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

The C4C booths and free quilt-signings will continue 2 to 5:30 p.m. this Friday at Sisters Library, and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Suttle Tea. For booth and quilt project details, visit www.

citizens4community.com.

Participants voiced opinions on a range of topics, including the local arts scene, marijuana, and the economic and physical growth the city. Several people also expressed a deep gratitude for Sisters' culture of caring.

For sharing their thoughts at the C4C booths, participants earned free cans of Progresso soup. As a bonus, many participants donated their cans; so 112 cans are now set to be delivered to the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank.

This spring and summer, the Horizons project will offer a variety of ways for community-members and visitors to express their thoughts and ideas for Sisters' future. Events will include large community forums as well as intimate "kitchen-table conversations" led by local residents. An online survey will be available in about a week, when the official http://www.sistershorizons.org website launches.