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Wednesday, March 18, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Editorial…
A time to pull together
Just as a wildfire can create its own wind,
whipping up a firestorm of destruction, the
public health crisis surrounding the COVID-19
virus has the potential to have far-reaching and
long-lasting effects on the Sisters community.
And just as Sisters has weathered the
impacts of wildfire, we will weather this cri-
sis, too. Hopefully, the aggressive measures
being taken now will mean the crisis will fade
and Sisters, the nation and the world can return
to our normal lives. But it will require pulling
together to get there.
It9s natural in the face of fear and uncer-
tainty to withdraw into the safety of hearth and
home; in fact, it9s a prudent safety precaution.
But there are things we can 4 and should 4
do to support our local community even while
we9re protecting ourselves.
Local businesses are going to be hit hard
by a severe contraction in economic activity.
Every little bit of support will help them. If a
lot of us do a little, we can together weather
this crisis. Quarantining yourself? Stock up
on a bunch of good books (the bookstore will
deliver). Don9t want to go out to a restaurant?
Order a meal or two a week to go from a local
restaurant (some offer curbside pickup). Call a
local shop and buy a gift card to use after the
crisis has passed.
Local families with children are going to
be under duress due to the three-week closure
of Sisters9 schools. Perhaps, if your circum-
stances allow, you can reach out and help them
with childcare 4 or maybe just keep an eye on
your neighbor9s kids while they stay at home.
This crisis is also likely to increase the need
at the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank; donations,
especially of cash, are welcome there.
Sisters prides itself on being a tight-knit,
resilient community. There is no time like the
present to demonstrate that to the world.
Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and phone number. Letters
to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The
Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no
longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.
To the Editor:
Indivisible Sisters had our first Get to
Know the Candidate meeting of 2020 at Sisters
Public Library the evening of March 4. About
a dozen Sisters citizens met Carina Miller,
who hails from Warm Springs, graduated from
the University of Oregon, and is running for
Oregon9s District 30 Senate seat. That is the
seat that Senator Cliff Bonham vacated to run
for Representative Greg Walden9s seat in U.S.
House for District 2. It is currently occupied
by Lynn Findley.
Carina (or any candidate, for that matter)
has courage because campaigning for a pub-
lic seat in this political world is very diffi-
cult to say the least. Just ponder running for
office yourself and what that would put you
and your loved ones through. On the campaign
trail, some people can be very uncivil; it is no
longer uncommon. Yet, there she was in her
first <get to know= meeting, sharing her expe-
riences, motivations, fielding questions and
building a following.
Carina is an impressive individual.
There is little room in a Letter to the Editor
to share her many specific qualifications, sub-
stantial experience, or the brilliance of what
she9s already accomplished. I do encourage
you to take the time to read through her web-
site, www.carinamiller.com.
My impression, after our two hours
together, is she will work to address concerns
of all Oregonians for the greater good, will hit
the floor running, educate herself in any areas
she does not already have knowledge or exper-
tise, will work in a multi-partisan way, will be
dedicated to her job and will NEVER walk out
because things did not go her way.
Susan Cobb
See LETTERS on page 10
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Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius
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N
Age Friendly Sisters
Country brings vision to life
By Janel Ruehl
Guest Columnist
Before becoming a non-
profit organization, the
founding members of Age
Friendly Sisters Country
(AFSC) listened to local
seniors, heard their con-
cerns, and compiled data
about their needs. What they
learned in those early days
was that the same issues
facing aging adults affected
people of all ages.
Thus, AFSC was born
with the guiding principle:
<good for everyone, 8-80!=
When the 2018 Sisters
Country Vision surfaced
many of the same issues and
needs, AFSC realized there
was real synergy between
their mission and the vision
goals. Since securing non-
profit status in 2018, AFSC
has taken a lead on several
vision strategies. With the
support of the City, they
helped Sisters officially join
the worldwide network of
Age-Friendly Communities,
a project of the World
Health Organization (WHO)
and AARP. This month,
they are launching a new,
free local transportation
initiative, dubbed Sisters
Transportation and Ride
Share, or STARS.
STARS was designed to
meet the needs of local com-
munity members who are
struggling to access medical
services because they don9t
drive.
<We realized that many
folks in our community
were simply not availing
themselves of medical ser-
vices and becoming increas-
ingly isolated,= shares
AFSC Board President Toni
Landis.
Before STARS, getting
to the dentist in Sisters,
or to Bend for a test, was
a daunting task. Working
with Landis under the AFSC
umbrella, a team of volun-
teers created a FREE ride-
sharing program grounded
in person-to-person con-
nection. On the surface,
STARS looks similar to Lyft
or Uber: users schedule a
ride aided by software. But
in practice, every contact
point connects human to
human and relies on an all-
volunteer team. Passengers
schedule a ride by calling a
volunteer dispatcher. After
the dispatcher enters their
information into the soft-
ware program, an email is
sent to a pool of volunteer
drivers. The available driver
then calls the passenger to
make a one-on-one connec-
tion ahead of their ride.
For now, the free service
is only focused on medical
rides, but AFSC hopes to see
it expand over time, to help
community members par-
ticipate in local events, shop
for groceries, or meet other
needs as they arise. STARS
officially launched on March
1, and they currently have 20
trained volunteers. Landis
estimates they will need a
pool of at least 25 drivers
and 7-10 dispatchers to be
able to provide consistent
service.
Looking ahead, AFSC
would like to expand their
outreach to be more diverse
and inclusive, with a focus
on collaboration with
younger community mem-
bers and business owners.
<What9s good for a senior
crossing the road also works
for a young mom with
a stroller!= says Landis,
emphasizing AFSC9s com-
mitment to finding solutions
that make Sisters Country
more livable for all ages.
AFSC9s seven board mem-
bers each share this com-
mitment but have different
passions and areas of focus.
Defined under the 8 domains
of the Age Friendly frame-
work, these include outdoor
spaces and buildings, social
participation, respect and
social inclusion, work and
civic engagement, com-
munication and informa-
tion, community and health
services, and housing 4 in
addition to transportation.
< We 9 r e w o r k i n g t o
expand our outreach via
social media, and would
love to have help with how
to do this better. We would
also like to hear from the
community: How are we
doing? Do you see a need
that needs to be met?= asks
Landis.
AFSC is also working
collaboratively with other
local organizations on addi-
tional vision strategies.
Landis says they are espe-
cially excited about partici-
pating in the development of
a multi-purpose community
center where all ages can
gather together.
<Turns out, our mis-
sion fits really well with
the vision!= says Landis, <If
you give people an opportu-
nity to help, they will find a
way.=
If you9d like to help
AFSC or STARS, check out
the AFSC facebook page
or email agefriendlysis-
ters@gmail.com for more
information.
To learn more about
Sisters Country Vision, visit
sistersvision.org
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.