vernonia’s
voice volunteerism
march
09
2008
Meet Hope and Inspiration
By Scott Laird
Jack Lindsley and Richard Meyer are counting on prayer. They believe people request is financial. Other times it’s personal, or about friends, fam-
they have been called by God to help Vernonia and its citizens. They are ily or loved ones. We have been asked for very specific things. And now
going about their work, passing along hope and inspiration, one person at a people watch for us and tell us, ‘We’re really glad to see you today.’”
time.
Following the flooding in Vernonia, Lindsley and Meyer have continued
Richard and Jack began taking it to the streets of Vernonia in 2006, speak- their walks through town. “What I’ve been most struck by has been people’s
ing to folks they came across and asking if they had any prayer requests. But concerns for others,” said Lindsley. “Even if they were directly affected by
it didn’t start out that way exactly. “Richard felt like he was called to pray the flood, they are not asking for prayers for themselves. They are asking
over the city of Vernonia,” explained Lindsley. “He called me and asked for that we pray for the town overall. They are not making personal requests but
my help and support. So we headed up to the foothills over town, up by the requests for everyone.”
cemetery, and spent some time praying. Well, Richard’s idea was to liter-
Lindsley and Meyer believe they are having an impact. “People tell
ally pray ‘over’ the city. And that was
us that they get results, that they see
not what I had in mind,” Lindsley says
good things happen. We believe it is
with a chuckle. “I told him, ‘Richard,
God’s hand extended,” said Lindsley.
we need to go down there and actually
“We want to be very clear, this is the
meet with people face to face.’”
Lord doing this work in Vernonia, not
“I am usually pretty reserved, and
us.” Meyer agreed, “Without God we
I was pretty intimidated by the idea
are nothing.”
at first. But that’s what we started to
Lindsley and Meyer are also
do,” said Meyer. “We began talking
part of a group that is working on a
with people and finding out what they
“teen lounge” for Vernonia youth. That
needed prayers for. What we found is
project has been put on hold while the
that people would just stop and pour
community recovers from the recent
their hearts out to us.”
floods but is still a priority. “We had
Meyer said the response was nine-
hoped to have something after school,”
ty-eight percent positive. They were
said Lindsley. “There would be adult
able to sense when people weren’t in-
supervision and activities. We were
terested in talking with them, and they
also working to host some evening
honored that. “We don’t carry a Bible.
activities like dances or concerts. We
This is about building a relationship
want to give the kids a place to go.”
Richard Meyer and Jack Lindlsey
first, and then, only if people are com-
While the concept of a teen
fortable, do we talk about prayer,” said Meyer. “We are not denominational, lounge is not new in Vernonia, this effort is being driven by a large group of
and we are not recruiting,” added Lindsley. “That’s not what we’re about.” organizations, including the PTA, the Vernonia Rural Fire Association, the
What it is about is fellowship and giving to their community. “We want to Anti-Drug Coalition and the Police Department. These groups are all work-
encourage, support and give comfort in times of trouble,” said Lindsley. ing together this time. “We have received some great donations already,”
“And we rejoice when something good happens. We have made many great said Lindsley. “And we have potential commitments from the Portland Trail-
friends through this work.”
blazers and professional DJ’s to come out for some of our events. We are
Lindsley and Meyer spend from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. walking the pretty excited about the possibilities.”
streets of downtown, visiting with business owners and other residents. “We
Whatever your beliefs, you can’t question the commitment of Jack Lind-
ask people, ‘What can we pray about?’” said Lindsley. Sometimes the help sley and Richard Meyer. These two gentlemen are working to make this
community a better place in their own way and are bringing hope and inspira-
tion everyday to those they come in contact with.
“Green Shirts” Going Door-To- Door
Columbia County Flood Relief has requested the services of the Christian Reformed
World Relief Committee (CRWRC) to conduct door-to-door needs assessment sur-
veys of flood affected residents. Known as “Green Shirts” because they will all be
wearing green shirts with their logo as part of their identification. These volun-
teers from CRWRC are scheduled to begin surveying on Monday March 3, for the
purpose of continuing relief and rebuilding efforts, and will have additional proper
identification. The Columbia County flood Relief appreciates the community’s co-
operation during these efforts.
AnnualVernonia Firefighters Dinner
The Vernonia Volunteer Fire Fighters Association held its Annual Awards Dinner on Febru-
ary 8 at Pumpkin Ridge. Dean Smith was named both Officer and Volunteer of the Year.
Luke Ellis was named Firefighter of the Year. Rookie of the Year was Bethany Martinez.
All Volunteers received a Certificate of Appreciation and all Board Members received
a Letter of Appreciation. The Vernonia Firefighters wished to thank the Mist -Birken-
feld Department, who covered the Vernonia area while they enjoyed their banquet.
Saturday
April 12th
Texas Hold 'Em
Tournament
Volunteer Columbia is Here
“Volunteer Columbia” is a campaign to make Columbia County the number one county
in the State of Oregon for volunteering. Volunteers do make a difference! As financial
resources diminish, the needs in our communities continue to grow. While we cannot
control the financial resources, we do have an abundance of human resources.
“Volunteer Columbia” is a collaborative effort of partners in Columbia County to estab-
lish a no wrong door approach to volunteering. Our website, www.volunteercolumbia.
com is for partners to list volunteer opportunities and members of the community to
search for ways to serve. Our volunteer center is located at 500 N. Highway 30, Suite
210 in St. Helens and is open to the public for more information about volunteering.
Columbia County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Commission on Children
and Families (CCF), Department of Human Services (DHS) and United Way of Colum-
bia County have partnered to start this project. We hope many more community partners
will join the effort.
Imagine the possibilities for Columbia County if everyone volunteered just one or two
hours a month. Volunteer opportunities may include; friendly visitors, mentors, transpor-
tation, school tutors… the possibilities for volunteer activities are endless. Be assured, if
you have a skill to share someone has a need for you.
Build Community Partnerships: We are continuing to build our community partner-
ships and invite any community partner that has an interest or need for volunteers to
contact us.
Volunteer Columbia Website: Our website has been launched and is being updated
on a regular basis. We have attempted to make www.volunteercolumbia.com very user
friendly.
AT the Buckhorn Restaurant
Registration at 5:30pm, Tournamant play starts at 6pm
50% of fees go to Local Charities.
Cash Card Prize Payouts!
To register or for more information contact:
George Tice 429-3751 or Aaron Miller 429-6049.
Presented by
the Vernonia Lions Club
Volunteer Columbia Center: The center is equipped with a computer and other materi-
als to assist those interested in volunteering. Please contact us for hours of operation.
No Wrong Door Approach to Volunteering: Our goal is to create a volunteer network
throughout Columbia County where volunteers can contact any one of our partners to get
information about all the opportunities available in the county.
Contact us today to learn how you can help build a better Columbia County:
Volunteer Columbia Center - 500 N Highway 30, Suite 210 - St Helens, OR 97051
(503) 366-8388 Email: Ken.R.Corliss@state.or.us -or- Gregory.R.Russo@state.or.us