THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2019
THE CHRONICLE — 3
COMMUNITY
More than a dozen local
business owners and
curious entrepreneurs
met with representatives
of non-profi t Oregon
RAIN last week to
discuss the possible
benefi ts of collaboration
in Creswell. RAIN
offers Rural Venture
Catalyst programs with
the goal of building
“entrepreneurial
ecosystems and
innovation economies”
throughout rural Oregon.
City Council Meeting
The City Council will hold
their regular monthly meet-
ing on Monday, October
14, 2019 at 7:00 pm in the
McCluskey Chambers of
City Hall.
Park and Tree
Advisory Board
The Park and Tree Advisory Board will meet on
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 in the City Hall Conference
Room beginning at 10:00 am.
Planning Commission Meeting
The Planning Commission will meet on Thursday,
October 17, 2019 in the McCluskey Chambers of City
Hall beginning at 6:30 pm.
JEN BLUE/THE
CHRONICLE
RAIN continued from 1
South Lane Teen CERT
The Teen CERT concept was created to address preparedness and response
capabilities from within high schools. While many schools have taken measures to
provide for site security analysis and equipment, more effort is needed to train staff and
students in school security and emergency response procedures, and to involve youth
in the country’s overall emergency preparedness and response plans. Teen CERT aims
to train students in emergency preparedness and basic response to ensure that they
have the skills needed to protect themselves, and assist others, in the event of an
emergency.
When will the program begin?
Parent and youth Q and A meeting. October 13 th at 233 E. Harrison Ave. in Cottage
Grove. The meeting begins at 6:00.
Who is eligible?
All community members who are 14 - 20 years of age.
How do I apply?
You can download an application by going to https://www.southlanefire.org/join-us/cert.
Please turn applications in to Creswell City Hall at 13 S 1st St, Creswell, OR 97426 or
Station 201 at 233 E. Harrison Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Applications will also
be available on October 13 th . Contact Division Chief Aaron Smith with questions at
asmith@southlanefire.org or 541-942-4493.
Community members request
to learn more via RAIN’s website,
and that gets the ball rolling.
According to City Manager
Michelle Amberg, Creswell
is ready for the stimulus that
RAIN can provide. “I’d like to
see (Creswell) thrive. We have a
lot of empty spaces downtown,”
Amberg said. “We have oppor-
tunities for entrepreneurs to fi ll
those spaces.”
By fi rst holding information
sessions such as this one, the
team at RAIN is able to connect
with local residents about what
their needs are individually and
as a community. Cummings, who
is also RAIN’s venture catalyst
manager, said it is important to
assess the situation before jump-
ing right in to a plan. Taking this
extra time and effort enables the
best chances of success by laying
a solid foundation.
By being responsive instead of
reactive to the need for growth,
RAIN helps the risk-takers, job
creators and change-makers in the
community fi ne-tune their efforts
and connects them to investors in
ways they would not otherwise
have had the opportunity to do.
“This could give consistency
to our efforts over a long period
of time,” Amberg said. “It could
provide access to capital and
mentoring that is not already
happening.”
As the presentation unfolded,
Cummings and her associate,
Oregon Venture Catalyst Ariel
Ruben, explored a slew of stra-
tegic resources available to
Creswell entrepreneurs should
they choose to proceed.
RAIN, which is run by success-
ful entrepreneurs and “angel”
investors, plugs enterprising
business owners in with ways
to launch and scale business
ventures, not only with accessible
capital funding, but also educa-
tional and training programs and
mentoring connections.
In efforts to build thriving
economies, RAIN helps commu-
nities build economic strength
by keeping business close to
home and encouraging variety
in venture ideas. Ruben is a key
player in the program, managing
outreach efforts for the Oregon
Mid-Coast Region (Florence
up through Lincoln City). She
works one-on-one with people
to find their passions, and helps
build them into thriving oppor-
tunities for individuals and their
communities at large.
Other key factors to success,
according to Cummings, are
RAIN’s long-term commitment
to their team’s in the communi-
ties and the inclusion of anyone
and everyone who wants to
participate.
To par ticipate in RAIN’s
R u r a l Ve n t u r e C a t a l y s t
programs, the next step for
Creswell is a vote from Creswell
City Council to approve to
collaboration between the city
and RAIN.
Those in attendance Tuesday –
restaurant owners, a chiroprac-
tor, a couple graphic designers
and more – voiced enthusiasm
about the possibilities of build-
ing individual businesses and
the local economy.
“ D o n’t d o i t a l o n e , ”
Cummings emphasized, “you
need the support.”
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