Eugene weekly., July 07, 2011, Page 8, Image 8

O.U.R. STILL
IN BUSINESS
The future of O.U.R. Federal Credit
Union in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighbor-
hood is yet to be determined since the
National Credit Union Administration
(NCUA) took over operations in late
June. But even if the credit union eventu-
ally folds, NEDCO, the nonprofit Neigh-
borhood Economic Development Corpo-
ration, is talking about providing similar
services by forming a Community Devel-
opment Financial Institution, according
to NEDCO Executive Director Claire
Seguin.
“We were working behind the scenes
(with O.U.R.) to try to figure something
out,” says Seguin, “but it was too big a can
of worms … hopefully something good
will come out of the discussion with the
federal agency.”
O.U.R. (an acronym for Oregon, Urban
and Rural) has provided basic financial
services to thousands of low-income people
in Lane County since 1975 (see story in EW
archives 7/12/07). The nonprofit has
provided savings accounts and short- and
long-term loans for everything from
bicycles to business start-ups. Many
Saturday Market businesses, for example,
got their initial funding through O.U.R.,
along with better-known enterprises such as
Burley Design, which now sells bicycle
gear worldwide. The credit union also
offered bilingual counseling and training in
basic household finance.
The NCUA has appointed itself conser-
vator of the institution and has replaced
managers with its own team in order “to
continue regular operations with expert
management in place, correcting previous
service and operational weaknesses,”
according to a statement from NCUA.
What were the “service and operational
weaknesses”? The NCUA regional director
did not return a phone call by press time,
but local board and committee members
say the credit union has suffered from an
embezzlement in the past, “management
problems” in the past year or so, and a high
rate of loan defaults by members due to the
recession and job losses.
When asked to speculate about the
future of the institution, longtime board
member Larry Abel would only say, “I
can’t really tell you anything more than
what’s in the NCUA press release.”
Bob Cassidy served on the credit union’s
Supervisory Committee for years and
worked with credit unions for decades
before retiring. He says there’s plenty of
REALITY KITCHEN:
WHITEAKER BE UP!
Not many buildings have a black and white
checkerboard exterior. Fewer still are the headquarters
for a nonprofit autism support program for individuals
21 years and over. And only one of them has Jim
Evangelista, the man who took his dream and made it a
reality.
“Working with special education children, I saw this
great need for services for people 21 and over,” he said.
“Being able to support this population of 21 and over is
so important, and it’s not being done.”
About a year ago, Evangelista started Reality Kitchen
— part community center, part autism support program
and part (soon-to-be) organic salad bar and kitchen.
Tucked away on Van Buren Street across from Ninkasi
Brewery, Evangelista and about 20 other volunteers
provide social and academic services and living help to
13 adults with mental disabilities in their Transition
Graduate Program.
The idea is to provide students with real world skills
such as budgeting, food preparation, meal planning,
nutrition, workplace safety, etc., as well as providing
constant support for program students. This, according
to Evangelista, is what makes Reality Kitchen different
from other support programs.
He said although there are organizations that provide
assistance to those 21 and over with special needs, it
8 JULY 7, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
isn’t ongoing and generally ends when the person finds
a job. “What they do is to help job opportunities to come
around.”
“Hopefully what we’ll be doing is providing more
unique and ongoing support,” he said. “We want to get
people who are in that transition time, and give them
critical focusing skills.”
Evangelista has worn many different hats over the
years, alternatively being a muralist (check out
“Tuscany,” a mural he did at 12th and High), theater set
painter, restaurant owner, anti-war activist in Nicaragua
blame to go around, but declined to fault
any specific manager or board member.
“This credit union is an old favorite of
mine,” he says. “I had wished that NEDCO
could have taken it over. Now I wish
NEDCO would form their own credit union
and then the remnants of O.U.R. could be
merged into it. It looks like no credit union
in the area is interested in taking it in.”
Cassidy says he doubts that NCUA
“wants to run it to get it back in shape. If
they did, it would be difficult to get a
and managing the free library at the Oregon Country
Fair. The name Reality Kitchen, the black and white
checkerboard pattern and the somewhat ambiguous
tagline “Whiteaker Be Up!” are a throwback to the days
when he owned a 24/7 restaurant in Gainesville, Fla.,
also called Reality Kitchen.
He graduated with a bachelor of fine arts from the
UO and earned his master’s in special education from
UO as well. He is currently working on getting his art
therapy license.
“I’ve been blessed; people have been kind, people
have been patient,” he said. “This is many things for me;
it’s kind of going back to the past, of moving into the
future.”
Reality Kitchen is networking with several other
organizations that provide services to the mentally
disabled, including KindTree — Autism Rocks,
Specialized Employment Services and Lane ESD,
among others.
“We’re still in the beginning process,” said Eileen
Brixey, a volunteer with Reality Kitchen and a member
of Autism Rocks. “We’re still trying to figure out who
we are. If anybody is interested we recommend they
contact us.”
“What I want to do is invite the community here to
participate with us,” said Evangelista. “It’s about all of
us. We all have unique and special needs. Here we’re
very open and very welcoming.”
You can visit Reality Kitchen at 245 Van Buren, or
email realitykitchen@gmail.com — Nils Holst
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