COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | MARCH 4, 2021 | 3A Middlefield Oaks Senior Living ‘was there’ when local senior needed a home Rebecca Higley nev- er imagined she would be homeless at age 66. “When I was 20, I thought I’d be with my husband going through our golden years togeth- er. I never thought I’d be homeless,” Higley said. Higley raised three children and did not ac- quire the security that employment or a profes- sional career might have provided to her for sup- port as she aged. “I was a housewife,” Higley said. “I didn’t think my life would end up this way. Becoming homeless didn’t sneak up on me, it jumped up at me.” Nearly five years ago while traveling on a Grey- hound bus to visit her daughter in Roseburg, Higley fell and broke her hip. She received treat- ment while hospitalized and planned to recover at her daughter’s home. Plans changed when conflict with her daugh- ter’s father prompted Higley to reach out to friends living in Cottage Grove. “They invited me to stay in their RV, and I was thankful to Mark Walker and Nancy Atkinson,” Higley said. “We have been friends for 26 years, it showed true friend- ship when they offered to help.” Higley lived in her friends’ RV for over three years until recently, when they all moved to a differ- ent property — at which point Higley found her- self living in a tent. “I lost everything. My COPD was getting worse, there was mud, and I couldn’t get through the mud,” Higley said. She struggled to sur- vive without proper hy- giene and a warm place to sleep. Her health de- clined and her friends knew she needed help. They drove her to the Emergency Room at PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Hospital. “I couldn’t breathe. If my friends hadn’t tak- en me to the hospital, I probably wouldn’t have made it through the win- COURTESY PHOTO Rebecca Higley, once homeless, now in her new residence at Middlefield Oaks Senior Living. ter,” Higley said. Kat Rio, the RN Care Manager at PeaceHealth, spoke to Higley about her options and began reaching out to several community resources, including Senior & Dis- ability Services, Middle- field Oaks Senior Living, and other long-term care facilities. “Kat was gung-ho to get me into a place. She called lots of places and no one had a room for me,” Higley said. “Then Middlefield Oaks offered me an apartment. I want- ed to cry when I saw my new home. It’s beautiful, and it’s huge! I have a key to my own front door, and I have my own bath- room, kitchen, full refrig- erator and microwave.” Heather Arnason, Executive Director for Middlefield Oaks Senior Living, responded to Higley’s need. “When we heard Re- becca’s story, we couldn’t say no. She needed help, and we could provide the level of care she needed,” said Arnason. “Our mis- sion is to provide safe, quality long-term care for seniors so they can live their lives to the fullest, and we were grateful to have an available apart- ment to offer Rebecca.” PeaceHealth Care Manager Elizabeth Saw- yers remembers working on behalf of Higley years ago. “It’s good to hear PeaceHealth and Senior & Disability were able to offer assistance, and Middlefield Oaks was there when she needed a safe home. I’m so hap- py she’s finally living in a healthy, beautiful apart- ment with 24-hour care,” Sawyers said. Ruth Tracey, the Com- munity Relations Direc- tor for Middlefield Oaks, credited the new trajec- tory of Higley’s life as a heartfelt collaboration and community effort. “It all came together beginning with Rebecca’s friends who helped her, to PeaceHealth Hospital in Cottage Grove who provided a continuum of care and communicating with Senior & Disability Services for multiple rea- sons, including acquiring a bed for Rebecca,” Trac- ey said. “Then, watching the department heads at Middlefield Oaks gath- er items and furniture needed to set up Rebec- ca’s apartment was truly service from the heart. It was a team effort, and it took every person in- volved to make this hap- pen. “To be able to serve this deep of a need in a per- son’s life is an honor. It is the core of why I choose to be in this field.” Renowned civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The measure of a country’s greatness should be based on how well it cares for its most vulnerable populations.” Higley said she appre- ciates the care and sup- port she received. “I’m so thankful to the hospital and everyone. Oregon has been kind to me. Oregon takes care of their people,” she said. Crow-Applegate-Lorane School Board names superintendent/principal finalists The Crow Applegate Lorane (CAL) School Board has announced three finalists for fur- ther consideration to be the next superinten- dent/principal for the Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District. The se- lected finalists are: • Heidi Brown — Cur- rently, Brown is the prin- cipal of the Harrison elementary school in the South Lane school district (SLSD, Cottage Grove, OR). Additionally, she is the co-facilitator for the SLSD Equity committee. Previously, she worked in the Triangle Lake school district for 11 years in a variety of roles, in- cluding athletic director and middle/high school teacher. Brown received her master’s degree in Edu- cational Leadership from the University of Oregon. • Sandra Price — Price has worked in the Sa- lem-Keizer school system since 2012. First as the Director of Elementary Education and currently as the Director of School Improvement. Prior to her current as- signment, she worked for the Lane Education Ser- vice District as a School Improvement program administrator. From 2004-2007, she was the Yoncalla Elemen- tary/Middle school prin- SWITCH TO THE Aut o CONVENIENCE OF AUTO PAY! cipal. Price earned her mas- ter’s degree in Education- al Leadership from the University of Oregon. • Wayne Reposa — Since 2018, Reposa has been the assistant pro- fessor for the Bushnell University (Northwest Christian University) in Eugene, Ore. Previously, he was a middle school principal for eight years in the Leb- anon (Ore.) Community school district. He was an elementary teacher in Springfield for eight years prior to his work in Lebanon. Reposa has a master’s degree in Edu- cational Leadership from the University of Oregon. The CAL school board will begin background and reference checks for the finalists over the the next few weeks. Each fi- nalist will be invited for a “day in the district” on Wednesday, March 10. At that time, staff and members of the commu- nity will have an oppor- tunity to meet the candi- dates. The staff and commu- nity “meet and greet” will be held from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at the Applegate El- ementary School. Com- ment cards will be pro- vided for participants to share thoughts with the school board. COVID-19 protocols will be strictly enforced. 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