SPORTS & OUTDOORS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
A11
40 years at Community Connection
Director stepping
down from E. Oregon
social service agency
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The small
notice would have been easy to
miss.
Forty-four years ago Mar-
garet Davidson, now executive
director of Community Connec-
tion of Northeast Oregon, spot-
ted a small help wanted ad in
a La Grande newspaper. It was
for a job as a data entry clerk
with an organization named the
Eastern Oregon Community
Development Council. David-
son, without giving it a second
thought, applied and was hired.
She had little inkling of what
awaited.
“I was a student at Eastern
Oregon University and I needed
a part-time job. I had no idea
I was launching a rewarding
career,” said Davidson, noting
that the Eastern Oregon Com-
munity Development Council
later became Community Con-
nection of Northeast Oregon, an
agency that serves those in need.
The career
ignited
by
that 1978 help
wanted
ad
will be end-
ing soon, for
Davidson is
Davidson
retiring at the
end of April. She said her tenure
has been as rewarding as it has
been fulfi lling.
“I have really enjoyed the
journey,” said Davidson, who
fi rst worked for Community
Connection for one year, then left
for three years because of budget
cuts before returning and ded-
icating another 39 years to the
organization.
Community Connection has
grown tremendously during
Davidson’s 25-year tenure as
executive director. The agency
had a budget of $2.3 million in
1997, and last year it reached
$14 million, a direct refl ection
of the growth in the services it
provides.
“She has done a fantastic
job,” said Steve McClure, chair
of the Community Connection of
Northeast Oregon’s board. “She
knows the organization from top
to bottom and is very, very inclu-
sive and listens to input.”
‘Master communicator’
Frank Thomas, who worked
under Davidson at Community
Connection for 21 years, cred-
its Davidson with having a for-
ward-thinking nature.
“Margaret has remarkable
vision. She was able to see sev-
eral years ahead with an accu-
rate understanding of what Com-
munity Connection needed to
be as an agency and the person-
nel and skill sets that would be
necessary to eff ectively serve,”
said Thomas, who now works
for the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
Communication skills are
another part of Davidson’s skill
set, Thomas said.
“Margaret is a master com-
municator. I’ve seen her convey
complex topics on everything
from economics to policy and
engineering specifi cations on a
housing project, and always in a
way that’s accessible to a broad
audience,” he said.
‘Flagship programs’
Davidson said most people
know Community Connection
for its transportation and meal
programs because they are visi-
ble and serve many. Community
Connection’s Northeast Oregon
Public Transit program has pro-
vided more than 300,000 rides
to the public in Union County
over the past two decades, and
its senior meals and food bank
programs serve hundreds of
people daily across the region.
“They are our fl agship pro-
grams,” Davidson said.
She noted, though, that
Community Connection pro-
vides a variety of services,
many that have been added or
greatly expanded in the last two
decades. They include a housing
rehabilitation program that pro-
vides loans for home improve-
ments, a housing resource cen-
ter that helps fi rst-time home
buyers, a rental assistance pro-
gram and in-home services for
veterans.
Recent major expansions
made by Community Connec-
tion include a new and much
larger food distribution center
in Island City for the Northeast
Oregon Regional Food Bank it
operates. The 8,500-square-foot
remodeled former Pendleton
Grain Growers building is eight
times larger than the food bank’s
previous storehouse.
The new distribution center
is making it possible for Com-
munity Connection to store its
food longer. The total cost of
the new food center project was
$1.064 million, which included
the purchase price of the build-
ing. The funding has been pro-
vided by grants, by Community
Connection and by donations
from individuals and businesses.
The Northeast Oregon
Regional Food Bank provides
food to about 18 pantries in
Union, Wallowa, Baker and
Grant counties, plus additional
sites including Department of
Human Services offi ces. The
food bank provided 1.3 million
pounds of food in 2020.
Calling it a career
Davidson said much of Com-
munity Connection’s growth is
due to its excellent staff .
“Years ago I recognized that
our agency’s staff members are
our greatest assets,” Davidson
said. “I believe in treating my
staff as people fi rst and employ-
ees second.”
Her concern for staff mem-
bers is refl ected in the oppor-
tunities she provided them for
career advancement. Thomas
said Davidson developed career
O utlook
SENI
R
“I’m (not)
dreaming of a
white Easter…’”
But we almost
had one this year!
Goodness gracious.
Rose Coombs
Since it was Easter,
I decided to wear
“springtime” shoes. After all, it was the middle of April! I just
very carefully walked behind some family that had bigger
feet so I could walk in their steps through the snow. Yup.
Welcome to Grant County spring! And the Ensemble did
their Easter presentation on Easter! Hooray! And we did do it
a cappella. Whew and PTL. Now we can rest until September
or so…
The weather is still “unsettled.” We hope it gets calmed down
in time for our yard sale next month. If you have something
to donate, just bring it to the center on Wednesday — and
stay and have a meal with us. After two years of pickup and
takeout, it is wonderful to get a plate with the meal on it and
sit down with others and enjoy TOGETHER. PTL.
We found out what an “Amish Country casserole” was.
Should I tell you? Or leave you hanging? (Ho, ho. It wasn’t
anything exotic, was quite tasty and recognizable. Turned out
to be noodles and ground beef. Why it was named “Amish
Country casserole” is anybody’s guess. Along with it we had
coleslaw (donated by some nice person), carrots, orange and
apple slices, and a cinnamon roll big enough to choke a horse!
Holey moley. Luckily, we were able to get a bag and take it
home to munch on for a few days.
We do have a good choice of drinks to go along with your
Prairie City
Seniors
It is always good to
be home again after
being gone for a
week. However, the
week was productive,
active and relaxing,
Elise Huskey
and it was nice to see
family and friends.
Thursday, April
21, I was at lunch at our senior center and so were 24 other
people. What a great lunch and visit. Shay did a good job on
the stroganoff.
I hope everyone is looking forward to the OTEC meeting.
Info is in the April Ruralite magazine and on Page A2 of this
edition of the Blue Mountain Eagle.
Transportation will be available, so be watching for the
signup sheet for that.
We are hearing how appreciative people are to have lunches
delivered to them, and we all appreciate our delivery people.
Thanks, you guys.
John Day
Seniors
We had a very
hearty meal lovingly
prepared for us by
our cooks Terry
Cade and Carrie
Jewell. They made
Soo Yukawa
us spaghetti and
meatballs, garlic
bread, a fresh green salad, and chocolate chip cookies for our
dessert. Are we blessed or what? We thank them for their hard
work and we so appreciate them very much.
Our greeter at the table was Bob Cockrell. He checked in the
guests. Bob and Dallas Helsley counted up the money. Bob
led us in the flag salute and made the announcements. Yours
truly prayed the blessing over the meal. Pam Calahan was the
winner of the free meal ticket.
The valley where Monument is located is just looking picture
perfect with its lush green grass and foliage growing. It is truly
breathtaking. I still pinch myself to see if I am dreaming,
sometimes not believing that we are actually living out here.
We are blessed beyond measure. I thank the Lord for His
abundant goodness. Don’t get me wrong, there have been
difficult times, but the Lord is with us and He is walking with
us. When we are walking with the Lord, there is nothing to
fear. Amen.
The rain has been a welcome blessing! I have daffodils that
are blooming. A lot of things are starting to wake up from the
winter. We have had some weird weather patterns like snow
one day, sunny another day, then a windy rainstorm coming
through all in a span of a few days. Go figure? We’ll take it!
Ha.
Monument
Seniors
meal: coffee, milk, water, and hot water for tea. Thanks to our
wonderful cooks Pam and Pam, for preparing these meals.
The sponsor of the meal today is Friends of Prairie City.
And there was a third Pam helping in the kitchen courtesy
of the Old West Federal Credit Union. So along with
receptionist Pam, we really had a “Pam-demic.” Other helpers
included Tom, Josiah, Mary, Sharon, Gwynne and Chris.
Thanks to all for all your hard work. Ginger led the flag salute
and Tom asked the blessing. We’re still working on the door
prize situation, so did not have one today.
Tom’s food for thought: No matter how thin you slice it,
there are always two sides. OK. Two notable things that
happened on this date in history: in 1879 the first “mobile
home” left London for Cyprus. It was horse-drawn. Uh-huh.
In 1946 the first baseball game was broadcast. It was between
the Cardinals and the Cubs. I’m sure that was a lot easier than
trying to reconstruct the game from the Morse Code on the
telegraph line! Now, if you have the right app, you can watch
it on your phone!
I see that I missed one dandelion in the garden weeding. If it
ever warms up, I’ll take care of it!
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and
they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and
all who do evil.
We are still providing takeout meals if anyone wants them,
for $6 each. The cost is $5 for attending lunch at the center
for ages 60 and over. All others are $6. Call by 10:30 if you
want a takeout lunch and pick it up before noon.
We have some people interested in the line dance class,
so keep your eyes on this site for more information on
that. Bingo had their first game on Thursday, April 21; the
attendance was small, but next Thursday we hope it to be
even more exciting. The blackout game is $200 if you get
blackout with 64 numbers or less or the regular pot for any
other number. The quarter game is over $36 if you win on the
first number called for the session.
The bridge game is enjoying getting together each Thursday
again. It sure is nice to be able to gather together.
Hope to see you all at lunch on Mondays and Thursdays.
Let me know if you have any news or something happening
in our area.
One of my apple trees is starting to leaf out, or maybe it is
going to bloom some flowers? I don’t know. I am hoping the
apple trees we planted a few years back will start to give us
some measurable amount of apples. Hopefully the silly cats
won’t knock them off the trees this year.
One of the goats that I got from my neighbor who moved
away is looking pretty huge. I think this is her first pregnancy.
She is just wobbling around. Who knows if she is going to
have twins, triplets, or maybe she will be like Marianne and
only have one big baby! Ha. One thing is for sure, I am not
going to be waiting around for hours in the cold like last time.
I will just let nature take its course and see what happens
waiting in my nice warm house.
My bottle baby goat, Shay, is still in the house. She is very
good and does not mind being alone. I have had a few that
would scream and cry if they were alone. Shay patiently waits
to be fed. She is potty-trained, too. Shay cries when she needs
to go potty. Shay minds me most of the time and comes when
I call her when we are outside. She follows me around and
hops like a bunny rabbit. I believe she is the best-behaved
baby goat I have had out of all the babies.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory.
ladders for employees, mak-
ing it possible for people to rise
to high positions in the agency
while acquiring skills that
would serve them well if they
moved on from Community
Connection.
“I’m not alone in having Mar-
garet to thank for the skills and
opportunity that took me on to
a happy career in public service
after Community Connection
of Northeast Oregon,” Thomas
said. “The system of continuous
improvement she developed and
the encouragement she off ered
to at least three generations of
public servants is now paying
dividends all over the state, and
likely all over the country.”
Davidson said she will miss
not seeing employees and those
her agency serves on a daily
basis.
“Saying
goodbye
is
extremely diffi cult,” she said.
Davidson will be succeeded
by Connie Guentert, who has
served as director of Wallowa
County’s Community Connec-
tion programs for the past eight
years.
“I’m confi dent that Connie
will do an excellent job,” David-
son said.
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