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Year 31 RARE AmeriCorps Program Group Shot

Member Applications are Open for the 2025-26 Service Year!

The mission of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social, and environmental conditions, through the assistance of trained graduate-level members who live and work in communities for 11 months.

You might have seen AmeriCorps in the news recently regarding cuts to the AmeriCorps agency at the federal level. While this has been surprising given the bipartisan support that AmeriCorps has received over the past 30+ years, the RARE AmeriCorps Program’s operations are continuing as normal. Our program has not been directly impacted by recent events, and we are planning for a successful 32nd year of service in 2025-2026. We will continue to share any new information that we receive.

“Just being present in the community as a dedicated servant of the public has a big impact in this small rural area. I have been surprised over and over again that my ‘reputation precedes me’ simply due to the fact that I have chosen to be here and bring my passion and background to the Illinois Valley.” – Erica Mooney, Year 26, Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District

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News

  • Talent Holds 4th Friday Art Walk, Invites Community To Celebrate Art, Local Businesses
    By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times Returning for the second time ever to Talent, the quarterly Fourth Friday Art Walk will celebrate the creative works of the local community while offering visitors the chance to see that art up close while participating in free, family-friendly fun across the town. Twelve different businesses, organizations and the…

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RARE – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments

Stories from the Field

  • Tell Me More: Collaborative Knowledge in Rural Communities
    By Grace Wesson, Air Quality & Food Systems Coordinator, OSU Extension Service At Oregon State University Extension Service, my daily activities can be anything from building gardens, to providing air quality literacy training to school districts, to writing grants and conference proposals. This is a far cry from my educational foundation. After growing

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2024-25 RARE AmeriCorps Placements

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