The Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program was founded in 1994 as a way to bring service-learning to Oregon and to offer the skills, experience, and idealism of University of Oregon students to many of Oregon’s depressed rural communities.
The timing was uniquely appropriate. In the mid- 1990’s, “service-learning” was gaining attention and support across the country, and the year of RARE’s inception saw the beginning of the nationally recognized AmeriCorps program. It was also a time of significant federal investment in the Northwest in response to the mandates of the Northwest Forest Plan and the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative.
Since its inception, RARE AmeriCorps has placed over 400 graduate-level participants in countless rural communities across the state. RARE AmeriCorps’ mission is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their own economic, social, and environmental conditions. To achieve this mission, every year RARE AmeriCorps places trained graduate-level participants in communities across the State of Oregon where they work for public agencies, special districts, and nonprofit organizations on issues of rural community building. RARE AmeriCorps impact is twofold, building capacity in rural communities with limited resources while also providing participants with invaluable field experience in community development and planning—a true win-win situation.
This year RARE AmeriCorps will celebrate its twentieth anniversary of service to rural Oregon communities. In the initial nineteen years of operations, RARE AmeriCorps participants have taken the lead on a variety of city, community, and regional initiatives, including such projects as watershed enhancement, community and economic development, parks and recreation development, sustainable food systems, main street programming, and natural resource development. In the process, the program has developed a strong reputation in rural Oregon and enhanced university outreach and service to these communities. The twentieth anniversary of RARE AmeriCorps provides both a milestone and an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of this wonderful organization.
On July 26, RARE AmeriCorps will be celebrating twenty years of service at the Larson Family Ranch in Creswell, Oregon. Beautiful setting, amazing food, and great music, all in support of the RARE AmeriCorps Program! This event, part reunion and part fundraiser, will surely offer a wonderful opportunity to connect with the RARE AmeriCorps family.
For more information about the RARE Reunion and to purchase tickets, click here.
This article was originally featured in the Spring 2014 edition of the PPPM Newsletter. To access the full Newsletter, click here.