By Janet Byrd
The Neighborhood Partnerships team has been reflecting on the inspiration and creativity that we shared with many of you at our RE:Conference in mid-October. As always, we came away inspired by the work that you do for the benefit of our communities, awed by the passion you bring to your work, and hopeful for our collective future. And as always, we haven’t really slowed down!
I want to especially thank the people who took time during the RE:Conference to share your work and stories with us. The personal stories – from the plenary speakers to those shared in table conversations — and the examples of entrepreneurship shown by the marketplace vendors made for a richer and more meaningful two days for all of us.
That inspiration and shared passion along with the growing and urgent needs in our communities also drive us to not take too long a rest post RE:Conference. We can’t afford to loose momentum when there is so much work to do! We’re hard at work planning for the February legislative session, supporting innovation within the Oregon IDA Initiative, and designing a pilot for a statewide Children’s Savings Account. I hope you’ll take a moment to read all about this great work in this newsletter.
Don’t forget to also consider a donation in support of the Oregon IDA Initiative. Your donation will qualify for a state of Oregon tax credit and support Oregonians as they save and work to make their dreams come true.
We look forward to seeing you next year at RE:Conference – and to our work together in the meantime as well.