2022 Year End Update
Season’s Greetings!
As 2022 ends we reflect on the year and share some highlights of our Coalition’s work. We also want to thank you for your continued support and interest in our valued Heritage Area.
We began the year with the launch of our digital heritage trail. This project was a partnership with Clackamas County Tourism and has been a wonderful way for visitors and locals to learn more about the heritage opportunities all around them.
Our spring and summer were filled with events where our staff and volunteers engaged with the community. We attended events at the Philip Foster Farm, the Willamette Old Time Fair, Oregon’s First City Festival, the Lake Oswego Classic Car and Boat Show, the Stafford Hamlet Family Fest, the Arch Bridge Celebration, and multiple open houses at our Old Oregon studio.
In addition to our events we brought in an expert consultant to thoroughly evaluate our policies, procedures, and conduct through the lens of race, diversity, equity, and inclusion (RDEI). We held a Board workshop led by the consultant and implemented a plan to ensure our Coalition is inclusive and representative of all peoples and cultures. Our RDEI Subcommittee is now guiding us through an external program to expand our understanding and reform our history telling through this RDEI lens.
We welcomed many new faces this year! Brooklyn Robinson joined as an Executive Assistant to help organize our efforts, manage our social media, and expand our outreach. We elected new officers and Board members and the Coalition’s new executive team includes President Russ Axelrod, Vice President Denyse McGriff, Secretary Jody Carson, Treasurer Jenni Tan, as well as Jon George, Victoria Meinig, and Samara Phelps. We are excited to move forward with this capable and passionate team!
You may recall last December our Coalition received the Old Oregon business as a generous donation after the passing of John Klatt, the creator of Old Oregon. This valuable resource contains thousands of photos from the Oregon Territory spanning from the 1800s through the 1960s. John’s extensive research library was also donated. The Coalition is working to ensure that Old Oregon remains accessible to the public both for research purposes and as a way to interact with the region’s heritage. Right now that means you can visit the Old Oregon website
to view the collection or make a purchase. In the future you’ll be able to visit the collection in West Linn’s Historic City Hall once our building renovation project is complete in partnership with the City of West Linn.
The Coalition looks forward to continuing our work in 2023 and expanding our value and service to our local heritage community. You can stay up to date with our current programs by following our Facebook and Instagram pages and watching our blog. We’ll also send occasional updates through our newsletter, so keep an eye on your inboxes. If you’d like to be more involved please let us know! We’ll have various volunteer opportunities throughout the year and always appreciate financial contributions. We are so thankful for all of your support and wish you the merriest holiday season and the happiest new year!