Baby Changing Stations Make Debut
A poop-filled diaper and nowhere to change it has led to an initiative to make bathrooms in Sisters businesses more family-friendly.
First Family Friendly Restrooms
FFRT announces its first three changing table installations in Sisters: Fika Sisters Coffeehouse, Suttle Tea, and Luckey’s Woodsman.
City and Nonprofit Celebrate Partnership
On December 13, members of the Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) Board will meet with Sisters’ city councilors to review five years of successful collaboration.
AFSC receives the AARP Community Champions Award
“Toward Our Shared Future: Age-Friendly Oregon Summit 2023” was the theme of the AARP-sponsored event held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth Oregon. Dixie Eckford and Mike Deal were in attendance when AFSC/STARS was presented with the Age Friendly Community Champions Award. Dixie accepted the award on behalf of STARS and Rennie Morrell. AARP also awarded AFSC a $1500.00 contribution to our Age Friendly efforts.
Making a Difference With AFSC
Since 2018, AFSC has provided fiscal and administrative support that turns ideas into action for the benefit of all who live in Sisters. The organization champions a livable, resilient community and draws from the national model of Domains of Livability as its guide in that effort. Domains cover everything from housing to healthcare, education to equity and culture to communication, so there is no shortage of opportunities for AFSC to make Sisters a resilient, welcoming place for all ages. But, as AFSC founder Toni Landis explains, “What we do have is a shortage of helping hands. Right now, AFSC is run entirely by a small group of very dedicated volunteers and board members. Our ability to have a greater impact in the community is just a math problem. The more committed individuals we can rely on, the more initiatives we can take from lightbulb to launch and make a real difference.”
Making a Difference Made Easy
Have you ever thought of a great way to make your community better but had no way to get your idea off the ground? A Sisters nonprofit knows that feeling and is doing something about it.
AFSC (Age Friendly Sisters Country) was founded in late 2018 with a mission to make Sisters livable and accessible for all. That may sound like a lofty goal, but it’s backed by the organization’s ability to mobilize resources. As AFSC founder Toni Landis explains, “We help people take their ideas from lightbulb moment to launch. Our community is filled with thinkers who have fantastic ideas, big and small, for making Sisters truly resilient. But many of those ideas don’t go anywhere because the process of creating a nonprofit to support the concept is pretty overwhelming. AFSC delivers strategic oversight, fiscal structure and administrative support so people can get their ideas up and running more easily than they could on their own. In effect, we create a straight line between innovation and impact.”
Sisters Gains ‘age-friendly’ status
On June 1, 2019, the City of Sisters was accepted as a member of the World Health Organization’s Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
Membership reflects the City’s commitment to listen to the needs of their aging population, assess and monitor their age-friendliness, and work collaboratively with older people and across sectors to create age-friendly physical and social environments. It signals to the citizens of Sisters Country that the City will proactively take age-related issues into consideration in its planning and building codes for both commercial and residential building projects. Membership is also a commitment to share experience, achievements, and lessons learned with other cities and communities.
Sisters Salutes (thank you to donors)
Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) is grateful to The Roundhouse Foundation, Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, St. Charles, and C4C/Vision Team for their generous support of Sisters Transportation and Ride Share in 2022. Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS) volunteers provide free rides to non-emergency medical appointments in Sisters, Bend, and Redmond, and the service is available to any Sisters Country resident. STARS is an Age Friendly Sisters Country action team.
Roundhouse Foundation Supports Local Community Projects
The Roundhouse Foundation, a Sisters-based philanthropy organization that supports innovative programs in Oregon’s rural communities, has announced final selections in its spring grant cycle. Supported programs and projects fall into the organization’s four focus areas, which are fundamental in building thriving rural areas: arts and culture; environmental stewardship; social services; and education. A total of $1.4 million was awarded to 75 organizations working across Oregon to support rural and tribal communities.
Volunteers provide vital ride service
Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS) is an invaluable local program that offers free transportation for all Sisters Country residents, to Sisters, Bend, and Redmond for all non-emergency medical appointments: physicians, dental, vision, physical therapy, hearing, lab work, testing, and vaccinations.
Video: Sisters as a Rural Model—AFSC Guest Presenters for AARP
On May 13 2021, Dixie Eckford and Chris Laing were guest presenters for AARP to discuss what Age Friendly communities look like in Oregon — featuring Sisters as a rural model. They discuss our organizational history, strengths, and challenges in this video clip.
Video: Envision Better Aging—AFSC Guest Panelist for City Club of Central Oregon
Toni Landis of Age Friendly Sisters Country was featured as a panelist on the April 15, 2021, City Club of Central Oregon Zoom presentation "Envision Better Aging: How Can Central Oregon Adapt to the Needs of an Aging Population?
Transportation improvement underway in Sisters Country
Andrea Breault, the Transportation Director of Cascade East Transit (CET), is working in collaboration with Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC), the City of Sisters, and AFSC (Age Friendly Sisters Country) to expand alternative transportation options for the residents of Sisters Country.
Vision Team Welcomed New Members
Since July 2019, the Vision Implementation Team (VIT) has been meeting regularly to guide progress on the Sisters Country Vision. The VIT is thrilled to welcome three new community members to the team: Hattie Tehan, Dennis Schimidling, and Bob Bryant. Each brings a different background, skill set, and passion to the Vision project. The VIT is also excited to announce the funding of their first Community Partner Grant, awarded to AFSC (Age Friendly Sisters Country) to support volunteer capacity for their Tollgate Village and STARS Transportation projects. Funding is still available, and the application is simple! Visit www.sistersvision.org to learn more and apply.
STARS Provides Essential Service
“The service offered by STARS means we can continue to live in Sisters,” Joann Powers told The Nugget.
Powers is 87 years old and doesn’t like to drive in Bend traffic, where her husband Bill has regular medical appointments.
Creating Community One ‘Village’ at a Time
In last year’s Sisters Country Vision project, one of the most important elements identified that residents care about is maintaining the livability of Sisters Country as the population increases. Currently, a group of neighbors think they have found a way to encourage creating, maintaining, and deepening the sense of community that makes Sisters such a special place — growth or not.
Action Teams Step Up to Help Seniors
Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) “Action Teams” received a $5,000 grant from The Ford Family Foundation (TFFF) to focus on their COVID-19 response. The grant will be split between the STARS “Action Team” and the newly formed Linked Villages — Sisters “Action Team.”