"Let's Talk: Celebrating Women of Sisters" Is a Wrap!

Held at Paulina Springs Bookstore March 20, 2023, from 6-7:30PM.

What a terrific turnout of women (and men)! Wonder-filled stories, complete with honest challenges and successes were shared by some of the diverse women who help make Sisters the town that it is.

A big thanks to Paulina Springs Bookstore for offering a 20% off coupon for any books by women authors and 20% off any books on their women's history display at the front counter. This was available to anyone who attended this event!

Please follow our Facebook page as another way to stay current on future events.

Watch the Video: Let's Talk! about the Future of the Current Elementary School

C4C conducts community conversation to gather input on the repurposing of the current elementary school.

Watch the November 15, 2021 Video Here.

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The following map shows the site of the current elementary school. The yellow highlighted area indicates what property will be taken for the construction of the Locust Street roundabout. This will decrease the acreage that the building sits on.

C4C Receives Program Funds

Sisters, OR (September 7, 2021): The Sisters nonprofit Citizens4Community (C4C) has been awarded a $200,000 Community Building Grant from The Ford Family Foundation. These funds will be allocated over the next three years to advance C4C’s work strengthening community connections through civility, collaboration and community engagement.

The core of what C4C does is build community, whether it's through facilitating community conversations, building capacity through the hosting of educational and training events, celebrating successes by hosting projects like the street banners for graduating high school seniors, or organizing quick-response activities like the recent painting and placement of thank you signs for wildland fire crews.

As co-facilitator of the Sisters Country Vision, C4C works alongside governmental partners to bring new grassroot projects from individuals and organizations into the Vision planning process. One way C4C does this is by convening monthly meetings of the Sisters Country Community Builder Coalition. This coalition is made up of community leaders and volunteers and focuses on local needs and emerging issues. Currently the Community Builders led by C4C are addressing food security, pandemic related resources, and 'Sisters as a Welcoming Place' to underrepresented segments of the community.

C4C also led the development efforts of the Sisters Community website (SistersCommunity.org) and continues to manage the website under their organizational umbrella. The site is growing into a one-stop online communication and resource hub for all residents of Sisters Country. It currently contains a community calendar, directories, volunteer opportunities, emergency resources and more.

“Citizens4Community is so grateful for The Ford Family Foundation’s generous support and the confidence in us it represents,” said Linda Cline, C4C Executive Director. “Besides providing funding, the Foundation provides invaluable training and support in Sisters Country and to other rural communities throughout Oregon and northern California. They have played a pivotal role in the formation and success of C4C since our inception almost six years ago.”

Combined with other resources, this grant will allow C4C to continue increasing its community involvement and support. The nonprofit has hosted many local events and celebrations, including a monthly Let’s Talk discussion series, and workshops on topics including bridging political divides and effective communication and collaboration.

To learn more about C4C, visit www.citizens4community.org or contact Linda Cline at director@citizens4community.com.

Update: Thank you For Helping Us Reach Our 2021 Banner Project Fundraising Goal

It’s an exciting day today—April 14, 2021— as we launch the SHS Class of 2021 Street Banner Project Go Fund Me fundraiser. We hope you’ll join us in supporting this effort and sending off our Sisters High School graduating seniors in style.

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UPDATE—April 21, 2021:

Hurray! We've met our fundraising goal! 

For all of you who donated, THANK YOU for your generous gift! During this second year of a Banner Project, we continue to be amazed by the outpouring of support for Sisters’ youth, which clearly shows that our community wants to nurture the potential and opportunities for these young people.

Any funds we don’t need for this year’s banner project will go toward efforts which directly support our Sisters students, for example 2021 Grad Night event or other school programs. 

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You can view the Go Fund Me campaign page << HERE >> or by clicking on the button below.

The banner project began last year as a way to support the Class of 2020 in the wake of COVID-related school closings and the cancellation of multiple end-of-year activities.

This year, C4C is again serving as the official nonprofit host for the project—a joint effort of the high school, C4C and several dedicated boosters including SHS Yearbook Advisor Susie Seaney, parent volunteers Jamie Vohs and Carla Mandal, The City's Public Works crew and Sisters Rodeo.

• You might have seen the feature article about the banner project in The Nugget Newspaper. If not, you can read it << HERE >>...

As you probably know, COVID has also severely impacted the 2020/'21 school year, and our SHS senior class has missed out on fully enjoying what should have been an exciting final year. We think of these senior banners as one way to give a little of that joy and excitement back to the Class of 2021.  

During the past year, many community members have told us how much they enjoyed donating to last year's banner project. It was absolutely heartwarming seeing the response to the 2020 fundraiser. So we're offering the community an opportunity to support this fun and meaningful project again.

Plans call for the 100-plus banners first to be displayed starting mid-May at the high school—as an on-campus show of support for the seniors. Then, just before Graduation Week, the banners will be hung from lampposts throughout downtown Sisters.

At C4C, we especially love this community-led project, because addition to honoring students, the banners offer a shining symbol of our hometown spirit for everyone in Sisters—and all who pass through—to enjoy.

Also like last year, after graduation, students will be given their banners as keepsakes and gifts from the community.

Citizens4Community, Black Butte Ranch and local real estate agent Tim Kizziar have each contributed $500 toward the total project budget of $2,850.

That leaves us with an additional $1,350 that we’re hoping to raise during the fundraiser. 

C4C is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so any donations are tax deductible. 

We appreciate ANY SIZE donation—large or small. And any funds raised beyond our goal will be wholly dedicated to funding efforts that benefit Sisters Country students.

(If you prefer to donate by check, simply put “Banner Project” in your check's memo section and mail it to: Citizens4Community, P.O. Box 2193, Sisters, OR, 97759.)

• You can read about last year’s banner project << HERE >>…

An image taken last year as the 2020 banners were hung. Photo Courtesy of Jerry Baldock/Outlaws Photography

An example of the 2021 banners. Adding an extra touch of glee for us at C4C is the fact that Class of 2021 Senior Olivia Bertagna, who last year served as C4C’s youth board member and helped start the banner project, will this year take home a banner of her own.

C4C Collaboration Grants: Applications Being Accepted

In September 2020, Citizens4Community (C4C) received grant funding from the Ford Family Foundation to support our community building work around “building a more engaged and connected community” in Sisters Country.  We will focus our organization’s time and grant funds on collaborative projects: activities that build relationships and trust, conversations that bring people of differing perspectives together, and projects that bring a voice and/or enhanced services to the underrepresented and underserved in Sisters Country. 

C4C has $4000 in small grants to share with local Community Builders who will collaborate- working with at least one other group or non-profit organization to:

• Create a more welcoming and inclusive community;

• Identify and address an unmet need or barrier in Sisters Country;

• Bring a voice or enhanced services to the underserved or underrepresented of Sisters Country; or

• Help newcomers as well as long-time residents feel valued and supported.

Priority for funding will be given to

• Organizations participating in the Community Builder alliance with C4C

• New collaborative projects

Grant Application Specifics:                                       

• The partnership, with at least one other group or non-profit organization, must be developed before the application is submitted.

• Maximum distribution of $2000 per grant

• Funds cannot be used to support ongoing operational budgets or for capital campaigns.

• Deadline for Application: Wednesday, March 17, 2021

• Grants awarded by: March 31, 2021

• Funds must be spent by: August 31, 2021

• Project reports and supporting financial documents must be provided within 1 month of the completion of the project.

Need a grant application? Send a request to:  director@citizens4community.com

In the News: Read About C4C's New Executive Director, Linda Cline

For more than five years now, C4C has operated solely on volunteer power. We’re pleased with what we’ve accomplished, but with the recent adoption of our new strategic plan, we know we can do so much more. So we're excited to have just brought on C4C’s first paid position—a new Executive Director. And, in Linda Cline, we’ve found a wonderful person to fill that title. Read about Linda HERE or by clicking on the headline below.

[ And you can read about the entire C4C Leadership Team HERE >> ]

Linda Cline takes the helm at C4C 

By Sue Stafford
Published January 20, 2021 in the Nugget Newspaper