Interviews

A Vision for Community Care & Change

In the first few days after the Almeda fire, my husband Rob and I were doing what we could to help community members who lost their homes. After providing monetary and other assistance during the first week, we found the level at which we were donating was not sustainable. It is a long recovery period ahead and better solutions needed to be put in place.

As we talked with others who also were  helping multiple families, donating to GoFundMe and aid organizations, they expressed that they too realized that they also could not personally continue to afford to donate at that level. We have many wonderful organizations reaching out to the community. There are many organizations, all providing an array of services and support. Researching,  managing and accessing that information is a massive job in an overwhelming, traumatic situation.

I had the idea to create smaller manageable teams of 5 volunteer households, who would work together as a unit to uplift and support specific displaced families and commit to sustaining their support over the long road ahead. Each team would provide support for 1 to perhaps 3 or 4 displaced families.

I started to share the idea online and immediately received positive feedback. I knew the idea had merit. I then reached out to my friend Shields Bialasik, editor of the LocalsGuide. Even though he is living 4200 miles away in Costa Rica, he has played a instrumental role in facilitating community building here in Southern Oregon. I shared my idea with him , he saw the vision and we set to work on launching www.HeartRising.org.

So many have reached out to us over the past 2 weeks, offers of help have arrived from our Valley and as well as from nearby  states. There are many areas of support that individual households can provide, some more than others. Someone may not be in a position to provide shelter, but perhaps they can locate resources for the family’s basic needs and assist in procuring those, provide transportation, assist in creating a long-range plan and additional needs like childcare, raise funds, gather donations etc. There are many ways to help and we have a guideline to assist with that.

As the volunteering households fill out a questionnaire indicating areas of support they can manage, we can merge those with other households and combine them to create a full array of support services and a team can be formed from those household members.

Displaced families in need would fill out an intake form and be matched with a 5 member household team. The first business that team will manage is to listen, assess and to develop a plan forward with their hosted family.  We can provide an outline for this process. Developing a step by step path to the future, created with a caring, committed and constant group of supporters and receiving assistance throughout the journey, will go a long way to alleviating anxiety for our displaced families, provide a safe place for them to reach out as they navigate these traumatic life changes with core support for the time ahead.

Please join us, no act of love and care is too small.

Rise Up,  Reach Out, Receive!

Much love!
Patie Millen

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Patie Millen

Patie Millen of the Millen Property Group, Top 1% Elite – One of Oregon’s Top Producing Brokers Serving our clients brings me great joy, and since 1994 I have had the pleasure of assisting my clients in over $500 million in closed transactions. I would like nothing more than the opportunity to introduce you to the beauty of Southern Oregon and to help you in making the Rogue Valley your home. You can feel confident in hiring the Millen Property Group to represent you in the purchase or sale of your home, ranch, or investment property. As one of the leading Realtors in Southern Oregon for over 30 years, my clients benefit from my strong business background, excellent negotiating and contract skills, strong marketing capabilities and my love of our area. I use my experience to guide you in making smart real estate decisions. And above all, I never compromise my ethics or my commitment to honesty. I will always give you the downsides as well as the upsides of a property or area so that you can make informed and smart decisions. As the lead principal broker, I work with clients to determine market trends, marketing solutions, pricing evaluations, property and area comparisons, contract negotiations and all that is entailed to bring your sale or purchase to a smooth and successful result. We know the area! All of our brokers have years of experience in Southern Oregon, and many were born and raised here. We can tell you not only about the real estate market and trends, but also the geological and cultural history, climate, wildlife, best fishing spots and some of the most untrodden areas of this remarkable area. Call us! (541) 301-3435

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