Creating a strong, healthy community

In the Summer of 2015 I started attending monthly Be Your Best (BYB) meetings after an invitation from a member of Sustainable Cottage Grove. I was impressed by how efficient, informative and productive meetings were, and how invested each attendee and their organizations was in the South Lane/North Douglas community.
BYB is a cross-sector coalition of community partners based in Cottage Grove, with attendees ranging from private business owners to non-profit and community service organizations and local school district, city and county employees.
BYB emerged in response to the Community Health Needs Assessment of Lane County. South Lane County has been a role model for community collaboration and collective impact for at least 30 years, starting with the introduction of First Steps Child Care, the Family Relief Nursery, South Lane Mental Health, and the Family Resource Center between 1988 and 2000. Each of these and all that has followed came about through collaboration between existing or emerging organizations to improve family and community health. BYB engages marginalized and disenfranchised communities to inform and guide their efforts.
When the idea for the Health Hub began forming in my mind, I drew from what I was learning about what each person at the BYB table was bringing to the community, and how dedicated they were to identifying community needs and working together with other organizations such as Live Healthy Lane and PeaceHealth to meet those needs in a compassionate, equitable, inclusive, and collaborative way. From my work as a trainer and instructor in the community, I recognized the need for a community recreation center.
In South Lane county, we all draw from many of the same resources. We share the air, water (whether city or well water, the watershed is the same), parks and other public facilities, schools, and shops. Take a moment now to think about what your community means to you, and what you can invest in it to make it even better.
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Samantha Duncan is owner of Cottage Grove Health Hub.