COME TOGETHER written by: Jonathan Crane
This time of the year there are many activities for all ages and interests. There are a number of local theater projects happening in and around Tualatin, many of which are featured in this issue. Supporting local theater keeps the arts alive and can be a great deal of fun as well. Additionally, each month Larry McClure and Tualatin Tomorrow arrange our Arts & Culture Calendar (page 18) and it has plenty of ideas of fun, local, affordable venues that would benefit by your participation.
For those interested in local politics, the formation of our local CIO (Citizen Involvement Organizations) is in full swing. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the very first public meeting of CIO 1 (Northern Tualatin) and it couldn’t have gone more smoothly. This week CIO’s 2 & 5 meet for their initial meetings and hopefully they’ll be as well attended and spirited. This is the culmination of a great deal of energy by many caring citizens. The number of local people who showed up and wanted to be involved was truly impressive.
Last week when I went the Chamber of Commerce meeting it was hosted by the Tualatin Schoolhouse Pantry inside Rolling Hills Church. It was great to see such an organized effort to take care of our own. However, when Program Coordinator Tracy Smith spoke, she told the group that the shelves were emptier than she had ever seen them. Local families need the resources now more than ever and they need more contributions to keep up. She speculated that the uptick is due to the fact that so many unemployed people are losing their benefits and their savings have run out. Please see her article on page 16 and perhaps your family might be able to assist. We need to help each other during tough times and this is a great program. With the holidays fast approaching, perhaps this year you can make the effort to shop locally. The benefits of shopping with locally owned merchants during the holidays pay dividends to our community all year long.
I hope you enjoy this issue and please keep your articles coming. It is your content that makes Tualatin Life the voice of our community.
