HPCC: From The Treasurer’s Desk…

Ken Hansen, HPCC Treasurer

With the pending move of the prior owner, I recently purchased the John Deere tractor that our 12-family “neighborhood” has used for clearing our roads and driveways of snow. Our communal kitty pays for fuel and maintenance supplies, and I donate labor. 

As luck would dictate, Deb and I had to spend the first week of our recent “Snowmagedden” in Portland for business. I dutifully advised the neighbors prior to our departure. Throughout the week, I watched our weather and anxiously noted the inches turning to feet… Returning home, our roads were open and we drove directly into our plowed driveway. Several of our neighbors had collaborated to address our collective needs. Just as the second round of snow began to fall, an untimely hospital admission again knocked me out of my duties. Again, our neighbors unselfishly rose to fill the need. And Deb has become the “Uber” among several of her friends who are either snowbound or not comfortable driving in snow. Mundane example perhaps, but this is the simple stuff of what “community” is all about. 

Simple efforts such as these are frequently multiplied; fresh veggies and fruit appear on doorsteps in the summer; a friend visits or calls just when most needed; that broken part is welded…

Similar to the individual threads of a spider web, when these filaments are numerous, they can be relied upon to support great weights. Think about where you might want to deepen your connections to community. For ourselves, we value HPCC as another venue for building these invisible bonds of community. 

HPCC’s January brunch afforded an opportunity to visit with neighbors following the holidays. We netted $1,280 toward Fire District 14 and HPCC uses. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this a success!  The HPCC Board is investigating grants and other funding sources for a potential upgrade to the community center kitchen. 

On March 16, the Firefighters Appreciation Dinner is an opportunity to thank High Prairie’s and Lyle’s volunteer firefighters, first responders and staff for their dedication and hard work on our behalf. Special awards and appreciations will be given to firefighters by the two fire districts. HPCC is also collaborating with Fire District 14 toward a community dedication of the new Schilling Road fire hall. More info will follow.

Our March 28 HPCC meeting will feature speakers and a program from Insitu. We will learn about how drones are used in support of wildfire reduction, mapping and suppression efforts!   The speaker at another upcoming meeting will be an internationally recognized expert on the decline of bees and efforts we can all take to understand and slow this situation.

As you begin your Spring shopping, don’t forget to use the High Prairie account at Amazon. We receive a substantial benefit back from this program. Here is the link:  https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-2078267.

Similarly, if you shop at Fred Meyer, you can register your card to fund HPCC while STILL retaining your own benefits. Stop by the customer service desk to register. 

Remember that your community center is available for rental for family and neighborhood events.

^ Top


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.