Earlier this month, Logan Nichol, a Heart of Oregon team leader from Prineville, went to Washington D.C. to accept the Corpsmember of the Year award — the nation’s highest honor in recognition of his service and leadership to his community.

I was fortunate to join him on the journey and as I watched him describe to Senators the power of Heart of Oregon Corps to change his life and the lives of his peers — I was brought to tears more than once.

Heart of Oregon’s youth are all this inspiring. Our youth are all Logans. They are young people determined not to be defined by the barriers they face but instead to be known by their growth and service.

As we arrive at our 25th anniversary in 2025, I am so proud that Heart of Oregon Corps is on the forefront of work-based learning in our nation — that our youth represent the best hopes we have for what our nation can be. This milestone is a moment to reflect on values we can all believe in: perseverance, personal growth, and the power of an espirit de corps that changes our communities and our own hearts.

I joined Heart of Oregon Corps in 2006 and have seen this organization grow from its humble beginnings with local leaders propping up a few work crews into a youth and young adult workforce development powerhouse in Central Oregon. More than 5,000 alumni have gone on to make meaningful careers for themselves based on the foundation of their learnings with us.

These days youth like Logan are truly solving the region’s greatest challenges through their job training at Heart of Oregon including housing affordability, wildfire fuels reduction and the childcare shortage.

You can find the footprints and fingerprints of their impact everywhere. From trail fencing at the popular Tumalo Falls, to a vibrant cul de sac of affordable homes in Madras. From a school aftercare session in Sisters to wildlife guzzlers and exclosures in the Ochocos that keep streams clear and big game thriving. From the skate park in Redmond to the trailhead signs at Maston and The Badlands. From the sleeping units offering shelter at Veteran’s Village to campsite improvements at Skull Hollow by Smith Rock. And to a fire break that prevented the recent Elk Lane fire from burning the homes of our neighbors.

There is hardly a corner of Central Oregon that has not been touched and improved by the service of Heart of Oregon Corps youth crews over the past 25 years. Unfortunately, we’ve struggled to keep up with our growth as our network of aging and borrowed facilities often limit our ability to serve them–and our entire region.

We are so close now to leveling up what Heart of Oregon Corps can do for these youth and all of Central Oregon. We are building a central campus in Redmond and have raised $4.7 million with just $2.5 million to go. This asset will help us continue to lead the nation in youth workforce development in countless ways that benefit Central Oregon.

If you believe in the Logans of Central Oregon and the power of young people to transform their lives while they transform their communities — we ask you, please support this workforce development campus for our youth. Visit heartoforegon.org/campus-campaign and make a legacy donation in honor of Logan and the other Heart of Oregon Corps youth giving so much to us all.

Laura Handy is the Heart of Oregon Corps Executive Director.

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