News 2024

Last year's Agency youth pictured above! The Connected Lane County Agency teamed up with PIVOT Architecture and Bricks & Minifigs to create a student-built LEGO model of the new Camas Ridge Community School! The finished model was 3,500 pieces! See the news coverage below! Hands-on: See Camas Ridge fourth graders put together a LEGO model of their new school Students build scale model of school with LEGOs to inspire future architects

Connected Lane County will receive 2.5 million dollars over the next five years to help support youth with disabilities in the Excelerator programs. This grant is being funded by the US Department of Education and is a subcontract from the University of Oregon. Connected Lane County will receive about $500,000 each year for five years, allowing us to hire additional staff members to support youth with disabilities, help launch a Culinary Excelerator, and support youth with wa

Fix-it Fair allows youth and young adults to bring in items that need repair. Local "fixers" provide guidance and teach participants how to fix items that might otherwise be thrown out. See it in the news below! KATU2 Reuse and repair: Learn repair skills at Springfield's Fix-It Fair this November by News Staff Kezi 9

BookFest was established seven years ago by Connected Lane County and United Way of Lane County. Each year, elementary school students are able to pick out five free books to keep! Check out the 2024 news coverage below. KEZI 9 News: Lane County’s BookFest 2024 provided books to more than 2,400 children By: Ryan Bonham

Connected Lane County was the nonprofit beneficiary of the 5th annual Market Fest event hosted by Obie Companies at 5th Street Public Market. WaFD bank contributed a $10,000 grant, and Connected Lane County will receive a portion of the proceeds from vendor sales, supporting youth in our community. See it in the news! KEZI 9 News Rain doesn't hamper kick off of annual 5th Street Market Fest in Eugene By: Jennifer Singh Fifth annual ‘Fifth Street Marketfest’ festivities now un

Connected Lane County will expand its Invention Club to middle schools across the County. Invention Club is a STEM-based learning program in collaboration with Oregon MESA that culminates in a MESA showcase. Check it out in the news! Portland State University: Oregon MESA Expands with Two New Regional Centers in Washington County and Lane County by University Communications Cottage Grove Sentential: $5,000 for local STEM program by Jeremy C. Ruark Cottage Grove Sentinel 16KMT

Connected Lane County received $5,000 in grant money from the Pacific Power Foundation to expand Invention Club, a STEM-based learning experience, into Lincoln Middle School in Cottage Grove. To learn more about the story, check out the KMTR news coverage below! "STEM opportunities coming to Cottage Grove School thanks to $5K grant" by Dannie Condon.

Connected Lane County piloted Direct Cash Transfers for Lane County youth. See the news coverage below! KLCC Executive Director Heidi Larwick and Program Lead Annie Dropek (pictured above) sit down with KLCC Reporter Michael Dunne to discuss Connected Lane County's pilot program for Direct Cash Transfers to prevent youth homelessness. Listen to the interview to learn more! KEZI 9 News Connected Lane County participating in pilot program to prevent youth homelessness By: Ryan

In March 2024, Connected Lane County coordinated a tour of EWEB’s facility. Dozens of youth from schools across Lane County came to EWEB to explore the Utility Service Industry. The high school youth learned about various high-wage, high-demand jobs and saw how a large utility company like EWEB operates. The youth visited various stations and learned about the necessary technology for water and electricity. Some youth even took the opportunity to go up in bucket trucks and pa

The Agency worked with Endless Mileage to create new tree tags that display athletes' finishing times. The Endless Mileage is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering sustainable environments and programming that inspires the next generation of track and field athletes to break barriers. Read more!

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, Connected Lane County hosted the Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, and Congresswoman, Val Hoyle, to provide a tour of Spark at Booth-Kelly and a roundtable discussion with program youth about their experiences at Connected Lane County. It was a wonderful experience for youth and industry partners to share with their representatives! ⁠ To learn more, check out the media coverage below. KLCC: https://www.klcc.org/politics-government/2024-

marketingJAM, the three-day marketing competition, wrapped up a successful showcase! We had 12 teams and saw competitors from Bethel, Creswell, Junction City, Siuslaw, Springfield, and 4J. Teams took on real-world challenges from local nonprofits, including Springfield Education Foundation, Lane Workforce Partnership, City Club of Eugene, and Positive Community Kitchen. Marmalade Marketeers from Creswell High School took home Best in Show for their work on Saltwater Solutions