Help Save Wichita

How to Send an Email to the Clackamas County BCC about preserving the Wichita Center 
 

Clackamas County officials recently sent notice to the North Clackamas School District that NCSD’s social services building would no longer be able to operate through an agreement with the county, serving them a notice of termination of their lease in 180 days. The details have been discussed in executive session and with very little transparency. 

The Wichita Center has served families in NCSD with essential services such as WIC, Homeless Servants, a food pantry, and a clothes closet. This center is often the first place teachers will connect families and students who are struggling with housing or food insecurity. 

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It is essential that the Board of Commissioners hear from as many of us as possible, pressuring them to come to the table and work with the school district to find a solution that helps them keep these essential services together and accessible to families in our school district. 

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Here are some talking points. You can click on this link to learn more about Wichita Center and why it matters. Or use the template below to get you started on writing the email!

Email Template to get you started! 

 

*Note the highlighted parts invite you to add your own voice- if you don’t want to add any extra paragraph or details, please just cut that 4th paragraph out!
 

To: bcc@clackamas.us 

Bcc: stori@storylinecommunity.org

Subject: Preserve the essential services at the Wichita Center 

 

Board of Commissioners, 

My name is ________, and I am [if you’re a resident of Clackamas County, identify where you live; if you are an employee of a local nonprofit or a member of a faith congregation, let them know that too.]

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I am writing today to express my concern about the termination of the Wichita Center lease and the disruption of these essential services for the most vulnerable families in our school district. This building houses a Food Pantry, a Clothes Closet, a Hygiene Pantry, a Ready, Set, Go classroom, a Head Start classroom, a Clackamas County Behavioral Health Services office, a Oregon Department of  Human Services office, the North Clackamas Education Foundation office, a WIC office, the NCSD Dental Program, a CARE program office, and the McKinney-Vento Houseless Services. For the last twelve years, with multiple partner agencies working together, the Wichita Center has been a place families can come to ensure their children are supported and given their basic needs to thrive.  

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A disruption to these services will be a devastating blow to so many North Clackamas families, depriving them of a lifeline that has helped them stay housed, fed, clothed, and connected to their communities. 

[Add a sentence or two about why you care about keeping these services intact. Consider value statements that include how this program would be good for the community, such as “when all of our families and kids are able to have easy access to these services, it lifts our whole community up.” Or, “Taking care of our most vulnerable neighbors is essential for a compassionate and just community, and that is what I want for Clackamas County.” We also encourage you to share any stories that highlight your relationship with Wichita Center. Have you ever needed their services? Have you ever volunteered? Find more talking points HERE!] 

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I ask that the County Commissioners be transparent with the public on what brought them to this decision and what they hope to see as the outcomes for the service center and surrounding property. I also ask that conversations begin, in earnest, with the North Clackamas School District which has expressed interest in continuing these services at this location.

 

Sincerely, 

[your name]

[your organization/residence/faith community]