By Judy Alexander 

Perhaps newcomers and even some who have been here longer are unaware of the campaign that established our public power utility, or some of the other citizen-organized efforts that led to significant improvements to local our way of life. 

Just four guys ran the public power campaign, educating folks throughout Jefferson County about the importance of our yes votes. Thanks to Bill, Steve, Crispin and Dave, we all benefit from the passion that was sparked within Local 20/20’s Energy Action Group. We wrestled our power grid from the grip of offshore private ownership and continue to reap the benefit of their forward thinking and bold leadership.

Or maybe you are unaware that Jefferson Community Foundation initiated the formation of Housing Solutions Network over five years ago to increase public awareness and engagement about our local housing crisis.  Flash forward to see we now have countless citizens and housing organizations that “get it” and are building ADU’s, multi-family housing, permanently affordable work force housing — even tiny houses on wheels. Thank you Siobhan, and your network of supporters, for mobilizing us. 

Don’t forget Count Me in For Quilcene — a community driven effort to create a grocery store and gas station close to the town center of Quilcene, so people no longer had to drive to Chimacum to gas up. Thank you Linda, Cass and Tom, and all who joined them, for that and other efforts sprung from Count Me in For Quilcene.

There are many other examples: Our local food system is much stronger today due to noteworthy involvements from many players: Landworks Collaborative's support for young farmers and preserving farm land; Local 20/20 motivating the initiation of many neighborhood community gardens; School and Food Bank dedicated gardens, too, of which there are now 12. Thank you Kathy, Shelby and many others!

A volunteer gleaning network, Quimper Community Harvest, harvests and delivers tons of food to schools, the hospital, senior housing and food banks. This began as one community member’s vision, a wonderful example of the ripple effect one person’s actions can have.  Thank you, Seth.

The vision and creation of the Chimacum Corner Store gives our farmers a place to locally sell what they grow. Thank you Malcolm, Katy, and Phil and anonymous LION (Local Investment Opportunity Network) members for making that happen. 

These are just a few of many examples of community initiatives that have improved our lives! Collectively it demonstrates what happens when local passion for projects with shared benefits is harnessed to build community resilience. That is the power of connectivity. 

That same energy is the force behind The Connectivity Fair, which is returning for its second year. This year it will be held on April 20 from 10 to 4 at Chimacum School.  It is a collection of many of the community elements that together sustain our positive lifestyles, and just as importantly, how you can join in and connect to be part of the process. 

  The gymnasium will host almost 100 non-profit organizations. Featured presentations on meaningful community concerns — such as affordable housing, our local food system, resilience through community preparedness, teen mental health, local philanthropy, high school student empowerment, childcare access, and contemporary tribal relations — will be in various locations within the school. Attendees can come for the whole day or choose to attend just one of the presentations.  It is all free!  

Come learn, be inspired, and engage.  For more information see: https://l2020.org/connectivity-2024/