Featured Stories
Meet Kira, our August youth highlight!
Kira, a Cottage Grove High School graduate, found Connected Lane County during her senior year and has been involved in both Navigate and Elevate programming! Kira has participated in various events, including Wonder Wednesday, Job Fairs, Elevate Job Shadows, Wonder Week, and work experiences. “I’ve always had great fun at these events. I got to…
Read MoreMeet Julio, our June Youth Highlight!
Julio is a rising senior at Springfield High School who has been involved with Connected Lane County for over two years. He started with Invention Club, an after-school program, in the spring of 2022, and that experience led him to participate in the summer cohort of Invention Lab. After completion of Invention Lab, Julio was…
Read MoreMay Young Adult Highlight: Meet Jaiden!
Jaiden (she/her) has been an engaged Connected Lane County community member since joining the Navigate Program in July of 2022. Jaiden has faced challenges and barriers to employment and has demonstrated significant professional and personal growth throughout her time with us. To learn more about her story, read her interview below! What Connected Lane County…
Read MoreMeet Leo, our April youth highlight!
Meet Leo, our April Youth Highlight! Leo (they/them) has been a Connected Lane County participant since the summer of 2023 when they were a Summer Intern! Leo was placed at Volunteers in Medicine and learned more about what a career in health care would look like. This internship gave them insight into the mental health…
Read MoreMeet Mars, our March Youth Highlight!
Mars’ pronouns: Any Meet our STEM Superstar, Mars! While enrolled in the Migrant Education Oregon program at Hamlin Middle School, Mars learned about Connected Lane County’s BIPOC STEM program, Invention Club. Mars participated in 2021, and using limited materials, her team created a catapult to launch an item into a target. Mars’ group won first…
Read MoreGovernor Kotek Visits Spark at Booth-Kelly
On Thursday, December 14, we had some special visitors! Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson toured Spark at Booth-Kelly as part of Governor Kotek’s One Oregon Listening Tour! Koteck met with program youth, staff, and local leaders to learn about barriers youth in our community face. Our director, Heidi Larwick, shared a…
Read MorecodeORcreate a Three-Day Youth Technology Competition Ends With a Weekend Showcase
codeORcreate is an annual three-day youth technology competition. Connected Lane County hosted 48 youth from 13 schools and 7 school districts. The youth had three days to create a tech-based solution to community problems and were paired with tech mentors. At the end of the weekend, youth got to present their projects to a panel…
Read MoreYouth Highlight: Carmen
Navigate Support Carmen entered the Navigate program at 17 years old, unemployed, and dropped out of school. The combination of a difficult home life and a severe car accident that totaled her only source of transportation left her struggling with mental health issues and unable to re-engage with education. With support from the program, she…
Read MoreCelebrating an Outstanding Achievement in the 2023 Oregon Business 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon List
We are thrilled to announce our inaugural placement on the Oregon Business 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon list for 2023. This recognition ranks Connected Lane County among the small nonprofits category. The small nonprofit category is reserved for nonprofits with 20 employees and under at the time of the survey. Scores are…
Read MoreYouth Highlight: Noel
Noel’s Journey to Connected Lane County In his sophomore year at Siuslaw High School (2020), his enthusiastic computer science teacher, Mr. Mielke, approached Noel and recruited him to participate in our then-virtual youth hackathon called codeORcreate. The world was navigating the first year of COVID-19, and all extracurriculars had paused indefinitely. Noel, a computer science…
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