President’s Update Summer 2025
Resilience and courage
Those are the words I woke with recently, thinking about Umpqua Watersheds. As we recognize 30 years of standing up for the places and values we cherish, I’ve been reflecting on what has made this organization endure.
Over the decades, many individuals have given their time, energy, and financial support to this cause. One person can make a difference—and so many have. If you asked me who first said, “Many hands make light work,” I’d say, “My mother.” Maybe that’s why she had eight kids. But in truth, the phrase has deep roots. It was often used during the Civil War in speeches and writings to rally support for the effort. It saw a resurgence around 2010 when people felt hope and were motivated by a renewed sense of community. Sadly, its use has declined since then.
I hope we haven’t lost that sense of shared purpose.
I won’t lie—things have been tough lately. The systems we’ve relied on feel increasingly unstable. But one thing hasn’t changed: what’s in our hearts. In the face of outside adversity, we lean into the familiar, into each other. We huddle close, we lock arms, we rise together. We set aside our own worries and step up when someone else needs help. And when many of us do that, the burden is lighter. The work feels possible. Sometimes, it even feels joyful.
At Umpqua Watersheds, we accomplish a great deal with very few resources. We are deeply grateful to this community for showing up again and again. Within our Watersheds family, we laugh, we disagree, we roll up our sleeves—and we keep going, together.
One thing we must never do is take each other for granted. As we walk this journey side by side, let’s keep an eye on one another. Recently, we lost a long-time member of our Umpqua Watersheds family—someone whose quiet commitment and presence made us stronger. Their passing is a tender reminder that we are all growing older, and one day, those we lean on may no longer be here. That’s why we must show up for one another now. Let’s honor those we’ve lost by carrying forward the values they stood for—with courage, with resilience, and with love for this place and for each other.
