Editor's note: Community Builder is a periodic Q & A series providing perspectives from local people who have been involved in significant change in Southern Oregon. Today's conversation is with Kathy Bryon, executive director of the Gordon Elwood Foundation.
Q: It seems like you are involved in many projects and conversations in the region.
Kathy: I'm an organizer by heart and background. My early "training" began as the oldest daughter of a single mother of three children. When I became a YMCA camp counselor at age 16 charged with supervising 13 5-year-old boys in the first week of the summer, I think that basically set the trajectory of my future.
Q: What does your work with the Gordon Elwood Foundation entail?
Kathy: The Gordon Elwood Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit set up with the financial resources of a man who most people in Medford thought was homeless. Gordon passed away in 1999, and much to everyone's surprise he left about $9 million to be used to "do good" for the people in four Southern Oregon counties. He met with the board of directors twice before he died. The board created the mission to invest in children, individuals, families and communities. We have two grant cycles during the year to provide support for the work of nonprofits in the four-county region. A good portion of my time and the foundation's resources are invested in supporting opportunities to build relationships between organizations that serve their communities.
[For more of this story, written by Steve Boyarksy, go to http://www.mailtribune.com/ent...an-pay-big-dividends]
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