OSU EXTENSION SERVICE | CLACKAMAS COUNTY
ABOUT US
Partnership is at the heart of Extension’s work
NORTH WILLAMETTE EXTENSION REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Every program highlighted in this report reflects collaboration. Extension employees work in conjunction with school districts, farmers, gardeners, woodland owners, community-based organizations, local governments, volunteers, and families. Extension does not work in isolation. We listen, respond, and build alongside the people and communities we serve.
In 2025, we strengthened existing partnerships and expanded our programming to meet emerging community needs. This year, we were proud to add a dedicated faculty position to support Juntos, a program focused on increasing college access and educational success for Latino youth and families. I encourage you to read more about this exciting program and the partnerships that make it possible on page 8.
Across program areas, from 4-H youth development to horticulture, forestry, family community health and small farms, our work continues to grow because of the shared commitment and trust of our partners.
We are especially grateful to our volunteers, advisory council members, donors, and public partners whose investment of time and resources sustains Extension’s impact.
Clackamas County is stronger when we work together. Thank you for your continued partnership and for the opportunity to serve this vibrant community.
Volunteers are the connection between the community and Clackamas County Extension
Leah Sundquist
LOCAL LIAISON AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE MANAGER
Throughout the year, our programs have demonstrated the strength of the partnership between faculty and volunteers in advancing our mission.
Volunteers are instrumental in ensuring our programming remains responsive, relevant, and community centered. By communicating emerging needs and priorities to our advisory council and faculty, they help guide the development of classes and initiatives that reflect the interests of the communities we serve. Volunteers are essential to the cohesion, effectiveness, and sustained success of our programs. As trusted leaders within their communities, they strengthen neighborhoods and extend the reach of science-based education. Their contributions include teaching and supporting classes, mentoring and guiding youth, assisting with community events, and providing ongoing insight that informs program planning and outreach.
Their dedication of time, expertise, and leadership continues to enhance our impact and ensures that high-quality, research-based knowledge remains at the core of all we do.
(Staff Members Left to Right) – Kelly Redwine, Jean Bremer, Catalina Sanamaria, Pamela Whitten
A couple of great successes this year are: one of our office staff (Kelly Redwine) received a state level award for classified personnel. She was nominated and selected by a committee from our Extension faculty and staff. Kelly works in our front office and supports both the front office when customers come in with questions for 4-H as well as registration, email, and phone call support.
One of our many volunteers was nominated by a faculty member and selected as the Epsilon Sigma Phi Gamma Chapter Friend of Extension. Don Wiley, has been a volunteer in the Clackamas Extension Family and Community Health program as a Master Food Preserver (MFP) since 2012. His nomination narrative is on page 11 to read more. Congratulations to both of these individuals for their statewide achievements.
Being 2 Weeks Ready program offering through OSU Extension - Clackamas
It is a program developed by Oregon Emergency Management to help everyone prepare to be self-sufficient for two weeks in a disaster. The eight (8) modules provide essential information and practical steps to help ensure you are prepared for emergencies. The modules can be taught individually, split in half or taught all in one day. The program has 30 activities to enhance your readiness and understanding and can be done alone or in groups. Examples include coworkers, parents of students at a school, neighborhood associations, 4-H club, members of a congregation, recreational teams, students in a college dorm, and so on. We have a community program coordinator in the office you can arrange the classes through. Call 503.655.8631 and ask for Leah Sundquist or email her at leah.sundquist@oregonstate.edu.
Mental Health First Aid Training - Adults
Mental Health First Aid is a course like First Aid/ CPR and gives you the skills to recognize when someone is facing a mental health or substance use challenge. The course provides you with the confidence to be their first source of support. As an organization who tries to meet the needs of the community and resides in a community with a higher rate of suicide than the national average, we have done over 8 classes for 200 participants in the last two years. We have a trained instructor who can teach this course for your organization, neighborhood, or friends and family. This eight-hour course is available as either two four-hour sessions or one full-day session. If you are interested, contact Leah Sundquist at 503.655.8631 or leah.sundquist@oregonstate.edu
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
You are not alone.
New Building Update
The long-awaited building is now in architectural design phase, with a scheduled groundbreaking this fall and an estimated completion date of February 2028. It will be co-located with the Clackamas Community College Horticulture, Arborist and Wildland Fires programs, and will be off Clairmont Drive as you enter from Beavercreek. While the overall building will be around 40,000SFC, we are contributing $15.1M for a state-of-the-art 12,505 SF portion of that for our use spanning two floors. The bottom floor will house a new front office area, a teaching room for 50 participants, with the ability to expand to 90 participants and a double door opening to allow for indoor/ outdoor teaching. It will also have a 1200 SF domestic teaching kitchen with 3 teaching stations with the flexibility to expand to 5 for the Family, Community and Health program, as well as our 4-H youth development will be able to use it for their food and nutrition programs. Our Master Gardener program will have a larger clinic to meet with community clients who have questions on gardening and plant challenges. Lastly, it will have a library section for the community to come in, use a computer, and find information needed for any of our local or OSU Extension programs. The upstairs will house the five-program faculty and staff work areas, a couple program storage areas, and 3 meeting rooms that will be shared with the community college.
Designs and renderings are still in development and subject to change. Renderings by OPSIS