Hope Rises as Community Rebuilds

By Craig Reed

5 years ago, several McKenzie River valley residents who had evacuated to Coburg during the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire discussed over breakfast how they could support others.

Centered in the McKenzie River valley, the fire that ignited on the evening of Sept. 7 and burned until it was officially contained on Oct. 29 blackened 173,393 acres, making it one of the largest wildfires in Oregon’s history. The Blue River, Finn Rock, and Vida communities were affected. The fire destroyed 517 homes and several other structures, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate the valley.

The residents sitting at that breakfast table did not lose their homes to the fire, but they wanted to help others who had.

“We had no idea what we were going to do, but we wanted to help,” Cliff Richardson says. “We were from multigeneration families on the McKenzie. We knew people who had been impacted by the fire, and we needed to do something to help.”

Joining Cliff in the brainstorming session were his wife, Connie; his brother-in-law, Wade Scofield; Mary Ellen Wheeler; and Duane and Chuckie Aanestad. Before the end of 2020, they had created a nonprofit called McKenzie River Locals Helping Locals.

The mission of the organization is to provide financial assistance and economic development support to those affected by the fire.

Recently, the nonprofit was recognized and honored as the 2024-2025 Member of the Year by Lane Electric Cooperative.

“It’s been such a great group that’s been around since the beginning of the fire recovery,” says Kathy Keable, a McKenzie River valley resident and a member of the Lane Electric Board of Directors. “They’ve helped with a lot of issues over the years.”

The group now consists of Cliff, Mary Ellen, Galen Anderson, Dana Burwell, Brenda Hamlow, Mandy Jones, Lacey Joy, Eric Schiff, Steve Severin and Melanie Stanley.

“Our purpose at first was to help as many of our neighbors as we could,” Mary Ellen says. “We raised over $200,000 in private donations. As we progressed, we wanted a diverse board representing every section of the river valley so we could know the needs of each area. We wanted people who were trusted, not here for the taking.

“People did not know where to begin. We wanted to help them navigate this whole thing. We kind of became the voice of the river with people coming to us, asking, ‘How do I get this?’ and ‘I need this.’”

Being locals helped the group’s members approach other locals. “We were able to drive into people’s driveways and ask, ‘How is it going? What do you need?” Cliff says. “We felt that was an advantage for our group compared to outside groups coming in.”

Members of Locals Helping Locals sat in on numerous meetings with other nonprofits and with county and state government agencies, providing a voice for the valley as recovery issues and plans were discussed. Members were key in getting county and state officials to visit the McKenzie River Valley to connect with burned-out residents in person.

“We advocated for our communities to get building permits, and regarding insurance,” Cliff says.

Early in its existence, the group partnered with a Lane County organization, McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group. The recovery group vetted property needs without bias, guiding Locals Helping Locals in how to distribute donated funds. A few grants were also secured, bringing in more funds.

Locals Helping Locals’ first major project was coordinating and hosting a Christmas event in 2020 for displaced families. Gifts, mainly for children from 168 families, meals, and propane vouchers were distributed from the McKenzie High School gymnasium.

For the first 3 years after the fire, the group organized meal events. Other projects included securing funds from Lane County to buy and spread gravel on access roads that were roughed up by heavy fire equipment, helping with Blue River cleanup days, and organizing an annual anniversary community celebration.

“The fire was a historic event, so we’ve been celebrating our recovery progress each year,” Cliff says. “There’s music, vendors, and games for the kids. It’s a day we can come together as a community to pat each other on the back and ask each other how we’re doing while having some fun.”

Mary Ellen says needs have dropped a bit, but the group continues recovery efforts with the state and county governments.

“We’re 5 years plus into this,” she says. “We’re here for the long run.”