Educational, Environmental & Entrepreneurial Interests Come Together
Story and photo by Craig Reed
Elkton Community Education Center spread over 43 acres on the west edge of Elkton, features a native plant park and nursery, flower gardens, a community garden and produce stand, a replica of historic Fort Umpqua, a library, art exhibits, local crafts, butterfly garden and pavilion, cafe, wellness center, walking trails and recreation field.
Carol Beckley, a now-retired Elkton High School teacher, wanted to provide Elkton with a center “where educational, environmental, and entrepreneurial interests can come together,” she says. She envisioned a place where students could extend their learning of nature as well as develop business-learning ventures.
Carol’s ideas, combined with those of other Elkton-area residents, became a reality. The continually expanding Elkton Community Education Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Carol says she has been surprised by the development of what was once just her dream.
“I guess you never know how a zany idea will turn out,” she says. “This has happened because of the passions of the people in this town. The fort, the library, the art gallery—they’ve turned those interesting ideas into reality.”
Carol wants to be humble about the role she has played in the development of the center, but Marjory Hamann, the facility’s executive director for the past 11 years, says Carol deserves the credit.
“1 of Carol’s gifts is that she has a vision that is very inviting,” Marjory says. “She has the ability to bring other people to the center, where they can express their ideas. All of the programs that started here in the early years were thought of, designed, and implemented by community volunteers. I think it is amazing that a town this size could create a community center this robust.”
Elkton has a population of about 200. Volunteers put thousands of hours into helping the center grow in the early years. As those people got older and tired, the center’s board of directors decided a paid director was needed. Marjory accepted the position in 2013.
The center has about 100 volunteers. “I was asked to make the center sustainable so the volunteers could work on the things they were passionate about without also having to run the entire place,” Marjory says.
The center, a nonprofit 501(3)(c) since 1999, operates on grants, donations, and earned income from sales and site rentals.
1 of Carol’s early hopes was to create a place for employment for Elkton High School students. During her 11 years as director, Marjory expanded the center’s youth employment program. This summer, 20 students worked at the center, averaging 30 hours a week and earning minimum wage. Lead students earned a bit more.
The students can be found working on the landscape crew, helping in the butterfly pavilion, leading tours of the center, preparing and serving food in the cafe, helping in the gift shop, and helping with other odd jobs.
Student Liam Wood, in his third year at the center, says the experience has helped him become more confident.
“In my first year, working in the butterfly pavilion, I was talking to people I didn’t know,” he says. “I was pretty shy, but talking to those people helped me come out of my shell.”
Student Ethan Saladin says working at the center has helped him connect with the community. He’s the lead student at the butterfly pavilion.
“This place holds the community of Elkton together,” he says. “For me, I don’t know how much I’d be involved if I didn’t work here.”
Zizi Montgomery, an 11-year-old student volunteer, contributed to the center with her own idea. Last October, she organized and held a Halloween cookie-decorating event that drew 40 Elkton residents and 20 out-of-town residents. The event raised $330 for the center.
Carol says the goal is to see the kids grow, understand a job, and enjoy doing it. “I’m very proud of the kids who have come through here—to see their growth over the years,” she says. “They come in shy and then eventually are able to take over.”
Looking to the future, the center is working on creating an outdoor venue on the banks of the Umpqua River and near Fort Umpqua to host larger events, such as bluegrass music festivals.
The center is also growing plants for environmental restoration for its tribal partners, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and some private landowners.
“1 of the things I love about ECEC is that people keep showing up with ideas,” Marjory says. “That is what is going to carry us through the next 25 years.”
Marjory retired from the executive director position at the end of August but says the center has good leadership in Operations Manager Marie Montgomery and Education Program Manager Deb Gritton.
“We have such a talented staff,” Marjory says. “We have up-and-coming leaders, so we’re in good hands. I feel really good about the center’s future.”