June 15 Stories wanted for ninth annual Pateros Strong IRIS Summit

PATEROS – Mid-June is the deadline for public contributors to submit stories that helped bring Pateros together following the 2014 Carlton Complex wildfire for the ninth annual NCW Community Success Summit to be held in Pateros on Nov. 15.
The summit, sponsored by the Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship (IRIS), carries the headline “Pateros Strong” and will highlight success stories that help bring Pateros together following the wildfire, together with other accounts from the Okanogan, Douglas, Chelan and Grant county region. Interested contributors can visit www.irisncw.org online to download the Success Story Exchange template.
“We’re thrilled to work with Pateros to host the Summit this year,” said IRIS Board President Brooklyn Holton in an IRIs media release. “and to learn more about how they have strengthened their whole community that stretches south to Wells Dam and west to Carlton.”
Summit attendance is anticipated to draw nearly 200 people from Pateros and around the region. The event will also serve as a fundraiser to allow IRIS to continue its community focus work through 2020 and beyond.
Pateros Mayor Carlene Anders said she likes the way the summit brings citizens together to share their stories.
“We don’t have the Grange meetings anymore that used to bring people from rural communities together,” said Anders.
Anders acknowledged that while technology dependence is causing rural people to lose touch with one another “we can sit together at the summit and hear those stories of success that can improve our communities and are important from an economic, environmental, and even spiritual perspective.”
IRIS has reached out to the Pateros School District to design the event logo, facilitate summit discussions and contribute to the community’s historical highlights.
An advisory committee will help IRIS schedule a catered lunch by Sweet River Bakery, sponsor displays and live music.
“IRIS is proud to acknowledge our 2020 Legacy Partners including the Port of Douglas County, Community Choice, The Wenatchee World, and Wenatchee Valley College,” the media release said.
Summit sponsors include the City of Pateros, Pateros School District, Craft3, Molina Healthcare, and the Regional Innovation District Coalition.
IRIS fosters sustainable NCW rural communities by gathering and sharing success stories that enhance a sense of belonging, inspire action and build community. IRIS has convened the annual summit in a different city each year since 2009. IRIS plans to produce a book “Thinking Like a Community” by 2020 that will include success stories from Pateros and the region that will serve as a guidebook for future community action.
More information about supporting IRIS or helping with the 2018 summit is available from the IRIs office at 509-888-7374 or email irisnew@gmail.com.