(Photo courtesy of Heart of Oregon Corps)
Heart of Oregon Corps (HOC), an integral part of Central Oregon, celebrates their 25th anniversary this year, marking 25 years of serving youth and young adults in the community. The organization was founded by three individuals who had a passion in improving the trajectory of young people in their community.
According to the HOC website, “Founders Dennis, Dave and Dan believed that young adults from challenging backgrounds deserved a chance to earn their way to success. Dave, who experienced poverty and limited opportunities as an adjudicated youth, worked with Deschutes County Juvenile Justice and saw countless youth offenders struggle with their circumstances. For a variety of reasons, youth often lacked viable options toward economic success and the support and encouragement to pursue their dreams. Upon release from juvenile detention, many rejoined a world where they had no guidance or direction, almost destined to fall back into the same habits and perpetuate the cycle. Our founders set out to create an organization to serve them, knowing that youth could be a force for good in their community instead of a destructive one. Through a restorative justice approach, they established a community service-based program that evolved to include job skills training and continuing education.”
Following this mission, HOC provides six different programs for a range of youth and young adults from 16-24. The programs expose youth to a variety of jobs and fields, and prioritizes getting them outside. Youth can explore hands-on conservation jobs with USFS, affordable housing construction jobs, waste management, local fire reduction projects and more, all while getting paid for their labor and possibly earning either high school credits or a GED. There is also a program for youth who experience disability to get paid work experience and possibly permanent jobs in a healthy environment.
Since 2000, HOC has graduated more than 5,000 youth from their programs across Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson Counties. Showcasing the level of excellence that HOC brings locally, Logan Nichol, a recent graduate of HOC was recognized on March 13 by The Corps Network, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, as one of six 2025 Corpsmembers of the Year. Nichol was chosen over more than 22,000 youth who serve in member organizations. “When I started with Heart of Oregon Corps, I didn’t know if I had the mental, physical, or emotional abilities to do the work,” said Nichol. “Now, after 4,000 hours of service on public lands, I’ve proven to myself that I CAN do the work and be a reliable, hardworking crew member.”
During his service in HOC programs, Nichol’s work has benefitted communities across Central Oregon by helping safeguard neighborhoods through fire fuel reduction projects, reducing threats to ecosystems by removing invasive plant species, and protecting vulnerable habitat through installation and repair of fencing networks. He earned certifications in chainsaw operation, herbicide application, mental health first aid and CPR/First Aid.
Reflecting on 25 years of service, Leanna Williams, the development director at HOC, said, “Over the years, Heart of Oregon has expanded its programs, partnerships and impact across Central Oregon, growing to serve hundreds of youth annually in the fields of conservation, construction and childcare. What’s remained the same is our unwavering commitment to empowering local young people through meaningful work, education and service to their communities.”
Continuing, she said, “Over the past 25 years, we’ve learned that investing in young people not only transforms individual lives but also strengthens entire communities. We’ve also learned the value of adaptability — meeting youth where they are and evolving our programs to respond to changing needs while staying rooted in our mission.”
Looking at future service, Williams said that a significant step for their organization will come with the opening of a central campus in Redmond, “The most impactful moment in Heart of Oregon Corps’ history is happening right now with the launch of our Legacy 25 Campus Campaign — a major investment in transforming our facilities into a functional, centralized and inspiring space for our youth. For the first time in our 25-year history, we are building a permanent home for our operations, laying a strong foundation for the future of our programs and the young people we serve.”
