(Photo courtesy of MountainStar Family Relief Nursery)
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery (MountainStar), a place of hope for vulnerable children and families across Central Oregon, is excited to announce our fifth location in La Pine. MountainStar has provided Outreach Services in South Deschutes County for over six years. With this new site we continue to accomplish our mission to keep children safe and parents successful.
After a year of anticipation, on September 12, three modular units arrived at 16623 Box Way and MountainStar’s newest site is finally in place. While MountainStar’s dedicated team works on the final project pieces, we are planning a grand opening and ribbon cutting on November 2 at 12pm. MountainStar is thrilled to invite the community to celebrate this new space for families.
MountainStar gives special thanks to the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners who demonstrated their commitment to South Deschutes County children by allocating funds for this project. This initial funding was critical and will have a lasting impact on the community.
This marks a new chapter in MountainStar’s 22 years of service to Central Oregon families. Growing to meet the needs of our community, providing free services to vulnerable families, and working with community partners to keep children safe is the work we do every day. We invite our community to be a part of the village that surrounds families at times of need. Early childhood is the most important moment in a child’s life and our services are designed to give children the best start possible.
With this new site, there are new opportunities! We are currently hiring staff, looking for classroom volunteers and Fairy God-Parents, and looking to partner with the community to reach those families that will benefit most from our services. If you share our vision to nurture a child’s emotional, physical, and intellectual development in a safe environment, then MountainStar is the place for you.
Families like Lynn and her son, Daniel, are excited to see this site finally arrive. They have been in the outreach program for the past year, feeling grateful for the basic needs supplies and support from staff. With therapeutic classrooms opening in November, Lynn is excited to see Daniel experience this new space. Lynn shares, “We’ve had such a wonderful experience with MountainStar, and I know Daniel is going to do great in the classroom, getting to spend more time with the staff. They just always know what the next step should be and help us get there. It’s amazing.” Daniel experienced trauma as a baby and continues to exhibit challenges around communication and emotional regulation. MountainStar’s therapeutic class will provide the social and emotional support he needs while giving mom a much-needed break as well.
Kara Tachikawa, MountainStar’s executive director, expressed her enthusiasm as well. “We’ve been working on this project for over a year, and we are grateful for the support and excitement from across the community,” she said. “There are a lot of partners that made this site possible along with generous individual supporters that got us over the finish line. It truly takes a village and opening our doors in November is a big deal. La Pine families have been with us on this journey, and they are incredibly excited for these therapeutic classrooms to open for their kids.”
For more information about the new La Pine facility, job opportunities, or how you can make a difference as a volunteer, visit MountainStar’s website.
