This free resource is a collaboration between the Community Military Appreciation Committee (CMAC) and Rotary Club of Three Creeks, both serving the greater Portland-Vancouver region, straddling the Columbia River, spanning southern Washington and northern Oregon, from the Pacific Ocean to the states’ eastern borders with Idaho. Once limited to geographical distances, the use of virtual meeting platforms, such as Zoom, has broadened our reach – both in recruiting volunteer guest speakers as well as the various classrooms and meeting venues where there is a continuous interest to learn, grow, and expand our mutual understanding of each other – and the world around us. We strive to be non-partisan, transparent, authentic and accountable – emphasizing the importance of these character traits that ideally span all of human development and collaborative interactions. Effective communications start with listening skills and include genuine effort to achieve higher levels of mutual understanding, which elevates mutual respect. It might take some effort, but common interests and shared values can be found. We share a complicated world where ethnicity, gender, religion and politics are too often emphasizing our differences – instead of the common humanity we share. There are even more factors such as represented in the Venn diagram below:
