March 23, 2023 4:00  a.m. 

On Wednesday, Governor Tina Kotek visited communities in Columbia County on the third stop of her One Oregon Listening Tour.

Kotek participated in three community conversations on the topics of education, mental health and recovery, and homelessness.

The day started at Vernonia Elementary School where Kotek met with first graders, read the picture book “Be Kind” and discussed the importance of reading and kindness with the students. She also met with and took questions from a fourth-grade class about the work the governor does, ways she can help, and more.

Kotek then led a roundtable discussion with school administrators and teachers. The discussion centered on efforts she is making to fund summer education and enrichment programs, with a focus on improving childhood literacy, and the increased mental health challenges facing students.

The Governor then visited St. Helens and toured Columbia Community Mental Health, including a crisis stabilization center being developed on the organization’s campus. Following that visit, the Governor had lunch with Mayor Rick Scholl and discussed the economic development opportunities and the ongoing efforts the city is leading to update its historic downtown.

She ended the day with the Community Action Team, an organization that works to provide supportive services for veterans, help people pay rent, find permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness and more.

Governor Kotek will visit every county in Oregon within her first year in office through the One Oregon Listening Tour.