The Grove Gazette is produced by Scott Schult, Sam McQuade, JoAllyn Camery, Kira Oden, Jill Tatge and team member Alicia Place.

The news is good in Cottage Grove, and people attending day services and Rise team members make sure to share it. After years of talking about sharing Rise Cottage Grove happenings, a group there has formed an editorial team to share news in a new paper, the “Grove Gazette.”

“It’s new to us, and May was only our sixth issue,” said program supervisor Rachel Meyer. “It does take a whole team effort, and people we serve do most of the work, including the typing.” All the editorial ideas also come from people served at Cottage Grove.

The publication shares highlights from activities happening at Cottage Grove each month, including activity highlights, photos from recent outings in nature, museums, and volunteer activities. There are published movie reviews and social news, like bowling scorecards is also included. The group also highlights a person served each month as a “mentor of the month.”

The newsletter does more than keep people informed. It gives the team a sense of pride while helping them develop typing skills and computer knowledge along with language and social skills. And it deepens community connections too. “It’s been a great way to connect everyone and bring them together and show off the fun stuff we do here in Cottage Grove,” Meyer said.