administration. Further, in 1980, the members decided that future funding must be from an ethical source and for the kind of activities that they could all agree the collective should provide. White Bird has the good fortune of owning some of the buildings it uses. The original founders had the foresight to buy the present property with its two buildings when the agency was barely a year old. The arrangement at the time of purchase was that White Bird would make payments for seven years, then one large balloon payment. In a story fit for fiction, the widow who owned the property refinanced White Bird's mortgage to spite the real estate group that wouldn't return her calls when she first wanted to sell the property in the thirties. Longtime collective member Bob Dritz believes that White Bird continues to thrive because of such luck, and because it has continued to adapt to changing times. But most significantly, White Bird thrives because of the dedication and insights of the ever-changing volunteers. "Old time radicals can become the status quo," he warns. For those who want to repeat what White Bird has done in their community, Dritz recommends "Look at what's around you. We designed the clinic around the people, rather than creating a model clinic and putting it around the people. It isn't a chain store." In an era when most conventional medical and mental health practices remain expensive and lacking in individualized care, White Bird is a beautiful and viable alternative, rooted firmly in an understanding of its local community. White Bird Clinic's main offices are located at 341 East 12th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401. (505) 342-8255. Marc Bouvier is an experienced community activist, a non-profit consultant and a chemical dependency counselor. Left, White Bird's low-income dental clinic at 1400 Mill Street. Right, the streets near the old Clinic are lined with majestic old trees, with bike and bus routes that provide access to a diversity of clientele. RAIN Summer 1996 Volume XV, Number 1 Page 5
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