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Frank Harper: “Why I Volunteer for CSS”

July 18, 2022

I casually meet with a Vietnam Veterans group every other Wednesday for a lunch gathering. Jim Schmidt is in the group and I believe it was around October of 2020 we were having lunch with the group and Jim asked me if I would be interested in volunteering to build Conestoga Huts. I previously volunteered helping Jim with packing after-school snacks for kids for Lane County. I knew if Jim was involved it had to be good, so without hesitation I said, “Yes!”


CSS is not the first time I volunteered. I also volunteered to become a member of the United States Seabees on January 4, 1968, a day after I turned 18 years old—at the time when the United States military was drafting high school graduates to participate in the Vietnam War. When anyone volunteers it is generally for a good and worthwhile cause. In the case of volunteering for the military it was the opposite of accomplishing something good and worthwhile.


You have most likely guessed that I made it out of Vietnam. After my service I was temporarily married and then I became a single parent raising two boys. My kids loved theater and so I volunteered for years building sets for school plays and community theater plays in San Jose, California.

The old saying goes “One thing leads to another!” On October 28, 2006, I returned to Vietnam to try to find little kids that I photographed during the war. During my trip I met Ed Reinman, a Vietnam Veteran, who lives in Cottage Grove. Ten years later I moved to Eugene, and I was contacted by Ed and he told me about a Veterans Group that he meets with bi-weekly. Ed invited me to join the gathering where I met about eight Vietnam Veterans. The rest is history. I met (Standing Ovation) Jim Schmidt at the luncheon and I became a part of a wonderful brotherhood.


It was in November 2020 that I showed up with my cordless drill at the Skinner Butte site and I was immediately welcomed with open arms. Jim is such an inspiration who motivates all the volunteers, not only on the build site, but also in the shop. He does a great job keeping us informed via the internet. Jim is taking a few months off to recover from back surgery and Carmen is now our volunteer coordinator and is doing a wonderful job. I feel sorry for Carmen because she has to listen to my terrible puns.


I really enjoy working with everyone that I have met through CSS. They are so friendly and motivated to help out the unfortunate people that may be living under a tent on the streets of Eugene or Springfield. I really look forward to Tuesdays and Fridays. If we don’t have a Hut to build, we have plenty of projects to build or repair in the shop.


There are so many negative things going on in the world, but to actually accomplish something positive is so heartwarming. Every Hut that we build is a positive accomplishment to get a person off the streets. It’s a humbling stepping stone for that person to move into a place they can call home. It’s a step towards getting a job and eventually actually living in a comfortable apartment.

I want to thank Pujita, Carmen, Barr, Jim, and all the CSS staff and volunteers for opening the door for me to be a member of the CSS family. It’s so much fun!

Community Court Program

04 May, 2024
Community Supported Shelters’ Roosevelt Safe Spot Community has been transformed into a shelter community aligned with the City of Eugene Community Court program. Beginning in January, people charged with minor misdemeanor offenses who have opted into the Community Court system (rather than Municipal Court) can opt into the CSS shelter program and move into one of 16 available Huts at Roosevelt.

Volunteers Boost Energy Systems at CSS Communities

03 May, 2024
During the ice storm that brought Eugene to a standstill in January, all the batteries that stored the energy from the solar panels at CSS’s Lot 9 Community went dead, meaning no lights and no way to charge cell phones. Dave Reuter knew that because of a monitoring system he had set up to keep track of the status of the solar energy systems at eight CSS communities. Dave, a volunteer who has led an effort to upgrade and standardize the CSS power systems, and his wife Janel Erickson, who has worked with him on this project, are intrepid outdoors people. While most of us struggled to get out of our front doors, Dave and Janel loaded a couple of fresh batteries on their Flexible Flyer sled and attached Yaktrak spikes to their shoes and a rope to the sled. With Dave in front and Janel in the rear, they guided the sled the five miles from their Friendly neighborhood home to Lot 9, near Autzen Stadium.

UO Interior Design Creative Storage Collaboration

02 May, 2024
A sixty square foot area. Six feet by 10 feet of space covered by an unconventional Conestoga shaped canvas. This is the simple description of the Hut basic to all CSS communities. How can a safe, comfortable, and efficient habitat be created within this framework using common and inexpensive materials? This was the question posed by Assistant Professor Solmaz Mohammadzadeh Kive to her Architecture 484 class this winter term at the University of Oregon.

Volunteer Spotlight: Sandy and Percy

30 Apr, 2024
For the past several months, a couple of long-time donors to Community Supported Shelters have joined us for two hours a week at our main office to do whatever needs doing. While this may sound like a modest amount of time, Sandy and Percy’s consistent, constructive, and upbeat engagement demonstrates a truth that is often overlooked: big issues can be meaningfully addressed in small increments of time.

Eugene Parking Ban Opposition Testimony

12 Mar, 2024
It's not too late to share your thoughts on this proposed update. Send your written testimony to mayorcouncilandcitymanager@eugene-or.gov .

Incarceration and Homelessness: Breaking the Cycle

15 Jan, 2024
Formerly incarcerated people are almost ten times more likely to be homeless than the general population, according to a study from the Prison Policy Initiative. Jack spent 27 years in prison, from the age of 33 to 60. “It is a long time. It's an entire lifetime,” he says. At first, he thought he might never get out and continued what he calls “bad behavior.” But he saw others who participated in educational programs and were successful in getting their sentences reduced. He realized if he started “acting right,” he might get out. He especially credits a program called “Nonviolent Communication” with helping him. He started using what he learned and realized that “the person we communicate worst with is ourselves.”

From Waste to Wonder - UO's Grey Water Conservation Project

14 Jan, 2024
Lima, Peru, and Eugene, Oregon, are worlds apart in many ways. But spend some time with Kory Russel, an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon, and you will learn there are communities in both places with challenges of access to sustainable and efficient water use. Kory has a photo in his office depicting a highly condensed neighborhood in Lima, a city where he and some of his students work on sustainable water projects.

New CSS Director of Community Impact: Black Burrell

13 Jan, 2024
Did you know CSS has a shared leadership model, with three directors? This November, Blake Burrell joined CSS as our new Director of Community Impact. His role supports all of our direct service staff, managing internal relationship-building, culture creation, program operation, mentoring, and conflict resolution. Read on for his introduction:

Volunteer Spotlight: Veronica Paredes

12 Jan, 2024
Veronica Paredes has been helping sew the weatherproof porch coverings ("scrims") for the Huts, recently working 26 hours to complete 34 scrims for us before the holidays.

Bike and Build Volunteers Assist in Refurbishing Huts

13 Oct, 2023
Bike and Build organization was established as a nonprofit in 2003. Its website summarizes its mission: “Bike and Build engages young adults in service-oriented cycling trips to raise awareness for the affordable housing cause. We advocate for the need for affordable housing in thousands of communities across the country.” As teams bike from town to town, they volunteer for service projects and give presentations about issues surrounding the lack of affordable housing. Since 2003 Bike and Build estimates that over 3,800 participants have biked over 11 million miles and donated over 255,000 volunteer community service hours to local organizations throughout the country.
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