Community Members Honored

Lincoln County Community Dispute Resolution (LCCDR) honored longtime volunteers and leaders at a recognition ceremony celebrating their work in local courts and the wider community. The event recognized Mindy Baxter, Terry Johnson, Bob Fuller, Wallace Kaufman, Barry Bruster, and Patrick McGovern for their contributions to mediation in Lincoln County.

Baxter has served on the organization’s board since 1997 and led programs including restorative justice and mediator training. She has worked on restorative justice programs and provided training and mentorship to mediators in Lincoln County. Mindy has also taken a leadership role as the LCCDR director on multiple occasions. She noted that her favorite cases involved working with kids at Sam Case and teaching them how to mediate their own conflicts.

Johnson has mediated for more than 20 years, including court-connected and community cases. Kaufman has mediated hundreds of cases over more than two decades and served on the board for about 10 years. McGovern was one of the original members of the LCCDR and helped establish its court-connected mediation program nearly 30 years ago. Barry Bruster was also recognized for his restorative justice work and service as an LCCDR director.

At the ceremony, Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Marcia Buckley thanked mediators for helping ease the court’s workload and resolve cases that could otherwise take considerable time. “We love our mediators, and we are so grateful to you,” she said. Judge Buckley added, “You solved the cases that would take us an extraordinary amount of time to do, and we're just forever in your debt.”

Kaety Jacobson, LCCDR’s director, said the organization’s work supports both the courts and the community. Dispute Resolution provides court-connected mediation for small claims cases and forcible entry and detainer cases, including evictions. It also helps resolve community disputes, such as conflicts between neighbors, businesses, or individuals. “LCCDR can come in and help peacefully resolve that dispute by bringing all the parties together,” Kaety said.

Jacobson added that she was honored to celebrate these incredible community volunteers. “All of them have worked in this community as volunteer leaders for many, many years and have given this community a lot of their time and a lot of their energy. And so I'm just grateful to sort of be standing on the shoulders of giants, being able to learn from them.”

Jacobson said becoming a volunteer mediator involves about 30 hours of basic mediation training. Training may be offered in person, in a hybrid format, or online, with standards set by Resolution Oregon. Volunteers interested in court-connected mediation must complete additional specialized training.

The preparation also includes observing mediations, co-mediating with an experienced mediator, and leading mediations under the supervision of an experienced mediator. Applicants for court-connected work also apply to the courts and provide information about their training, along with completing a background check. Kaety encouraged people considering volunteering to contact LCCDR and start by observing a mediation. The organization expects to offer training again in the spring.