FOUR RIVERS HEALTHY COMMUNITY CONFERENCE
A healthy future begins today – thriving in an era of change.
Poverty Simulation - Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Four Rivers Healthy Community Conference - Thursday, September 25, 2025
Four Rivers Cultural Center & Museum
676 SW 5th Avenue, Ontario, Oregon 97914
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Are you a nonprofit leader? A healthcare provider? A student? A concerned neighbor? The Four Rivers Healthy Community Conference and Poverty Simulation are for everyone who cares about improving lives in Eastern Oregon, Southwest Idaho and beyond. Free of charge and open to the public, including those who work in businesses, nonprofit organizations, government and many other sectors, this event is an opportunity to connect and collaborate to advance community health and wellbeing. We will spend this time together focusing on solutions and strengths.
Register here
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This year’s conference will kick off with a Poverty Simulation on the afternoon of September 24th, co-hosted by the Western Treasure Valley Food Systems Partnership (WTVFSP) and Four Rivers Healthy Community, Inc. (4RHC). Last delivered to the Ontario region in 2019, the Community Action Poverty Simulation© has repeatedly been requested due to the impactful nature of the experience. The simulation is designed to sensitize participants to the realities and challenges faced by low-income people trying to survive from month to month with limited access to healthy foods, shelter and resources, lack of insurance coverage and access to care. The debrief and action planning sessions following a poverty simulation are often a catalyst for change, shifting perspectives to increase awareness and empathy. Our goal is for the simulation experience to inspire new and creative solutions to improve individual and community health.
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Immediately following the Poverty Simulation, Four Rivers Healthy Community invites participants of the simulation and/or conference to attend a free, informal Pre-Conference Networking Reception the evening of September 24th in the Four Rivers Cultural Center’s Hikaru Mizu Japanese Garden from 5-7pm. The reception is an opportunity to relax, network, meet with presenters, keynote speakers, exhibitors, and enjoy the best local Hors D’oeuvres served by Matsy’s Restaurant & Catering.
The 2025 Four Rivers Healthy Community Conference, now in its fourth year, will feature two outstanding keynote speakers and four breakout session times, with up to 24 unique and inspiring workshops to select from, including some offered in Spanish or with Spanish translation.
About the Keynotes:
Dr. Shaleen Kendrick, executive culture trainer and consultant, and founder and creator of Neuro-Relational Integration™ (NRI), will lead participants through a model for expanding their capacity to navigate and thrive in today’s fast-changing world. The human experience is evolving -- so too must human beings. Using the science of living systems to integrate Mind (IQ), Body (SQ) and Spirit (Relational SEQ), NRI™ increases human capacities through the development of adaptive leadership, complex problem-solving, and true resilience, both intra-personally and interpersonally. Whether overwhelmed by change, building team cohesion, or shaping a future-ready culture, NRI™ provides the science and practical tools to adapt to complexity and uncertainty.
Margaret Brown, Blue Zones® Vice President of Development, will introduce participants to places across the globe where people live the longest and are healthiest. Dan Buettner, founder of Blue Zones®, has travelled the world documenting recipes, diet, lifestyle and longevity secrets. From his work we will learn about the Power 9®, longevity-boosting characteristics shared by most residents of the Blue Zone® regions, and the concept of lifestyle medicine – eating primarily whole foods, especially plants, avoidance of risky substances and behaviors, the importance of daily physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, and positive social connections. Margaret will leave us with considerations for the local region – what does it take to become a Blue Zones® certified community? What can we change about our built environments and food access? Are there policies we should be developing or changing?
Both keynote speakers will offer breakout sessions following their workshops where interested participants can delve more deeply into the subject matter and explore opportunities for further learning.
About the Event Hosts and Sponsors:
This event is hosted by Four Rivers Healthy Community, Inc. and Malheur Equity Stewards, in partnership with over a dozen community organization sponsors, including the Oregon Food Bank, Western Treasure Valley Food Systems Partnership, Malheur Council on Aging & Community Services, Malheur County Health Department, Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Health Sciences University’s Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness, Lifeways, Idaho Central Credit Union, and Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization. More to come!
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