The River House Inn is proud to announce that Loretta Hoagland of Hoagland Properties will receive a distinguished award from the Daughters of the American Revolution’s (DAR) on March 18.
The ceremony will take place Monday, March 18, at 11:30 a.m., at the Agate Beach Best Western in Newport.
Hoagland Properties owns and operates The River House Inn and The Old Town Inn in Florence, Oregon; and the Scenic Hills Super 8 in Salina, Utah.
According to DAR, “Women chosen for this recognition are women who have made a contribution or a difference in their communities. They are, or have been, intellectual, educational, social, religious, political, scientific, or cultural innovators…women who have made a difference in the history of our local communities.”
So what precipitated this award?
Loretta was enjoying a beautiful afternoon on her front porch when she lived in Depoe Bay, Oregon, about 20 years ago. She noticed a seemingly nice-looking group of outgoing teens walking her neighborhood. As she watched, her heart broke. And then she got angry. The kids completed a drug deal in front of a nearby house.
Upset and dismayed, she called a meeting of neighbors at her home that evening. Nearly 20 showed up, anxious and curious about this emergency meeting. Loretta rallied her community’s anger and redirected it into providing a place where children, especially teens, could go after school if they weren’t involved in sports, music, or arts.
Thanks to Loretta’s passion, Depoe Bay now has active anti-drug and alcohol organizations known as Neighbors for Kids and Kids Zone to engage teens in constructive after-school activities and to teach kids of the dangers of substance use and abuse.
Today Loretta and her company, Hoagland Properties, Inc., continue to help underwrite programs that support arts, education, and youth activities in Florence and Depoe Bay.