Join us in Ft. Pierre on Tuesday, January 5 at the AmericInn for a presentation from Donna Beegle. Donna will discuss the issues of Interrupting Generational Poverty and the impact that would have on rural communities. Click here for more information.
Learn more about the Rural Housing Playbook, a housing developmental process guide for rural communities in South Dakota. The conference will be held Tuesday, January 12 in Britton. Click here for more information. For more information, contact Darah Darrington at 605-448-5171.
Great article in the Watertown Public Opinon about the new thrift store in Wilmot. Another great example of what communities can do working together! Click the link to read the News Article.
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Reliance Horizons will host a free Housing Workshop on Wednesday, November 18th in the Reliance Town Hall from 6:30 PM until 9:00 PM CST. The workshop will feature several speakers representing USDA Rural Development, South Dakota Housing Development Authority (invited), South Dakota Planning and Development District III, The Rural Housing Playbook and Centerville Development Corporation. A variety of financial assistance programs relating to homeowners, first-time homebuyers, renters and property managers will be discussed including; home repair and renovation, down payment assistance, subsidized home loans, housing tax credits, rental assistance and rural community housing development. Residents from the Reliance and surrounding communities are invited to attend this workshop to learn more about the tools that can assist them in improving the quality and availability of affordable housing in their area. A free meal, provided by Reliance Horizons, will be served in Town Hall from 6:00 to 6:30 PM. Pre-registration is appreciated. Please contact Beth Herman at 605-473-5537 or Keith Herman at 605-473-9244 (after 5:00 PM).
The Northeast South Dakota Economic Corporation cordially invites you, your Board of Directors, and your staff to join us for a Nonprofit Fiscal Management Training on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, at the Ramada Inn, 2727 6th Avenue SE, Aberdeen, South Dakota. This free training opportunity is sponsored by the Northeast South Dakota Economic Corporation through the generous support of the South Dakota Community Foundation’s South Dakota Nonprofit Enhancement Project. The Nonprofit Fiscal Management Training will provide attendees professional expertise on the topics of (1) Written Fiscal Policies; (2) Budgeting; and (3) Understanding Your Organization’s Form 990. Our tentative agenda for the day is as follows:
All attendees must RSVP by Friday October 23, 2009. An RSVP form is attached below for you to return by mail. You may also RSVP by e-mail to lorif@nesdcap.org or call 1-888-202-4855 Ext. 29.
It’s that time again! Here are your Questions of the Month for September/October. You get a little break this month, since I am so late in getting these to you. It will be a two-for-one deal! Consider these your questions for the months of September and October.
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category—for instance this month’s question should be placed in Category 8. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. **Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for September/October:**Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog: 8. Sustaining action and creating structural change around leadership What is your community’s plan for maintaining a strong community leadership system? How can your community sustain the changes it has already made in its leadership? What structural changes have been made in how the community does its work/makes decisions? What structural changes have been made so that your community leadership sustains partnerships with others?
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category—for instance this month’s question should be placed in Category 4. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too.
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for August:**Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog: 4. Sustaining action and creating structural change around poverty What structures have been changed that will enable your community to address poverty in the long-term? How will you monitor and evaluate your community’s progress in reducing poverty? What community resources will be needed to sustain the community plan to reduce poverty? What additional resources would make a difference in your community’s work to reduce poverty?
The Philip Horizons’ Marketing Committee is sponsoring a FREE marketing workshop for anyone interested in promoting a business, an idea or their community. Dustin Floyd of TDG Communications of Deadwood, SD, loves branding. Good branding principles are at the core of his firm’s approach to everyday marketing challenges. Being part of the first generation to start kindergarten with computers, Dustin has unique insight into the way online trends are shaping the buying habits and attitudes of today’s consumers - and how today’s brands need to adapt.
The workshop will be Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:30pm in Room A-1 at the Philip High School. Please RSVP by emailing Diane Fitch at tiadayan@yahoo.com.
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category—for instance this month’s question should be placed in Category 11. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty or strategic planning participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for July:**
Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog:
11. Taking action on community
In what ways is your community operating or working differently?
In what new or expanded ways are people contributing to your community?
How are low income involved?
What structures have been created or changed that will help your community?
What new partnerships have been created , and what difference have they made for your community?
Have you learned anything about how nearby communities like yours are taking action to reduce poverty?
Do you see any opportunities to exchange information or combine efforts in this work?
Thanks to Coach Kelly for sharing this information…Murdo will be hosting a housing workshop on Tuesday, July 28. The workshop will provide information about resources available to rural residents. Great job Mudo for continuing to address poverty and community issues by providing this workshop.
Hello Bloggers,
It’s that time again! Here are your Questions of the Month for June:
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category—for instance this month’s question should be placed in Category 7. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty or strategic planning participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for June:**
Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog:
7. Taking action on leadership
Myself and two Horizons participants from Conde (Bev and Darlene) recently went on a “field trip” to Gettysburg. Conde is trying to find a use for their recently vacated school building. Gettysburg has a great example of a shared entrepreneurial space called the Mini Mall. Here’s a little slide show from our community visit, with thanks to our “tour guide” Joane Beringer, a store employee and business owner.
It’s that time again! Here are your Questions of the Month for May:
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category—for instance this month’s question should be placed in Category 3. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty or strategic planning participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for May:**
Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog:
3. Taking action on poverty What kinds of concrete steps are being taken by your community to address poverty? How did your community make choices about the actions most likely to have an impact on poverty? How are low income involved? How does your plan for poverty reduction link with existing leaders, groups and organizations? What other partnership will help your community carry out its poverty reduction plan?
The Glacial Lakes Dakota Rising Group will host a June 17-19 entrepreneurship conference at Fort Sisseton State Historic Park near Lake City.
The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service is one of several entities supporting the 2009 Economic Gardening Conference.
Speakers from around the world will take part, including Christian Gibbons, who invented the term “economic gardening.” The term refers to nurturing local business growth. Gibbons has been a leading innovator in the field since the late 1980s.
Registration for the conference costs $135 on or before April 17. The cost is $150 for those registering between April 18 and June 3, and $175 for registration after June 3.
The conference Web site with details on the event is available at this link: http://econ-gardening2009.web.officelive.com/default.aspx.
Or ask for information at your county Extension office.
The conference also has its own page on Facebook. To join it, visit this link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=70651229385.
Registration costs include meals, materials, and tours associated with the conference. The Web site includes information about presentations, activities, and links to lodging options in the area.
Pictures from the Teaming Up Conference:
Break Out Session Speakers Martha Landes, Karen Slunecka and Linda Burg.
A short video clip from the 2009 Teaming Up Conference in Pierre featuring the Keynote Speakers Shawn Irvine and John McArdle:
A resource fair for communities who have participated in or seek more information about the Horizons community leadership project is set for April 25 in Pierre.
The fair was originally planned for April 4 but postponed due to poor weather.
The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service will host “Teaming Up: A Resource Fair for Horizons Communities.” It features exhibitors from a wide range of rural life and economic development agencies.
The event begins at 9 a.m. at the Kings Inn in Pierre. Registration is $20 for all non-Horizons Project members and the deadline to register is April 22. The fee includes lunch, materials, and snacks.
To register, or for more information, call or e-mail South Dakota Cooperative Extension Specialist and state Horizons Project Director Kari Fruechte, at (605) 688-4946 or Kari.Fruechte@sdstate.edu.
Speakers at the event include Shawn Irvine and John McArdle, the recipients of the 2007 Northwest Area Foundation Great Strides Award. They will present a live video presentation about community successes in the town of Independence, Ore.
Horizons Project Director Kari Fruechte said the event offers a chance for citizens of communities who have benefitted from the Horizons Project to share their ideas and strategies for positive change.
“In towns and cities across the state, and across the U.S., members have come together to creatively reduce poverty,” said Fruechte. “This resource fair is a great way for other communities to take away lessons from their experiences.”
The Northwest Area Foundation is the funding sponsor of the Horizons Project, which the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service has put into action in the state.
It’s that time again! Here are your Questions of the Month for April:
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category—for instance this month’s question should be placed in Category 10.
The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for April:**
Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog:
10. Building skills and mobilizing around community
How has your community changed since joining Horizons?
Is your community more hopeful about the future? How do you know?
What evidence do you have that community members see poverty as a community issue? Are more people involved in creating ideas, plans and taking actions on behalf of the community? What difference does this make?
What new partnerships have been created (within your community, or between your community and others)?
We have chosen to cancel the Horizons Teaming Up Conference in Pierre on Saturday, April 4, 2009 due to the impending weather system that will hit the area today and tomorrow. We are hoping to reschedule for April 25, 2009, more details to follow!
Many of you are nearing the end of the LeadershipPlenty modules or you will be there soon. I found some great examples of “marketing” on the blogs (see LP Module 9!!!) and I wanted to highlight some of the cool ideas we are getting from the communities on how they can lure people to the blogs and keep them coming back:
Eden & Roslyn- One of their ideas is to have a feature on the blogs about “Celebrating Our Successes”. They are looking for warm, fuzzy feel good stories about the communities. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking! Enthusiasm in a community can be contagious. When groups and volunteers feel appreciated they get more done. Celebrating successes is a great way to keep the momentum going!
Gayville & Volin- Another lesson learned in Module 9 of LP is about marketing your efforts. It’s thinking about how to reach your audience in a new way and Gayville and Volin are doing just that! On the Catch All Communication List (Group Handout #3 in Module 9) talks about “branding“. Gayville and Volin created a great logo and even a clever acronym for their newly created R.E.A.C.H. Committee.
They have even gotten techy too! They have created a Facebook group for the Gayville Volin R.E.A.C.H. Committee to keep people updated and informed and to stay in touch with a tech savvy audience. I joined the group today!
Leola - The last community I want to highlight today is Leola. They are thinking up some clever ways to get people to visit the blogs each week by having a regular feature on Wednesdays and Sundays. They have cleverly called them Wordless Wednesdays…a day for people to write a caption or a comment about local photos posted each Wednesday and their second feature is Senior Sunday…a day to highlight community history in an interview from a Leola resident. Very cool! Blogger Julie H. makes these two features easy to manage as she uses the Post Timestamp Feature in the WYSIWYG Editor to write the posts in advance and then they get posted at a later date.
To use this cool trick of posting at a later date:
Looks like the blog activity is really picking up! There are a lot of great things happening on the blogs. For instance…Have you read about Gayville & Volin’s REACH committee? Have you seen the Pay it Forward pictures from Reliance? Did you read about the new business opened in Hyde County? Did you know Gregory is having a booth at the local Farm & Home Show? What about the community gardening workshop in Eden & Roslyn? So many great projects!
One of the ways that I keep track of all these communities in a really easy way is to use Google Reader, it’s a “news aggregator”. In other words instead of me having to visit each of the dozens of Horizons blogs, I can go to just one source to read all the new posts. Here’s a great little video about using Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to keep track of all your favorite blogs.
If you need help setting up your news aggregator, like Google Reader let me know!
Leola got started early and kept pushing through to get done with LeadershipPlenty. Now they can take a little breather fot the Easter holiday and determine what’s next for them. Their trainers Mary, Mary Beth and Peggy did a great job of explaining the LP modules and the group has a lot of momentum! Well done Leola!
Just for fun, I am learning to use the movie maker in Picasa, so here’s my first attempt at pictures, music and slides from Leola…
Found this the other day, made me chuckle…
SDSU’s Rural Life Census Data Center recently released a newsletter with information about how outmigration affects rural communities. What can communities do? How does it affect the decisions that are made about services? Businesses? Housing? Transportation? There are some interesting statistics and information that might be useful for community decision makers. Here’s the link to the document. http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/RS1-09.pdf
The Horizons Alumni Communities are continuing to work on improving their communities. They had additional funds to work with recently from NWAF and had $500 to choose projects that help to reduce poverty or increase leadership. Here’s an example in Eureka, where they chose to hold a seminar on The Lighter Side of Community Service. Participants learned about their role as “ambassadors” for their community to promote their town everywhere they go.
Great story from Reliance! A group called STLF (Students Today, Leaders Forever) from the University of Minnesota found them via the blogs and offered to help with community clean up as part of their Pay It Forward tour, read more here:
What an awesome example of how the blogs can connect you with resources in the community, region and neighboring states! Great!
Learn more about the STLF group on their website and see some of the great work this enterprising, caring group of young people are doing to change the world for the better. What an inspiration!
Do you know of a young person with a great idea for a community project? DoSomething.org is awarding one $500 grant every week in 2009. Applicants must be age 25 and under. The DoSomething.org website also contains all sorts of ideas for taking action on community wide issues, including poverty. For more information go to: http://www.dosomething.org/grants/general/apply
Congratulations to Leola for being named Blog of the Week!
At first glance you might think, hey they don’t have any graphics or splashy pictures or videos! How could they be BOTW?
But what they do have going for them is just as important! Leola was chosen to receive the coveted gold star for these reasons:
So sometimes it isn’t all about bells and whistles, it’s just plain and that’s OK! (Although we really would love to see some pictures and videos too!)
Everyone got their blog report cards and know what areas they need to work on, good luck and thanks to our volunteer bloggers!
Here is a link to a great promotional video from one of the Horizons I communities of Ashley, ND. A great example of a small community looking at its assets. Click to watch this short video:
Each Horizons 3 community blogger should have received a blogging “report card” today. Some of our communities are progressing nicely while others a struggling a bit. Blogging is an important part of the Horizons project and we want to help you meet the requirements of this required threshold. Here are some ideas:
We know that communities have a lot to share and a lot to celebrate…now we just need to see it on the blogs!
It’s that time again! Here are your Questions of the Month for March:
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts as a Question of the Month and any other appropriate category. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for March:**
Please choose one or two questions in this category to address on your blog:
6. Building skills and mobilizing around leadership What changes are you seeing in the way community leadership is exercised or carried out? How is it different? How has your community changed after LeadershipPlenty® training? In what ways have leadership skills been improved/enhanced? What is different? What changes are you seeing in the way leadership is carried out? How decisions get made in your community? What difference does the involvement of low income people make in community leadership?
The SD Housing Development Authority is seeking nominations for the 2009 Paint-South Dakota Campaign. SDHDA will pay for the PAINT and PRIMER; you provide the volunteers, equipment, and one family in need. One house from 25 communities will be chosen. Any civic organization interested in organizing a group of volunteers to paint can participate. Submission of the program application is required.
Application Deadline – April 22nd. To obtain an application for Paint-South Dakota please call or visit www.sdhda.org website. The intent of the program is to help someone in need. Therefore, we request that you be selective in your nomination. Please keep in mind: 1 - The home must be a single family, owner-occupied residence in need of painting. 2- The owner should be physically or financially unable to paint their home. Applicants will be able to select from one of four Saturdays in June to complete the painting of the home. To obtain an application for Paint-South Dakota please call or visit www.sdhda.org website. For questions please feel free to contact Lisa Larson 605-773-4132
Join us on Saturday, April 4 at the Kings Inn in Pierre for Teaming Up: A Resource Fair for Horizons Communities! Horizons community members can attend free and will be reimbursed for your travel expenses. The one day event will include a pair of keynote speakers from Independence, Oregon talking about how they had found success in their community working on poverty reduction, business development and tourism. We we also have dozens of South Dakota agencies and individuals on hand to help you solve problems, find resource and connect to others. The day will be filled with informative break out sessions and lots more. Preregister yourself or a whole group from your community by March 27! Click here for the Teaming Up Registration form.
For more information contact your community coach! Hope to see you there!
Do you wish that some of your blog posts would stay on the front page a little longer? The default setting for the blogs is that 10 posts are visible on the first page. If you want to change these settings, go to the Dashboard>Options>Reading and Change the Blog Pages, show at most number from 10 to something higher like 20-25, then click Update Options. Now more of your posts will stay visible for your readers before they get “lost” in the archives.
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for February:**
Please choose one or two questions in EACH category to address on your blog:
2. Building skills and mobilizing around poverty What evidence do you have that people in the community feel like they can do something to reduce poverty? In what ways have community members made a commitment to reduce poverty? How does the community plan to make sure the entire community supports its plans and actions to reduce poverty? In what ways are community members working to assure low income people are involved in a poverty reduction planning and activities? What partnerships has your community made to support its work on poverty reduction?
9. Building knowledge and awareness about community In what ways is your community more aware of its strengths or assets? What evidence do you have that people are more aware of all of the diverse people who live in your community? What difference, if any, does that make? Have you learned anything about nearby communities like yours? About resources that your community can take advantage of? What difference does that make?
Congratulations to the community of Gregory for being named our first Blog of the Week and earning this shiny gold star!
They have been working hard on their blogs, here are a few of the great things they have added and the reasons they were chosen as our BOTW:
Keep up the good work, you are setting a great example for our other Horizons III communities! Don’t stop now! Keep documenting the work that you are doing, keep reporting on changes in your community and work towards adding more users to the blogs. Great start to the blogs in Gregory!
Who will earn the next randomly awarded BOTW honors? Stay tuned…
We will be awarding Blog of the Week honors randomly throughout the Horizons project to highlight the work that each of you are doing in your community. While the awards have no direct monetary value, the glory, prestige, admiration from your fellow Horizons communities and this pretty little gold star will be yours!! (Don’t forget, this is also an evaluation tool to help document your progress and ensure that the final $10,000 grant dollars are awarded to your community at the end of the Horizons project!)
Here’s what we are looking for:
I and the other community coaches will be reading the blogs in the next few weeks and choosing our first Blog of the Week. Stay tuned!
Hopefully each community blog contact should have received the January Blog questions–although I did have a few technical glitches, and some returned e-mails, so in case you missed it here are the questions that should be addressed this month:
Here are the monthly questions we would like you to address to meet the minimum requirements of the community blogging, please remember to identify the category in your posts. The answers can be from you, or better yet, invite others to blog from their perspective too. Or ask your steering committees or LeadershipPlenty participants to respond:
**Please answer these questions by including it in your blogs for January:**
Please choose one or two questions in EACH category to address on your blog:
Category 1. Building knowledge and awareness about poverty In what ways has this community’s knowledge about poverty changed? What evidence do you have of this?Are more community members talking about poverty? What kind of difference does it make if people in your community better understand the causes of poverty? Do you see any evidence that the community understands how public policy (local, state, national) can affect poverty?
Category 5. Building knowledge and awareness about leadership In what ways has your community’s knowledge about leadership changed? How do you know? Do community members see leadership as an individual or a community issue? How does it differ? Is there any evidence that more people in the community feel like they can be or are leaders? How would your community be different if more people think they have a role to play in community leadership?
Please share this with other bloggers in your community. I will be sending questions on a monthly basis, and it will be the community’s responsibility to make sure that this portion of the blogging requirements are met.
Talk to me or your community coach if you have questions. Thanks!
Thanks to community coach Kelly R. for passing on this information about a grant offered by the SD Department of Agriculture for communities and groups working on Farmers Markets.
Grants are a 1:1 match of funds up to $1000. The funds can be used for several purposes, including, but not limited to:
• Farmers’ market start up costs (legal fees, insurance, etc.)
• Promotion (Advertising, Signage, other marketing expenses)
• Merchandising and selling assistance (legal scales, credit card sales, electronic food stamp equipment, etc)
• Vendor Recruitment
• Training expenses
• Market Infrastructure (displays, tents, electricity, etc.)
• Consumer Education
• “Buy Local” programs
• Market research (surveys, etc.)
Click here for the grant application.
A message from one of our bloggers…
Cheryl, these community blog sites are great and we’re having too much fun checking up on who’s been checking them out. What a great way to network.
We are trying to utilize the students in tech classes to help report stories and blog. The state filter for schools blocks most of these sites?!?! We were able to unblock our site, but it was a process. Is there any way you can help unblock all communityblogs.us sites from the state level?
Thanks for any help on this issue. Josh
The local schools are a great technology resource, but you are right, they are locked down pretty tight–and for good reason as they are trying to protect the students and their systems from unwanted content. The best solution is to work with your local school technology person to allow the community blogs sites at the school. It’s not an easy fix, but as you said the sites can be allowed. Good partnerships with the school helps, but I know that it’s still frustrating to deal with.
Have other communities dealt with this? Any solutions? Leave a comment please!
Here is a basic one page handout that may be helpful to communities. Click here to get the blogging basics handout. You can customize it to add your community information.
As requested, here are some instructions for changing the header image on your blogs.
I came across this brochure/booklet from the IRS about applying for 501c3 status, it may be helpful to some of our communities. Here is the link to the IRS publication.
Here are the instructions for adding an opinion poll to your blog. It’s a fun way to gather information and get a quick idea of what people are thinking.
Here are instructions for adding photos and graphics to your blog posts. The instructions also include a work around for the glitch that happens when editing the image.
Here are the instructions for adding a hit counter to your blog. This is a useful tool to see how many people are visiting your community blog.
Here are the updated instructions for adding a Picasa slide show to your blog. This is a great way to share pictures of community events with your blog readers.
Here’s a potential grant opportunity for communities working on or thinking about creating a community garden…
Applications are being accepted from Fiskars on the following criteria: Gardens and/or gardening projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and/or horticultural education are eligible. Community garden groups, as well as schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities are all encouraged to apply. Only group applications will be considered; single individuals are not eligible for a Project Orange ThumbSM grant.
Find the application on-line at http://projectorangethumb.com/pot/. Application materials are due by February 17, 2009.
Horizons 3 communities will participate in blog trainings held across the state in January. Here are the locations and additional information for communities:
Click here for the training flyer with specific details.
