Can your downtown make a difference in bringing youth home?
I didn’t think about how a vibrant downtown could make a big difference to our current students. I know that involving youth in community activities like building benches, having their ideas used for events, hearing what they want, and helping them try their idea out makes a difference. Rik Adamski, the President of ASH+LIME shared…
Collaboration and Talent Attraction: Webinar Past and Future
Learning about the Power of Collaboration Our last webinar about collaboration emphasized some key insights. Looking for that one company to come to town is not an economic development approach that works in rural. It is possible to bridge barriers and cooperate by starting with meaningful conversations. We already know how to collaborate in rural…
Viva Cuba, Murals for Everyone!
Viva Cuba! Missouri, that is. In 1984, a group of people aimed to beautify Cuba to attract new industries and jobs. By 1987, they were the first Adopt-A-Highway site in the state. 1991, they purchased a lot and transformed a previously ugly space into Viva Cuba Garden. Everyone came together to make it happen: donations…
My grocery store left town, now what?
It sure seems like many grocery stores in small towns are leaving. When that happens, it creates strife for local townspeople. They need to travel further to buy their groceries. Or they have to order online from big companies they don’t trust. Retailers have lost another store in their midst. Folks would stop by their…
Use Your Empty Lots
Porterdale, Georgia had a huge community center and gymnasium that was 12,000 square feet. It was built in 1939, and designed by Ellamae Ellis League That’s right, a woman designed the original building. Almost unheard of. It burned down in 2005, and the cause of the fire was never found. It was located downtown and…
Workforce is a Rural Challenge
The Survey of Rural Challenges is now available through the end of May for you to share your rural challenges and assets! Results will be shared on January 1, 2025. One of the top 5 challenges consistently over the years is Workforce. Let’s take a look at just one of the challenges in the category. CHALLENGE: Need more…
Money for Ideas
On my onsite visits to small towns, I sometimes get asked about small grants to help get a project off the ground, to get an idea started, or to help entrepreneurs. The biggest dilemmas are: You have to be a 501c3 to apply, which most businesses are not. The application process requires days of work,…
Emerging Trend Webinar: Connecting Community Partners March 27, 2024
Building Bridges Instead of Silos On March 27, 2024, at 11 am (Central time) join Dell Gines, the Chief Innovation Officer at the International Economic Development Council, and Becky McCray and Deb Brown from SaveYour.Town for a no-charge webinar about connecting community partners. They will help you understand the power of collaboration when you build…
10 Questions for Rural People
Take the Survey of Rural Challenges. https://saveyour.town/survey2024 These 10 questions will provide information to many organizations and people on what is challenging for rural communities. Are you rural? This survey is for you. Your answers to the Survey of Rural Challenges will: Prepare better services for rural communities: “It gives us great insight as we…
Build a Library of Things
I like the idea of organizations coming together and collaborating, instead of always working in silos. How could you test out this idea in a practical way in your small town? Build a Library of Things. A library of things is a location where things you use rarely can be located, the community donates the…