The Way Through

Readers of this blog probably think it's the end of the road for our dreams and all the work we've done to develop a community center for our area.

Think again.

Although time has passed with no updates here, behind the scenes leaders in this community have been putting their ducks in order to pave the way to our center.

Leaders like Phil Hansen, commissioner of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District , J. Scott Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the Coulee Medical Center, and Geary Oliver, a commissioner on both boards. The leaders of these entities have learned about and/or participated in the Horizons community meetings; they are moving forward to find other leaders to join in making a community wellness center a reality.

The Star - Online Newspaper shared Graham's idea: "Preventing illness rather than curing it, he said, is becoming an important part of the future of medical care. And a family-friendly, well-used wellness center, complete with fun, safe exercise options for year-round activities, would encourage a lot of prevention."

It's not the end of the road; we've just turned around and found the way through.

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Photos:
Kruk Road to Banks Lake
Kruk Road from Banks Lake
Sheri Edwards

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HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing PovertyWorking together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.
Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org
Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Meeting August 26: WAG Strategic Planning

The Wellness Action Group is a local community organization in it's infancy. Its sponsor is the Horizons Group and WSU with a purpose to reduce or eliminate poverty in this area.

The focus of the Wellness Action Group is to build a community center for the Grand Coulee Dam Area. Our community has a major need for a comprehensive center to address the central issues associated with poverty.

Most of the efforts so far include planning and background research and input from community members. Soon, the W.A.G. hopes to begin the process of coordinating funds and building the community center. At that point, the support of the entire community will be needed.

Won’t you join now?

Tonight's Agenda:

Review minutes from previous meeting
Reports
Old Business	· Strategic Plan · Increase community participation and buy-in/partner with local government · Train the Trainer training for Futures Game · Mind Mapping Exercise
New Business	·

Next Meeting

September 9, 2010 Time, Location TBD

Minutes July 10:

Meeting Minutes

July 15, 2010

Horizons Grand Coulee WAG Action Meeting

Pepperjacks Restaurant, 6:00 p.m.

Present:

Scott Hunter

Sheri Edwards

Jenelle Ottmar

Christine Price

Lee Stockhorst

Old Old Business

Scott – After Tom Jensen’s idea from the hospital renovations, our community project can cut and paste from another community plan. See Ephrata, Bellevue plan from the Parks and Recreation District. How was it written? Merge them. This may be a good project for Lee. Find the digital version of these plans.

Lee can also make a calendar of grants to apply for, adding this to our strategic plan.

Lee – We can also host finger painting days and the like, sponsored by WAG to survey the market and earn community buy-in. Currently eleven softball teams are using the park (which is not being watered). Anything you can take your kids to hear is appreciated. We may also sponsor a financial planning workshop and job/scholarship application workshops.

Jenelle – Horizons can easily sponsor a financial education workshop. This is one of the program specialties. We can offer babysitting as well.

Scott – To partner with local government we may have to “shame” officials into participation. North Dam Park is being let go to waste. It is a huge asset.

Lee – I will return from summer vacation on August 22.

Jenelle – We will bring project supplies for Lee to our next meeting. I believe Nate Pitturaschatit or Amanda Poch are in possession of the project business cards. Kevin Lind may have the camera.

New Business

Mind Mapping Exercise scheduled for Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.

Christy – The Gates Foundation is giving grants to support community foundations. You must be a 501c3 to receive this money. The application process and award criteria are very simple.

Next Horizons WAG Meeting	August 26, 2010 PepperJacks Restaurant, 6:00 p.m.
Coulee Area Park and Recreation District (CAPRD) Meeting

Minutes by Jenelle Ottmar

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HORIZONS:

Community Leaders Reducing Poverty

Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

What picture will we paint for our community?

WAG Horizons Community Meeting
6/10/10
6:30-8:30 PM
Center Elementary
Notes and Thoughts
Sheri Edwards

Help us choose the next big steps to bring us from past poverty and divisions to future hope and unity...

Text:

Christy Price
Paul Allen Foundation
Poverty
Fill gaps
Community needs
Build Capacity

Barbara Engstrom
State grant-- maybe rotary

Michelle --
Mark Neal, Architect
Tell the story

Wellness center
Master plan

Needs Assessment
Competition to community

Daycare
Kids prepared to learn
Atmosphere

The Package
The Story
The Evidence

Ownership
See Handout

Food Service-who, how
Bureau and others--
"Membership"
Hotel/motel tax

Jenelle Ottmar
Impact Statement


Connections
School-- pool, fitness, conference rooms, health agencies;
Medical-- therapy pool, conference rooms, health agencies, elder help;
Daycare-- learning prep, safety, health agencies;
Parks and Rec-- pool, parks, funding, conference rooms, education;
Culture-- activities, education, shared history, conference rooms;
Daily health-- community and school access;
Tourism-- year-round access;
Conferences-- CCT, BLM, GCDSD, CCH, Others (church, Rotary, Chamber, Businesses);
Fiber--access for community
Community--cohesion, five towns/one home center, employment, youth activities, wellness, 1935-2010+, future vision reality...

So...

What picture will we paint?

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HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty

Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Funding Possibilities Meeting 4/8/10

What happened at the meeting?
A Lesson in Self- sustainability: Outcomes That Change Communities

Patrick Malone, Presenter
WSUE Horizons Coach




4/8/10
Senior Center, Grand Coulee, WA

Outcomes

The most important aspect of funding any program is to focus on the outcomes for people that you hope to achieve.

What will change?
How will you know?

How much? What is your budget? What will you fund? How committed are those involved?




Create the value in the community--
The Horizons group-- How can you generate own income?

What about your core membership?
You as leaders?
Board members?
Have you shown your commitment?




Fees for service
In today's economic times, be entrepreneurial in your design.

• Social enterprise....Earned income. For what can you charge a fee?
• Donors... individual are base -- 85% of all donations
• Grants....hardest and slowest
• Government earmarks... Yes, that word: pork. Think of the West Central Community Center, Spokane. What will catch the eye and heart of those involved?

Gap funders...a
Again, what has the community given and developed to which the funders fill the gap?

Ideas:
Community garden members develop and sell a product from their produce (example: salad dressing in LA).

Expertise from community members we serve (sales, accounting, art, etc.) provide the foundation for themselves and a new service --a thrift store, an art gallery with lessons, a local book). Jobs created and funds (social enterprise) reinvested.
........

Other Topics
Nonprofits --membership fees

Pricing-- think of our Horizons group as the business across the street.

Marketable expertise. -- What skills do our members and our community have that can be marketed?

How about...
Art
Culture
Garden
Drama
Animal care
Story telling
Music
Poetry
Photography

Resources

Directory of community nonprofits

Grants.gov. Funds
Earmarks - apply.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Foundation Directory Online ask library to subscribe to the Foundation Directory Online

Foundation center...online search section...

Federal funds ... Own those items forever... Be prepared...

Consider: Public vs private money

Foundations don't want continued connection but DO want sustainability. Remember to focus on and tell the stories of your outcomes.

Funder contacts. Enjoy contact. People. Relationships.

Build a culture of service ... Philanthropy

Everyday Democracy

....

Needs
Meshing and blending group goals

Park & Rec district...
1st Monday, 5:00. Center School teacher lounge
New school needs more to obtain its original ideas
Letters---lots of letters

Tourists will be part of help--- need more to do, so our vision will add to their needs for which they will pay the fee to use our center.

Year round use... Yes, the pool and more.

The vision: community center: pool, child care, classes, etc.

The message:
How much will you help so we can make it happen together?
Our initial output will promote help for the community, market our community skills, and support the quest for further funding.
...


-- Post From IPad by Sheri

Location:Senior Center, Grand Coulee, WA

WSU Sociology Students at Work for You!

Sociology 433, an undergraduate class at Washington State University, has been researching options and resources for topics that are important to your rural communities as you work to reduce poverty. Topics include: affordable housing, neighborhood safety, youth activities and much, much more.

Your community may be in contact with one of these teams, but all of their research may be relevant to the issues you are addressing. Click to the Horizons website http://www.horizons.wsu.edu/project/horizons3/community.html to read about their work.

WAG: Wellness Action Group Meeting

The Wellness Action Group will meet in a third community meeting:

Senior Center in Grand Coulee Thursday night at 6:30.

The core WAG group has been busy getting an education in community centers and has come to believe things even I would not have embraced a week ago. Time to get everyone up to speed and get some working assignments out there for anyone willing to be involved.

I'll have a video tour ready of three sites we've visited in the last couple weeks. Here's sneak peek:

Scott Hunter

Come on! Jump in and make a splash for your community! Get involved!

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Photo Credit: Flickr by Éole

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

WAG: Wellness Action Group Tours

WAG: Wellness Action Group Tours
Community Center
Is it possible?

Yes! The WAG tour group included Scott Hunter, Bill Black, Michelle Campobasso, Phil Hansen, Tom Jensen, Troy Johnson, Rick Morton, Nate Piturachsatit, Jerry Sands, Jesse Utz and Christy Price.

The group toured impressive community centers that began with similar dreams as this community has envisioned. They visited centers in Usk, Washington and Plummer and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Is it possible? According to a report of the committee in The Star Online, "First, the business side. The revenue sources possible to help pay for the ongoing expenses of a good community center are surprisingly robust. Usk, about the size of the town of Coulee Dam, is drawing members to its YMCA-like program from as far away as north Spokane (over an hour’s drive) because the place is beautiful and functional... the fact that they can do THAT, tells me that we can do SOMETHING to make our community more livable for ourselves and our children, more attractive to newcomers and more sustainable culturally and economically. If we pull together on this, we can."

Click here to read the full article, and when your community needs your help and ideas, please dive in so we can make this happen, for all of us.

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Photo Credit: Flickr CC by Paul Nicholson

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

A Step Closer: Community Center Meeting Needs Your Input

We're a step closer to solving answers to these questions:

Worried about access to child care?

Interested in more activities for everyone, especially the youth?

Want to create an active community?

Would you want to see a focal point of community spirit?

Join other community members from Nespelem, Elmer City, Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee, and Electric City at the Coulee Dam Community Church on Thursday, March 26th at 5:30.

If you step up to add your input, YOU can help make all of these a reality.

Please leave your footprint on a positive future for our community.

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Photo Credit:
Flickr Commons by szeretlek_ma beginning and mattbuck4950 end

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HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.


Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org


Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Leadership to Action

Module 7 - Moving from Talk to Action

Members of Leadership Plenty training group have completed their training and are ready to help the community move to action.
Ask yourself:

How does the organization work together to implements its goals in the neighborhood or community? What happens as a result of these actions?

How do leaders of the organization know if they have accomplished what they set out to do?

Do you sense a far-reaching vision for what the organization really wants to accomplish in the community? What is that vision?

What kinds of knowledge and skills would enhance the organization’s ability to work together to plan for that vision?

A main lesson from Leadership Plenty is that all of us in the community have qualities that guide leadership to action.

Will you join the spirit and add your expertise as we progress to developing resources that help all of us. We can move from poverty to prosperity together.

CONTACT

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org

Another great resource with ideas from other communities is:

http://www.everyday-democracy.org/

Subscribe to their newsletter.

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Community Center, Child Care, Leadership Meetings

Important Community Meetings ---
Please come to one! Be part of the solution!

January 21st Leadership Plenty 5:30-9:30 5:30 Dinner

January 22nd Community Center Meeting 5:30 Dinner

January 24th Child Care Needs Meeting 2:00-4:00

All at: Coulee Dam Presbyterian Community Church in Coulee Dam

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Leadership Plenty 3

What: the third session of leadership training – The first and second training sessions were very productive and engaging! Clock Hours available.

When: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 from 5:30-9:30

Where: Coulee Dam Community Church

Dinner will be served at 5:30 pm and the training will start soon after. Remember, you can join in at any point in these trainings, you do not have to attend each one. They will be every Wednesday for the next 8 weeks or so; same place, same time.

Childcare available. Money available to pay adult care in your home. You will need to arrange for your own care provider and then complete a reimbursement form at the meeting. Please RSVP to me, indicating the # of children, if you will be attending the meeting and will be requesting reimbursement. This will ensure that I have enough cash available.

There is also gas money available if you need assistance.

Thank you!

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Community Center Meeting

What: Focus on Goals

Where: The next meeting Community Center Action Team will be held by the Community Center Action Team will be January 22, 5:30 pm. at the Community Church in Coulee Dam. Dinner and Child Care provided. Gas money available.

Why: Our team believes that a centrally located community center would greatly benefit this area. We envision a facility that could offer social activities, learning activities, health and wellness programs, etc for all ages. We believe that this could have great potential to benefit all aspects of our community from the schools, to the senior programs, hospitals, clinics, even the police department.

It is our hope that we will be able to come together in this endeavor to strengthen our community and possibly work toward consolidating many of our individual programs into one unit working together.

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Child Care Town Hall

What: We will be holding a town-hall-type meeting on Saturday, January 24 from 2-4pm at the Coulee Dam Community Presbyterian Church in Coulee Dam (across from the Tribal Museum). Free trained childcare will be provided at the church. Gas money available.

What: The team is looking for community members to partner with us as we approach this broad, important subject. Our main areas of focus will be on the need for childcare facilities and additional preschool options. We need your ideas, experiences, concerns and expertise, even if you would not like to be directly involved long-term.

This group is made possible by the support of the Horizons grant program for Grand Coulee. Please RSVP to Kevin Lind at kevinllind@gmail.com or 631-0774 if you plan to attend or have any questions.

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Photo by Sheri Edwards: Snow Fort by Kids in Coulee Dam

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HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.


Mary Schilling at 633 3033 or email at mschilling@gcdsd.org


Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Life Stories: Steve

Who: Steven R. Carson

Occupation: Colville Tribes Parks & Recreation

Years in Community: I moved to Elmer City when I was 6 years old. I lived in the area until I was 23. My wife and I then moved to Florida for 2 years to attend college. After some training and experience we moved back to the area to raise our family.

Education: High School Diploma 2001, Training at SEU Florida.

Favorite community memory: I am big on taking advantage of the great outdoors. I love fishing, hunting, camping, and hiking. My favorite community memory is before 9/11 we were able to fish below the Dam on the rocks, and above off the east side of the Dam. You could always see others teaching the kids how to fish.

Hopes for community: That we all could see and vision the potential our whole surrounding area has and can become.

Why I am part of the project: To help be a voice and solution in bringing out that potential.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Working toward a Community Center

Who: Horizons Action Teams

What: Three Action Teams have come out of the Horizons Program: A Childcare Action Team, Resource Action Team, and a Community Center Action Team.

Where: The next meeting Community Center Action Team will be held by the Community Center Action Team will be January 22, 5:30 pm. at the Community Church in Coulee Dam. Dinner and Child Care provided

Why: Our team believes that a centrally located community center would greatly benefit this area. We envision a facility that could offer social activities, learning activities, health and wellness programs, etc for all ages. We believe that this could have great potential to benefit all aspects of our community from the schools, to the senior programs, hospitals, clinics, even the police department.

It is our hope that we will be able to come together in this endeavor to strengthen our community and possibly work toward consolidating many of our individual programs into one unit working together.

Agenda: Focus on setting goals


Learn more about the Horizons program @ http://horizons.wsu.edu/ and follow our progress by visiting our blog site http://grandcoulee-wa.blogspot.com/

Photo Credit: Tape Art - Education and works in progress at Flickr Commons

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Learn more about the Horizons program @ http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Reminder

What: the second session of leadership training – The first training session was very productive and engaging!

When: tomorrow evening, Wednesday, January 14, 2009 from 5:30-9:00

Where: Coulee Dam Community Church

Dinner will be served at 5:30 pm and the training will start soon after. Remember, you can join in at any point in these trainings, you do not have to attend each one. They will be every Wednesday for the next 8 weeks or so; same place, same time.

Unfortunately, we will NOT have childcare at the next meeting. There is money available to pay for childcare/adult care in your home. You will need to arrange for your own care provider and then complete a Child Care reimbursement form at the meeting. Please RSVP to me, Mary Schilling, indicating the number of children, if you will be attending the meeting and will be requesting reimbursement for childcare. This will ensure that I have enough cash available.

There is also gas money available if you need assistance.

Mary Schilling

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Learn more about the Horizons program http://horizons.wsu.edu/

Crushed Red Pepper or Nutmeg?

HOPE Fueled by Action Sandwiches
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 14th
at the Coulee Dam Community Church

Leadership Plenty plans for just that: Leadership. Understand that:

• Everyone in the community has potential to be a leader.
• Everyone possesses leadership skills that can serve to effect change in the community.
• Leadership skils and techniques enable us to weave a shared vision and respond to a call to action.

Under the guidance of skilled local community leaders trained by Leadership Plenty, the participants spiced up their personal leadership qualities. Jesse Utz, Amanda Poch, and Nate Piturachsatit led the groups in several activities that clarified the benefits of various leadership styles.

Think about it: Is your style crushed red pepper -- you take charge to get action? Or are you more like a pinch of nutmeg, a subtle reminder of either the big picture or the needed detail. Both styles of leadership encourage success in goals as they balance out the rush to act with pause for reflection.

As one member commented, "Poverty can be alleviated with good leadership." And through the Leadership Plenty modules of active learning, the participants developed trust and skills to help them obtain a vision for two of the community's needs (Community Center and Resource Guide) to which the leadership skills will provide the drive to action.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 14th at the Coulee Dam Community Church

Come and help create the vision to reduce poverty in our community. Your leadership style is needed.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Save this date: January 7th: Leadership Plenty

Please join the solution:

Leadership Plenty Training provided by WSU and Horizons will be a thought provoking training, teaching future and current leaders how to accomplish group goals and tasks. This training is offered to everyone in the Grand Coulee Dam Area including (Nespelem, Elmer City, Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee, Electric City, Delano and outlying areas. This is being offered for free, dinner is provided, child care is available. Also Adult home care is also provided. Local instructors will guide and teach as we learn how to use the assets that are currently available in our community, break down barriers that exist and keep us from moving forward as a team, preparing action plans, having a vision and evaluations, and much more.

This training is beneficial to Business owners, Council members, group organizers, employees looking to lead, High School Youth, and anyone else looking to further thier knowledge of Leading.


Event Details:

First Meeting: January 7, 2009

Contact:

Jesse Utz - production@couleegraphics.com

Location:

Community Church in Coulee Dam

Event Time:

5:30pm - 9:30pm

Link to PowerPoint about Leadership Plenty
Leadership Plenty Modules and Images

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Who has community vision?

Leadership Plenty Training

L-R:
Jennelle Kerner, Horizons Coach
Amanda Poch, Jesse Utz, Nate Piturachsatit

Bob Lambert, Muriel Meyer (Colville Community Member), Sheri Edwards




Who has community vision?

Amanda Poch, Jesse Utz, Bob Lambert, and Nate Piturachasatit demonstrated leadership, presentation, and visioning skills while learning about the ten modules of civic change from the Leadership Plenty Training. They learned that "the “plenty” in community leadership comes from recognizing the wealth of capacities that people in the community possess." Their role is to develop this community leadership to mobilize change.

What's so special about these four people?

One thing:

They are ordinary people who stepped forward so that, together, they can do the extraordinary with others like them. They mobilize assets to solve community problems; they believe their community can move forward.

Please read their stories:

Amanda Poch
Bob Lambert
Jesse Utz
Nate Piturachsatit

Will you step forward to move our community forward? Will you add your vision?

Please call or email: 633-3033 Mary Schilling.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Communities: Moving Forward with People Power

How does a community move forward?

People in the community must step forward in order for the community to move forward.



Where is the community moving?

To a vision! --But whose vision?

That's the goal -- a vision for and from the community.



What's the vision for our community?

In our community, through the Horizons Project, ordinary citizens like you and Amanda, Bob, Jesse, and Nate gather together to share their visions, to create a community vision of prosperity. Through community action, the vision becomes reality.


Who are these citizens?

You!

This project needs everyone's voice and vigor; your involvement begins with a phone call: 633-3303, Mary Schilling. Your involvement can be what you can do: a phone caller, a researcher, a volunteer at events, a planner, etc. Right now, we need ideas; don't you have a few to share for our community? Please join those who have already stepped forward.


Who have already stepped forward?

As many as fifty people have attended various activities so far: initial meeting, Study Circles, Leadership Plenty Training. Please read our previous blogs and view the slideshows of the Tuesday/Thursday Study Circles 1 and 2 and the Leadership Plenty Training.


Please come to the next meeting, December 11th, 5:30-8:30 PM, in the Community Church in Coulee Dam to help begin our action process for our community.

Please step forward and join the journey.

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.

Leadership Plenty Graduates: Empowered Citizens

At the Leadership Plenty Training, Amanda Poch, Jesse, Utz, and Nate Piturachasatit represented our community to learn the skills we need to create and act on a community vision that we, together, imagine to move our community forward. Their graduation represents the first step in mobilizing our community vision to move our community forward.






How can we move our community forward? Join to help!

HORIZONS: Community Leaders Reducing Poverty
Working together to move from poverty to prosperity for all.
Call 633-3033

Leadership Plenty

Community members from the Study Circles Sessions have gathered in Spokane for Horizons Project "Leadership Plenty" training sessions to enable success in the grassroots program to reduce poverty.

"LeadershipPlenty® curriculum consists of nine modules that address primary civic skills that enable graduates to confidently identify problems in their communities and implement a plan of action to combat those problems." -- from the Horizons Website.



Participants Jesse, Amanda, and Nate will learn:
Building Partnerships
Moving from Talk to Action
Valuing Evaluation
Communicating for Change.

They will return to guide other leaders in the community to learn the strategies that have proven to move communities from poverty to prosperity. More information is available at the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, including this powerpoint.

Sheri and Bob attend sessions on communications and public relations, of which this blog is a component.

These are ordinary people hoping to work with others for extraordinary change.

Please join us --

Call or Email:
Mary Schilling, Organization Contact
SHARP Kids/Mary Schilling at 633-3033 or mschilling@gcdsd.org

Sheri Edwards, Blogger

Words of Hope

About twenty people, from high school students to retirees, from Nespelem to Electric City, gathered for a public dialogue to move our community towards a new vision. If our community were thriving, what words would describe it?

Two groups discussed our diverse community in terms of needs and assets as they pondered paths to greater prosperity for all members of our community. We know our community abounds with caring, helpful, friendly people. How can we coordinate efforts to be more involved and helpful? We know our community has many successful gatherings: Colorama, Mill Pond Days, Grand Columbian. How can we offer more daily venues for all ages to enjoy a diverse menu of interests? We know many people who jump in to help when a need arises. How can we provide more resources in child care, health care, and all-age activities?

These issues interested the community members, and the question, "If our community were thriving, what words would describe it?" was answered by two groups.

Group A: Diversity, Peace, Community
Group B: Unity, Harmony, Growth, Vision, Opportunity

Aim high; if you aim at nothing, you will hit nothing.
~ Author Unknown ~

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.
If you can dream it, you can become it.
~ William Arthur Ward ~

A common vision of a thriving community propels us to be that vision. These committed colleagues have begun the dream. Session 2 will meet this Thursday, November 20th at 5:30-8:30 p.m. or Sunday, Dec 7th 2:00-7:00 p.m. Both meetings convene at the Coulee Dam Presbyterian/Community Church located at 509 Central Drive (the stone church).

Free Child and Adult Care available. Gas money available too!
Please indicate your needs in your RSVP.

Let us know you are coming. Please call or email:
SHARP Kids/Mary Schilling at 633-3033 or mschilling@gcdsd.org

Please come to add your words of hope
and begin the journey towards pride
in a more prosperous community.

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