•  Of all the things you have done during the last 18 months in the Horizons program, of what are you most proud? 

Scavenger Hunt Question:·         Which Idaho Horizons community is working with the University of Idaho to help with their vision to “rebuild a community center to assist local families fight back against the ravages of poverty. They are looking to the future when they will have a center that provides central business offices for the city, a town library and public computers with Internet accessibility, expanded recreational facilities for youth and adults, a hall for future leadership and life skills training.”The winner will receive a copy of the book: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People will Follow You by John C. Maxwell.

Grangeville Horizons

Grangeville Community Garden

Grangeville Horizons also has the Grangeville Community Garden discussions going at http://grangevillegarden.com. It uses a forum approach, rather than a blog. Unlike a blog anyone in the community can easily initiate a post.

Get to know our local arts community through at http://grangevillearts.com

The recreation team is currently working with the University of Idaho to bring a summer rec. intern to our community to help with organization and implementation of several of our summer activities for youth. A local businessman has donated office space, the school district is donating office equipment and another local businessman is donating a computer.

The communications task force has had several conversations with organizations that help with starting a community non-profit orgnanization. (TACS-Technical Assistance for Community Services in Oregon, The Idaho Non-profit Development Center) That group is also working closely with neighboring community, Cottonwood on forming a partnership through some sort of a non-profit coalition.

The steering committee is also planning to meet with Hank Ebert from the Idaho Department of Commerce to investigate the community review process that his department conducts.

The Grangeville Garden Club is working closely with the Grangeville Soroptomists to create a community garden.

Thank you all for the interesting responses about your community and what makes it ‘unique’ to you compared to other rural communities in Idaho.

I grew up in a small farming community in Idaho near the Utah border and I still think about it every day, the views and colors and smells and intense farm work we did (pulling rye, driving around and around in a tractor for 12 hours a day, herding cattle, etc) helped shape my life and world view. It’s that sense of place that helps define who we are and how we relate to the world around us.

I hope you’re all getting comfortable and familiar with the blogging process. Mary, MJ and I thank you for all the time and hard work you’ve devoted to this part of Horizons and know it’s just a small part of what you are all doing in your communities.

Please let MJ (merijoz@uidaho.edu) or me (dgray@uidaho.edu) know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

A ‘how to blog’ handbook is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page…

Reflective Questions:

As we near the ‘end’ of this phase of Horizons, take a moment to look back on the past 18 months to answer these questions.

Has your community sought any additional resources outside of Horizons for your projects? 

How has your community partnered with communities and/or organizations beyond Horizons?

Scavenger Hunt Question:  Which Horizons community has an organization sponsoring a ‘Volcano Breakfast’ and what IS a Volcano Breakfast?

This week’s winner will receive a copy of:

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 20 (midnight) and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

These are all attributes we can capitalize on…it’s beautiful. The burden of it all is that “beauty can only take us so far”. We live in the wilderness. We are isolated. That works o.k. for the lumbermill and farming, but for other industries, we are a long way from anywhere. We lack infrastucture and connectivity for new industries to be able to locate here. The railroad is gone, so shipping has become more costly. Our local economy is struggling, with several vacant storefronts and not nearly the commerce that was here even ten years ago.

So…our challenge will be how do we preserve this beautiful place, develop additional industry and thrive at the same time?!?

Please let MJ or me know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

Reminder: MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 6 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…
NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
What is something unique about your Horizons community that you’d like to share with the rest of the world? What makes your community different from the one right down the road? Is it a strength your community can capitalize on or a burden you have to bear? Or both? For example, Sun Valley has the beautiful landscape, ski resorts, etc. but the tourism industry has also left behind many local people who are now unable to afford to live in the town they work in…

Scavenger Hunt Question: This week the scavenger hunt is a simple assignment. Find an entry on one of the Horizons community blogs (or even your own blog) and leave a comment to the author. It’s fun to give and get feedback about things we’re doing and talking about.

This week’s winner will receive:
The working poor: invisible in America by David K. Shipler
And
Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight.

The converstaion with Jackson was very informative and inspiring. Jackson was a pilot Horizons community four years ago and are still going strong. They have spent a lot of time successfully developing leadership and structural change in their community. We will continue to glean information from them. Thank you Jackson!!!