Colorado Rural Development Council

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Colorado Rural Development Council

National Rural Development Partners Annual
Conference 2004 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Council
Tools Lights, Camera Community
Video DEDICATED VOICE of RURAL COLORADO
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Colorado Rural Development Council

• The CRDC Community Video Team
• Paul Sachs, Orton Family Foundation
• Kent Morrison, CRDC Chair,
• City of Steamboat Springs
• Sophie Faust, Department of Local Affairs
• Field Reps from DOLA and USDA-RD
• USDA-RD State Director, Gigi Dennis

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• What can you give me
• that I can take back home and use?
• Lights, Camera and Community Video

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• Coaching Clinics
• Its what you learn
• after
• you know it all that counts.

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Colorado Rural Development Council
Who are we at CRDC? How are we organized?

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Mission Vision

• CRDC shall be a partnership committed to
  advancing rural interests identified by listening
  to the needs of rural people with the Mission to
  encourage and assist locally defined community
  development by fostering creative partnerships,
  knowledge, communications and resources to
  effectively implement their own visions.

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Challenges and Victories

• The rural communities of our state must deal on a
  daily basis with a common set of challenges
• Cost of Living
• Health Care
• Education
• Elder Care
• Housing Costs
• Infrastructure
• Land Use
• Growth
• Labor Pool
• Transportation
• Water and Wastewater

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CRDC WorkPlan

• Partnerships
• Community Outreach
• Rural Health Care Systems
• Rural Infrastructure

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Our Partners are Our Strength

• Local Representatives
• Community Residents, Business Leaders, Municipal
  Government, County Government
• State Representatives
• Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Governors
  Office of Economic Development, Colorado
  Department of Public Health and Environment,
  Colorado State University -Cooperative Extension
• Federal Representatives
• USDA-Rural Development, U.S. Health and Human
  Services, U.S. Housing and Urban Development,
  National Resource Conservation Service

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Our Partners are Our Strength

• Advisory Board Members
• Colorado Rural Health Center, Region 9/ E.D.D.
  Southwestern Colorado, San Miguel County, Crowley
  County, Axis Networks, SECOM, High Five Plains
  Foundation, Rural Workforce Consortium,
  Telecommunications
• Many Other Partners
• Orton Family Foundation, Colorado Municipal
  League, Colorado Counties, Action 22, Club 20,
  Progressive 15, Ag Outlook Forum, Economic
  Developers Council of Colorado, etc.

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Community Outreach

• Partner Communities
• Community Video Project
  The Orton Family Foundation

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• (from the recent CRDC Success Story)
• Citizens in towns across America have long
  struggled
• to find ways to discover and articulate a common
  vision
• for their community. Its no longer uncommon to
  find
• that residents of suburban and even rural
  neighborhoods across the country no longer know
  their next-door neighbors. At the same time, the
  sense of place that
• has long been the hallmark of rural and
  small-town America is increasingly diminished.

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• How can a town or neighborhood begin to foster a
• stronger sense of community identity among its
• citizens? A Community Video Project is a very
  effective way to stimulate community dialogue and
  inspire citizen participation in community
  issues. Most importantly,
• they are drawn to become involved in a way they
• never have been before.

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• The Community Video Project was founded on three
  basic premises
• 1. The involvement and energy of all citizens is
  invaluable.
• 2. Video is an effective tool to capture and
  synthesize this energy.
• 3. Positive social change comes about when
  citizens are recognized and honored for
• their effort and involvement.

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Colorado Rural Development Council
CRDC Partner Communities and The Selection
Process

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• What were we looking for in a Partner Community?
• This is about Community Development
• Helping them with their own vision
• Communities with an opportunity to succeed
  Avoid the black holes
• With limited resources, we need to make best use
  of them

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• Eads Pop. 851 in SE CO
• Wray Pop. 2,200 in NE CO
• Cedaredge Pop. 1,500 in Western CO
• Silver Plume Pop. 200 in Central CO
• Plus
• Dinosaur Pop. 326 in NW CO
• Dolores Pop. 815 in SW CO

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• The Key to Success or Failure
• Strong Local Leaders or Champions
• that will accept a Leadership role!
• "The speed of the leader determines the rate
• of the pack." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• Interesting Definition
• Rustic (RUS tik) adj. - rural lacking urban
  comforts or sophistication primitiveExample
  Life in the log cabin was too rustic
• for Leah she missed hot showers, cold beer,
• and electricity.

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• Funding?
• What will this cost the communities?
• Orton Family Foundation
• USDA-RD
• State Director, Gigi Dennis

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• OK, we have a video,
• NOW WHAT?

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Colorado Rural Development Council
Community Planning Strategic Planning Promotion Ed
ucation Visioning Specific Issues/Projects/Solutio
ns Community Partners Legislative Support

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The Big Picture

• Find and utilize programs and activities that
  Create Unlimited Economic and Community
  Development Opportunities for all of Colorado and
  America.

economic opportunity
quality of life
freedom
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Colorado Rural Development Council
Clarke Becker, Executive Director 1313 Sherman
Street, Room 500 Denver, CO 80203 [phone]
or [phone] cbecker_at_ruralcolorado.org www.ru
ralcolorado.org DEDICATED VOICE OF RURAL COLORADO

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Colorado Rural Development Council

• National Rural Development Partners
• Annual Conference 2004
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Thank you!
• Lights, Camera Community Video
• DEDICATED VOICE OF RURAL COLORADO