We asked good friend and entrepreneurship thought leader, Penny Lewandowski, to share her thoughts on what can make the biggest difference to a rural community teetering between prosperity and decline. Learn about America's untapped gold mine in Help Your Community Become Growth Obsessed: A Guide for Rural Growth. This paper is full of best practices and peer success stories that will affect the way you think about community culture and business development.
Did you miss last month's feature story on
Downtowns and Entrepreneurship? Here's the
link to our formula for downtown revitalization for rural and micropolitan communities.
The e2 team continues work on the #ProsperityInitiative in Indiana with a series of community conversations on behalf of the Western Indiana Community Foundation. Frank and Kimberlee Spillers spent a week in September with board members of each of the member foundations to identify overarching development priorities in the area.
New Board and Staff
NetWork Kansas welcomes Corey Mohn, Executive Director, Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) and Clare Gustin, Vice President of Member Services and External Affairs, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation to the Board of Directors. Christy Preston fills the Product Manager, Rural Entrepreneurship, Western Region position. More info.
Field News
America's Rural Opportunity. The eleventh panel discussion in this Aspen Institute series is "Towards Rural Resilience: Preparation for a Changing Planet." The event and livestream will begin promptly at 2:30 pm CT/ 3:30 pm ET. More info.
Life in Rural America. This report is based on a survey conducted for National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The purpose of this survey was to understand the current views and experiences of rural Americans on economic and health issues.
Rural Renewal: Using Best Practices to Stay Competitive. In this blog post for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Michel Freedman, founder and CEO of Practical Academics, shares reflections on economic development issues and opportunities that rural communities face.
Smithsonian to rural regions: Your wealth is in your culture. Over the next several years, the Smithsonian will bring its “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” traveling exhibit to 165 rural communities in 28 states. The exhibit aims to build local placemaking through focus on local history and community spirit. More info.
$2.9 Million Gift Paves Way for Innovative Rural Entrepreneurial Program. Casey’s General Stores founder Don Lamberti donated funding to found the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at Buena Vista University in Iowa. The program will offer educational opportunities to students and resources for local businesses with a focus on rural areas. More info.
Events
Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations
Hosted by the Kansas Association of Community Foundations. Don Macke, along with Imagene Harris, Network Kansas and Tim Penny, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, will present "The Community Foundation and Entrepreneurship Connection," Oct. 27-29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The National Rural Economic Developers Association annual conference is Nov. 6-9, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. Don Macke is presenting at the conference.
