Archive for June 27th, 2008

Silver Tower Park Update

Friday, June 27th, 2008

While things at the park site don’t look appreciably different, there is notable progress.

In the first phase of park creation, the picnic table locations and the lower trails have been laid out, excavated, smoothed and weed fabric and gravel have been placed.  The next step is to have old road millings placed on the trails and picnic table pads.  The picnic tables are in storage waiting to be put to use and they look fantastic.

The Community Development Board, in keeping with the Horizon’s goals and objectives, always looks for ways to partner with organizations and bring additional resources to projects.  The Board recognizes that every penny and every ounce of effort needs to be leveraged to the fullest degree possible to make things possible in our small town. 

Since it has been awhile since progress on the park was last reported on, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the Silver Tower Park is a partnership, led by our young people in the Whitehall High School’s Interact Club which is affiliated with the Rotary Club.  Also partnering on the project are the Town of Whitehall Parks Trees, and Cemetery Board, the Whitehall Veterans, the Whitehall Alternative School, the Whitehall Booster Club and the Garden Club. 

In addition to some Horizon’s grant money that used for the purchase of the picnic tables, the Whitehall Booster Club stepped up to the plate and assisted with funding for the Whitehall High School Sign, a much needed addition to the town.  The Garden Club is allocating some grant money they received to assist with native plantings once the ground is ready.  The Veterans will be financing a portion of the park and providing some labor where there will be flags placed.  The Town of Whitehall, who not only allowed the use of the land but will supply the necessary water and electricity (if needed), is assisting with the millings, gravel, etc.  The Interact Club and the Alternative School has supplied plenty of labor and funding.  Terry Reed (Four Seasons Construction) and Calvin Johnson (Johnson Custom Fencing) have assisted with providing equipment and skilled operation of the equipment, Chris Wagner of Wagner Nursery has provided expertise, a sketch of the park and recommended plantings.  Many members of the community have volunteered their time, equipment, knowledge and sturdy backs to the effort.  It is truly a community project in every sense of the word. 

Hang in there everyone.  The park will continue to take shape.  If anyone wants more information or would like to volunteer to help at the site, just post a comment or attend a Community Development Board meeting.  There is always something that needs doing. 

PS  If I have forgotten to name anyone who has assisted, I apologize.  It is not intentional I can assure you.  Let me know who I have missed so I can make certain that no person’s contribution goes unnoticed or unrecognized.

Posted in 02. Poverty: Skills and Mobilizing, 03. Poverty: Action, 06. Leadership: Skills and Mobilizing, 07. Leadership: Action, 10. Community: Skills and Mobilizing, 11. Community: Action | 1 Comment »

Community Progress on Poverty, Leadership and Community

Friday, June 27th, 2008

As we reach the end of another phase of the Horizons process that has been focused on capacity building, it is time to evaluate our community’s progress on stated desired outcomes of the Horizon’s project. It has been a busy and interesting process. Sometimes visible progress seems slow in materializing. However, many, many people have been working very hard and though it may not always be readily apparent, Whitehall is making headway.

The Community Development Board is evaluating our progress based on the following:

 

Poverty

Leadership

Community

Building Knowledge and Awareness

 1. Building knowledge and awareness about poverty

In what ways has this community’s knowledge about poverty changed?What evidence do you have of this?

Are more community members talking about poverty?

What kind of difference does it make if people in your community better understand the causes of poverty?

Do you see any evidence that the community understands how public policy (local, state, national) can affect poverty?

 5. Building knowledge and awareness about leadership

In what ways has your community’s knowledge about leadership changed? How do you know?

Do community members see leadership as an individual or a community issue? How does it differ?

Is there any evidence that more people in the community feel like they can be or are leaders?

How would your community be different if more people think they have a role to play in community leadership?

 9. Building knowledge and awareness about community

In what ways is your community more aware of its strengths or assets?

What evidence do you have that people are more aware of all of the diverse people who live in your community?

What difference, if any, does that make?

Have you learned anything about nearby communities like yours? About resources that your community can take advantage of? What difference does that make?

Building Skills and Mobilizing

 2. Building skills and mobilizing around poverty

What evidence do you have that people in the community feel like they can do something to reduce poverty?

In what ways have community members made a commitment to reduce poverty?

How does the community plan to make sure the entire community supports its plans and actions to reduce poverty?

In what ways are community members working to assure low income people are involved in a poverty reduction planning and activities?

What partnerships has your community made to support its work on poverty reduction?

 6. Building skills and mobilizing around leadership

What changes are you seeing in the way community leadership is exercised or carried out? How is it different?

How has your community changed after LeadershipPlenty® training?

In what ways have leadership skills been improved/enhanced? What is different?

What changes are you seeing in the way leadership is carried out? How decisions get made in your community?

What difference does the involvement of low income people make in community leadership?

 10. Building skills and mobilizing around community

How has your community changed since joining Horizons?

Is your community more hopeful about the future? How do you know?

What evidence do you have that community members see poverty as a community issue?

Are more people involved in creating ideas, plans and taking actions on behalf of the community? What difference does this make?

What new partnerships have been created (within your community, or between your community and others)?

Taking Action

 3. Taking action on poverty

What kinds of concrete steps are being taken by your community to address poverty?

How did your community make choices about the actions most likely to have an impact on poverty? How are low income involved?

How does your plan for poverty reduction link with existing leaders, groups and organizations?

What other partnership will help your community carry out its poverty reduction plan?

 7. Taking action on leadership

How has your community leadership expanded?

What changes have been made in who is now involved in leadership positions?

  • Are more people participating in leadership?
  • Are different kinds of people (representing more sectors or parts of the community) now participating in community leadership?
  • Does the community leadership reflect the community’s demographic profile?
  • Are more low income people participating in community leadership?

What changes have been made in the way your community recruits and trains new leaders? Sustains existing leaders?

 11. Taking action on community

In what ways is your community operating or working differently?

In what new or expanded ways are people contributing to your community?

How are low income involved?

What structures have been created or changed that will help your community?

What new partnerships have been created, and what difference have they made for your community?

Have you learned anything about how nearby communities like yours are taking action to reduce poverty? Do you see any opportunities to exchange information or combine efforts in this work?

Sustaining Action/Creating Structural Change

 4. Sustaining action and creating structural change around poverty

What structures have been changed that will enable your community to address poverty in the long-term?

How will you monitor and evaluate your community’s progress in reducing poverty?

What community resources will be needed to sustain the community plan to reduce poverty?

What additional resources would make a difference in your community’s work to reduce poverty?

 8. Sustaining action and creating structural change around leadership

What is your community’s plan for maintaining a strong community leadership system?

How can your community sustain the changes it has already made in its leadership?

What structural changes have been made in how the community does its work/makes decisions?

What structural changes have been made so that your community leadership sustains partnerships with others?

 12. Sustaining action and creating structural change around community

How will your community make decisions about seeking further resources to support its plans?

Is a system in place to seek, receive, monitor and report on new resources to support community work?

Is a system in place to maintain contact with, or to continue to work with other communities?With your Delivery Organization? In other partnerships?

What new resources have been secured to assist the work of the community?

Posted in 01. Poverty: Knowledge and Awareness, 02. Poverty: Skills and Mobilizing, 03. Poverty: Action, 04. Poverty: Structural Change, 05. Leadership: Knowledge and Awareness, 06. Leadership: Skills and Mobilizing, 07. Leadership: Action, 08. Leadership: Structural Change, 09. Community: Knowledge and Awareness, 10. Community: Skills and Mobilizing, 11. Community: Action, 12. Community: Structural Change | No Comments »