In the recently released 2013 Rural Pulse survey, it was found that 76 percent of rural Minnesotans thought today’s economy was worse or the same as compared to one year ago. The need to attract new, high-quality jobs continues to be a key concern, over twice as important as education. This concern was evident in the …
Hunger is intangible. You can’t see, hear or touch it, but it’s all around us. Yesterday, members of Blandin Foundation’s Board of Trustees learned how hunger can impact the health and vitality of a community while touring Second Harvest North Central Food Bank in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. During the visit, Board members learned that 40% …
What does Gloria Estefan, pianist Michael Feinstein, singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Deer River High School Choir have in common? The answer: a passion for music and the technology to bring them together. On May 22, 2013, the 3rd annual Bridging the Gap Concert kicked off with a performance by Emerson Middle School in Los Angeles, …
For more than a century, ownership of American Indian land in the United States has been sliced and slivered. The Dawes Act of 1887 divided Indian land among tribal members. Today, when a tribal land owner dies, the title is divided up amongst heirs, but the land itself is not physically divided. This practice has …
Yesterday’s ICC Career Fair gave about 1,500 junior and senior high school students from Itasca area schools a chance to get up close to the tools of the trade in their favorite career choices. Professionals from various fields were available to answer questions and provide interactive and hands-on activities for participants. Students also could practice their …
They say everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame — and today it’s the Itasca Area School Collaborative‘s turn. The seven-district consortium’s $1 million federal RUS grant to bring telepresence to 20-plus schools was featured in an MSNBC article about the changing landscape of technology in America’s schools. While the story may bring 15 minutes …
Helping rural communities make the most of broadband takes work on many fronts. Communities across rural Minnesota are successfully tackling various facets of that work as part of the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) project. Community leaders have been focusing their efforts on reducing barriers and encouraging online ventures, and their work is bearing fruit. …
Chances are, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke wasn’t visualizing a rural county in northern Minnesota when he spoke last Wednesday to the Citizens Budget Commission of New York City. He was just leveraging this 40,000-resident community’s research and experiences.
A recent blog post at Daily Yonder, Grants for Rural Development in Decline, is a treasure-trove of data related to rural-focused grantmaking – and a good discussion of the challenges rural grant-makers face. While lamenting the dearth of grants made by large, national foundations, author Rick Cohen acknowledges the ongoing commitment to rural by regional …
Local grants support education, early childhood, housing and economic development.