The following column is provided by Fulton Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Michael Ladd:
Two weeks ago, 26 Fulton County businesses and citizens gathered in the learning center in Rochester for a two-day training session on community development and engagement principles as part of the Rural Empowerment and Development (RED) program.
Fulton County is one of four counties to participate in the RED program, a capacity-building and planning initiative created by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University. RED is intended to support selected communities in a countywide planning processes. Cass, Huntington and Orange counties also were selected to participate in the program. Fulton County was the second of the four to conduct its two-day session.
Based on input from the training sessions, the Indiana Communities Institute will help develop an engagement plan that the group will use over the next six months to collect data, which in turn will help to identify and direct the future steps of the remainder of the program. Presenters explained the plan will help Fulton County’s community members focus on engaging others to learn what kind of community they want to see and how to improve what is already here. In other words, build a new future for Fulton County.
Our RED group has named itself Your Future Fulton County. Its goal is to foster coordination and collaboration across our local communities with the object of making our counties better at solving their individual and collective problems.
In the coming weeks, as more information is synthesized and released, I will pass that information along.
To learn more about the RED program, visit www.in.gov/ocra/red/.
Lawrence County (ILL.) burn ban temporarily lifted
City of St. Francisville cracking down on junk in yards and alleys and tall grass
Two Lawrence County men in custody after burglary investigation
Bridgeport Police make arrest in school threat incident
City of Bridgeport continues bridge and infrastructure repairs
Gov. Braun extends tax filing deadline for Hoosiers impacted by August storms
Lawrence County issues burn ban
Lawrence County Veterans Commission moving forward
Governor Braun delivers another month of gas savings for Hoosier families
Find a cooling center near you with Indiana 211
LAFPD Trustee position open
Statewide standards for E-bikes, E-motos and other electric devices protect riders, pedestrians and motorists
Lawrenceville city election petitions now available
Puntney named as new chairman of LCMH Board
USDA offers disaster assistance to Ag producers in Indiana impacted by recent flooding
Two Lawrence County 4-H members are project state champions
Indiana man dies after weekend motorcycle accident; injuries reported in another in Lawrence County (Ill.)
Lawrence County man sentenced on federal meth charges
Heat Advisory in effect for southeastern Illinois
