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Does your town have 'heart & soul'?

The Orton Family Foundation is inviting communities of fewer than 50,000 people in four New England states (New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts,
and Vermont) and four Rocky Mountain states (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) to apply for grants of up to $100,000 to help fund planning initiatives that reflect the town's "heart and soul." Two communities from each region will be chosen.

From the Orton website:

The Orton Family Foundation helps citizens and leaders of small cities and towns identify and express their community’s heart and soul—those attributes citizens hold dear and that connect individuals to one another and to the community as a whole. When they are fully understood, these heart and soul attributes can be used to shape and drive decisions that protect and enhance local character and values even as change occurs.

According to a FAQ that accompanies the foundation's request for proposals, planning projects will include "an open, in-depth listening and visioning process characterized by broad, direct citizen engagement." Find out if your community fits the profile by reading the RFP here and the FAQ here. The application deadline is March 3, 2008.

Leaders speak at key conferences

The Study Circles Resource Center is changing its name to Everyday Democracy. Four of our staff people are speaking this week at conferences where people are learning and sharing what it means to engage wholeheartedly in their communities - and in democracy - every day.

Patrick Scully, our deputy director, is at the Rural Community Conference in Billings, Montana, where the theme is "Creating Community by Design, Not by Default." Pat spoke this morning about how communities come together for action-oriented dialogue and change.

Martha McCoy, our executive director, will be the keynote speaker at the Tri-State Diversity Conference for Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky in Clarksville, Indiana. Martha's talk Thursday morning will be on "Bringing Diversity to Life: What Works (and Doesn't) in Real Communities." In the afternoon, senior program director Sally Campbell and senior associate Gwen Whiting will lead a session on "Every Voice Matters: Creating Diverse Public Dialogue for Change."

Did you attend either conference? Use the comments below to reflect on what you learned and what you plan to put into practice. Also, take time now to mark your calendar for our own national meeting on "Making Every Voice Matter," set June 12-14 in Denver, Colorado.

Working to make poverty history

In the United States, the wealthiest country in the world, 36 million Americans live in poverty - earning less than $20,650 for a family of four in 2007. Another one in six Americans struggle to make ends meet on incomes between 100% and 200% of poverty ( $20,650 to about $40,000 for a family of four). More than 12 million American children grow up in impoverished homes. When compared with 20 other wealthy nation on measures of health, safety and relative poverty, America's children fare amongst the worst. We can do better, and we should do better.
- Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

Three stories from a land of abundance (and need) ...

Sean Aiken is a 26-year-old Canadian college grad with a business degree, but he's not yet sure what he wants to do with the rest of his life. So rather than take just any position and hope for the best, Aiken is accepting a new job each week for 52 weeks, working his way around North America. He doesn't want to be paid; instead, he requests that his short-term employers make a donation to the Make Poverty History campaign. He's raised $14,281.60 so far.

Sixteen people are seeking the U.S. presidency in 2008. The new Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity website (a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Eos Foundation) gives them all an opportunity to say what they'd do to address poverty in America. Click here to watch their videos and read written their statements. The site also has state-by-state poverty data from the Casey Foundation's most recent Kids Count surveys, news and commentary from the presidential campaign, plus links to research and resources.

The Northwest Area Foundation is reporting strong momentum for its Horizons program to reduce poverty and boost economic development in about 160 small communities across the Upper Midwest, Great Plains, and Northwest. The Study Circles Resource Center is a partner in this effort; earlier this year, SCRC staff and associates trained facilitators to lead community conversations about poverty. Communities are now working to create new vision statements and action plans, many of which are already under way. Read stories about how communities in Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota are using Horizons to move from poverty to prosperity.

Our next DemocracySpace water cooler event will focus on community organizing to end poverty. If you are already doing work on this topic or are eager to start, please plan to join us at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 13. In the meantime, click here to read more about other ways in which SCRC (soon to be renamed Everyday Democracy) helps communities find ways to thrive.

All of us at the Study Circles Resource Center wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the long weekend, and watch for the next post here at DemocracySpace on Monday, November 26.