From: Lynn Kasma

RE: Your Grant Status: State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant

We got the grant below to help us out with the Horizons project!  See you on Feb 11 at the Horizons meeting.

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant
Congratulations! Youth Service America (YSA) has selected you as a State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant winner. As one of 100 grant winners, you were chosen from applicants across the United States for your leadership and commitment to engage youth in service-learning. We are excited that youth will address important issues in your community, implementing unique service-learning projects that engage public officials, the media, and youth of all abilities.

The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant is administered by Youth Service America and funded by State Farm. This grant, of up to $1,000 helps underwrite youth service projects for Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) in the U.S. on April 25-27, 2008. GYSD, the largest service event in the world, is a public awareness and education campaign that highlights the amazing contributions that young people make to their communities 365 days a year.   On GYSD, young people will design and lead service-learning projects in areas ranging from literacy and the environment, to healthcare, hunger, and help for the elderly.

The goals of Global Youth Service Day are:
To MOBILIZE youth to identify and address the needs of their communities through service.
To SUPPORT youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement.
To EDUCATE the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders

We thank you for your hard work and dedication, and we offer our sincere congratulations.

Yours in Service,
Steven A. Culbertson
President & CEO Youth Service America
1101 15th St, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
www.YSA.org

As reported by Sonja Kosler in the Perham Enterprise Bulletin Published Wednesday, January 30, 2008

 On Tuesday, Feb 5 the grassroots political process of Minnesota will be in full force in Otter Tail County.

For the full story and listing of caucus locations, please follow this link:

http://www.perhameb.com/articles/index.cfm?id=8506§ion=news

Volunteerism committee (Connie W and Victoria C) met on Tuesday 1-15-08 to discuss next steps.  We will begin compiling a list of organizations serving the New York Mills area.  This list will be as inclusive as possible and will include Org Name, Org Mission, Officer/Main Contact, Regular Sch Meetings, and type of support or programs they offer for community members. 

The VS will create a short form that can be filled out with a quick phone call and then we will compile the information in a brochure for distribution at sites throughout the city.  The information will also be included as a separate page on the NYM community blog. 

January 21, 2008, the day honoring Dr. King’s legacy is fast approaching.  Dr. King’s legacy is one of service to others “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve!”  This philosophy ties in well with the Horizon program mission to use local resources to eliminate poverty.  Together we can all make a difference and improve the lives of people living in our communities by supporting each other and building upon what we already have! 

Girl Scout troop 30408 is serving that day by serving lunches at the NYM Senior Citizen Center, and reading and singing and sharing with the residents at the Elders Homes.  I volunteer at Share House on occasion to help the residents with their babysitting needs to attend support groups.  Service comes in many shapes and forms, so pick something you love and share it, or pick something that concerns you and do something about it! 

On Monday, January 21, 2008, HONOR THE DREAM, MAKE IT A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF. 

Last night 20 community members got together to decide how to work towards the Vision that was created on Oct 27.  After some lively discussion and debate on how to organize the elements within the Vision, 4 Teams or Squads were developed to address action issues.

1. Economy - Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and Established Business support

2. Volunteerism - Unifying current volunteer efforts,   engaging more volunteers from the young and the young at heart, and mentoring

3. Leadership - Locating, training and mentoring visionary leaders for NYM’s future

4. Quality of Life - Outdoor Rec, Culture and Arts and other issues impacting quality of life

Any of these 4 areas spark your interest?  If so, join in you can play a vital role in creating the plan that makes the NYM Vision a reality.  So choose a Squad and get active!  Stay tuned for Future Squad meeting details.

On Saturday, October 27, over 60 community members worked together to create vision for the future of our community. Looking 10-15 years out, this is what we came up with:

New York Mills is a special community that has developed a unique economy which encompasses culture and arts, outdoor recreation, and the tradition of agriculture. Farmers markets and buying local provide an opportunity to support our young entrepreneurs, our neighbors, and in turn sustain our community and ourselves. New York Mills is a welcoming place for everyone from the young to the young at heart.

Our heritage of cooperation is strong in our collective spirit. Our traditional values nurture strong volunteerism. The involvement of youth is seen in every aspect of the community. We have a collaborative, close-knit and supportive community culture that is underpinned by visionary leadership.

Share your thoughts with us!

1. Take a survey. It is only 7 questions and will help us reach the 15% benchmark:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2_2f4_2bvFKcTfr5arUadbhbiw_3d_3d

2. Come join the action. Our next meeting will be: Tuesday, November 13 at 6 pm at the NY Mills School Media Lab. Free dinner will be provided.

Together we can make a difference!

Submitted by Todd Cameron.

When it comes to creating a thriving community, community members themselves are the key to success. Over the past six months, many citizens in the community have participated in the Horizons Program. What is Horizons? Horizons is a community-based initiative sponsored and supported by the University of Minnesota Extension Service. The program happens in five phases.
•Showcase – A one day overview of the program.
•Study Circles – Groups of citizens that discussed poverty and a plan for community action.
•LeadershipPlenty – Community members received nine sessions of leadership training.
•Strategic Visioning – Neighbors and community members will come together to prioritize the next steps.
•Action – With help from Horizons, vision will become reality.

COMMUNITY/STRATEGIC VISIONING
When: Saturday, October 27, 2007
Where: NYM Public School
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 pm – Free Meal
6:00 pm Horizons Program - Auditorium
Purpose: Community Visioning
Note: NYM Jazz Band will be performing during the meal.

University of Minnesota Extension Service through the Horizons program have invited motivational speaker Mr. David Beurle all the way from Australia to make a presentation on community leadership and to lead New York Mills in a community visioning session on Saturday, October 26th. Mr. Buerle provides hands-on services and approaches, from community economic development projects, to speaking engagements, entrepreneurial development, and leadership programs.

David holds a firm conviction that the future of rural and regional areas, lies in the hands of the local people. He created Innovative Leadership Australia, with the mission of bringing the tools and skills to the people who care the most - the people who choose to make rural towns, centers and regions their home. He has a passion for rural life; having been raised on a farm and having worked all his life in, and with, rural communities. His career has covered a wide range of experiences - from working for many years in the remotest parts of northern Australia, where cattle ranches are often over 1 million acres; to working at the highest levels of Government, with 8 years as the ‘right-hand man’ to a senior Australian Cabinet Minster; the WA Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. This also included a short diversion as the producer of a pilot TV series that explored and showcased innovation in rural areas.
David’s experience covers a similar breadth; from working on the ground with farmers and Aboriginal communities; to building international trade relations and strategic alliances between Australian farmers and their markets in Egypt, China, India and Europe.

For more information you can Todd Cameron at the New York Mills Public School (385-4201).

Thank you to everyone who turned out last night for the bloggers training in NYM. You have such passion and momentum, I can’t wait to start reading your blog. Indeed some of you are already hooked. Check out Victoria’s page. For those of you who would like to blog NYM Horizons Happenings, you too can chime in! Send an email to Lori at: roths040@umn.edu and I’ll let you know how you can get involved.