Montrose, SD

The title Grassroots and Groundwork was extremely appropriate for a conference Charla and I attended in Minneapolis May 28-30. The three-day conference, put on by the Northwest Area Foundation, focused on how we, as individuals and working together in our communities and organizations, can lay the groundwork for reducing poverty. Making a difference in poverty starts with the grassroots, at our level.

Charla and I were part of a large South Dakota delegation.  You can see all of us in the photo, thanks to Martha, who wanted our picture taken. South Dakotans came from Horizons communities and those in South Dakota Extension working with the Horizons program. We interacted with people from North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Minnesota, Idaho and Washington–states covered by the Northwest Area Foundation.

Keynote speakers were excellent and inspiring. Donna Beegle put a different face to poverty. The daughter of migrant farmers, this woman was immersed in poverty most of her life. Finally, at age 25, as a high-school dropout and single mother with no job skills, she bravely took the first step toward breaking her cycle of generational poverty. Today she has her doctorate in educational leadership and works to improve communciation and relationships across race, class, gender and generational barriers. She is also founder and CEO of PovertyBridge, a nonprofit dedicated to changing lives for people in poverty. I was so inspired, I purchased her book “See Poverty. Be the Difference”. If anyone would like to read it, you can certainly borrow it.

Chip Heath from Stanford University is well known for his “How to Make Ideas Stick”course and book that explain why certain ideas survive and prosper–or ’stick’–in society. For all of us at the conference, it makes us think about how we can get people to think differently about poverty. What will it take to make society realize we must be willing to take care of the least among us. What will get these ideas to ’stick’. Charla and I both got a copy of his book at registration–and it looks very interesting. Again, if someone would like to borrow it, please let me know.

We heard a panel of experts discuss what difficult steps we must take to make a real dent in poverty. And our final speaker was Thomas Vilsack. Former governor of Iowa, Vilsack ranas a candidate for the U.S. Presidency until announcing his withdrawal from the race in February 2007. His was a very inspirational message–telling us we must make people really see, taste, feel and smell what poverty is like.

In between speakers, we participated in numerous break-out sessions–hearing specific examples of what people are doing in different states to make a positive difference in reducing poverty–and getting ideas that we can hopefully bring back to Montrose or utilize someway in our lives. These break-out sessions included how to utilize our community’s social capital, tapping into our community’s strengths, advocacy strategies for financial justice, realizing human rights,  acting to end hunger: 40 ways to make a difference..

I walked away from the conference with a better understanding of how we often misunderstand poverty and those who live it, and how as a great nation we must take care of the least among us. Perhaps most important, a lot of people left the conference inspired to come home and make a difference. If anyone would like to find out more, please comment and let’s start a conversation!!

Thanks to the Northwest Area Foundation for covering our expenses to the conference. As I got ready to leave for Minneapolis, all I could think about was the time it would take and what I wasn’t going to get done in terms of my job or at home. But once I got there, I realized this is where the important work is being done–and the rest would wait until I got home! It was well worth the time.

Talk about the future of Montrose, just read these blogs from our 5th graders. I am so very proud of our young people, this is the reason we should all try and do everything we can to improve our community. We need to develop opportunities to allow these young men and women to stay here and become active members of the community. They have great ideas and need an outlet to express them, As possible Mayor of Montrose I intend to sit with them and garner there ideas and perhaps bring some of then into being. We need to get the entire community on board and listen to them and feed off their energy and improve conditions for the whole community. Not everyone reads these blogs, but, somehow everyone must be made aware of them and that we need their help if we want to grow. I would like to see comments. Tony

Someone recently posed a question to me concerning if my becoming a member of Horizons had anything to do with my running for the office of Mayor of Montrose, after thinking about it, I found that being a Horizon member had played a very large part in my running for office. I considered that being in a position of trust, with help from the the community we could make our town a better place for all. This community has a very great story to tell and we as members need to work together to keep our community vibrant and keep our young people from leaving, we can only accomplish this by forgetting the sometime pettiness of things that bother us and start thinking of how things were, how things are now, and how we want Montrose to become in the future. Montrose is a fine community to live in and raise a family, we have a very fine school, swimming pool, daycare center, parks, RV park, we have much to offer and now we must get the word out. WE ARE MONTROSE ON THE MOVE

     It’s always exciting to see progress, and our monthly Horizons’ Meeting is a good place to get updates on what’s happening in our various committees. Not every committee is represented at each meeting, but we had good attendance March 12.

     Here are some highlights of what’s happening to help make Montrose an even better place to live for everyone:

Biking Trail Committee: not much can be done until the ground thaws (it will thaw eventually!), but Ryan Holman reported that concrete, rather than asphalt, will probably be the surface of choice. Plans are still ongoing to begin working on the bike trail which will be placed around the park and by the river this spring and summer. This bike trail will be a wonderful addition–providing a safe and attractive place for children, adults and families to bike. And biking is one excercise that is available to all ages and incomes. This committee will be more than happy to have willing workers when the hard work begins. If you’re looking for some great excercise with a shovel, give Bob Erickson or Ryan Holman a call.

Landscaping Committee: JoAnn Thompson announced that some earlier plans to improve landscaping around the Montrose sign on Highway 38 needed to be scaled back due to regulations of the South Dakota Highway Department. However, this committee will still be beautifying the area with plants. If anyone in the community has plants to donate–like day lilies, small shrubs, and other perrenials, contact JoAnn. Let’s help make our welcome sign to Montrose one that will make lots of people want to stop and discover what a wonderful community we are!

City Clean-Up Committee–OK. Get your work gloves and old jeans ready. Clean-up Day for Montrose will be May 5, the first Saturday in May. We’ve had the Clean-up Day in the past, but we’d like to see it involve even more people. We need volunteers to help pick up trash and items that people in the community want to disgard. In fact, this would be a great project for church youth groups, 4-H groups, etc. The City will provide trash bags and lunch! And what a great way to meet your neighbors and make your community a more attractive place. Call Bob Erickson for more info, and watch for more details as the date approaches.

Community Garden Committee–According to the calendar, spring is here. And that means it’s time to start at least thinking about the Community Garden. The garden this year will be in town–making it much easier for those who want to have their own plot in the garden, or for the many who come out to plant, weed and harvest the fruits of their labor. The spot is east of the elevator, and thanks to Bob Erickson, it’s already been worked up. Watch for more info as weather improves. This was a great project last year, providing fresh produce for those in our community–and an opportunity for many to work together for a great cause. Now, get ready to watch things grow!

Montrose Beautification Committee–Keep your eyes open for improvements coming in the vacant area between the Irish Pub and Security State Bank. JoAnn Thompson reported that plans are underway for the area, which would include grass, some attractive pavers, plants, and benches for people to come  sit and relax. It would be something everyone in our community could enjoy.

Development Committee–There is land close to the Interstate that is available for the City of Montrose to develop. Carey Grosdidier and Dale Johnston reported that their committee had met and discussed the possibility of using that land for a home development. Another idea–could the Community Garden eventually provide a farmer’s market type attraction to Montrose?

Marketing Montrose/Resource Book/Publicize Montrose–Is there a way we can develop an attractive, easy-to-maintain web site for the City of Montrose? Carey will be checking into some possibilities. This committee will also be looking at how we can keep the Montrose Resource Book current. This book lets our residents know which resources are available right here in Montrose!

Community Foundation Committee–some members of this committee attended an information meeting awhile ago put on by Horizons. The committee is still researching the possibility of initiating a Montrose Foundation.

Ice Skate Rink Committee–Carey Grosdidier said that temperatures aren’t very warm yet, but it’s been warm enough to melt the ice rink. It was a great first year for the rink, and next year the committee plans to have it lit for night-time skating. With free ice skate rental available, this was a great way to give our youth a healthy activity this past winter.

Skate Park Committee–Amy Condon said that the committee is still researching the possibility of a grant to help build a skate park for youth of our community. They will be checking into skate parks in other smaller South Dakota communities.

Community Education Committee–Rani Reynolds, Kandi World Turner and Connie Smith will be putting together a flyer asking community residents what types of classes would interest them. They plan to distribute the flyers–and garner input–from the Meals on Wheels crowd, through the community’s churches,  school, and Montrose Herald newspaper. Classes could include things like “Cooking with Diabetes”, “How to Can Fresh Vegetables”, or “Finding Your Way Around the Computer”. The classes could also include fun things like “Basics of Knitting”, “Understanding the Native American PowWow”, or “Learning to Golf.” They will also be looking for people in our community who can share their talents, skills and knowledge by teaching a course. Watch for more information, and call Rani, Kandi, or Connie if you’ve got ideas for a class.

Spud Fest Celebration Committee–the Spud Fest Committee has been meeting to prepare for this 2nd Annual Community Celebration scheduled for August 23. Mark your calendars now for the fun event. Charla Cope is already getting ready to plant the potatoes for the big event!

     Committees will be reporting again at our next meeting on Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. at the Community Room. Why not come and get the information first hand.

Well day 1 of training is come and gone. Today was about how we should think outside the box. Start getting our young people thinking about how they could contribute to their communities. The youth of our communities are our secret weapon,get them involved and start to organize themselves and they will provide much needed ideas. The whole idea of HTC is based on 4 pillars these are Entrepreneurship, Transfer of Wealth, Youth and Leadership. Establishing an Entrepreneurial Development System or EDS. This system approach gets results by investing in people who have ideas. True entrepreneurs have ability to assemble a team and get people motivated. Tomorrow we will go into detail concerning the 4 pillars. Go Montrose………Tony

These wonderful letters from fifth grade students are shining examples of how young people see Montrose. Now we know why so many residents are getting involved through Horizons and other avenues to make Montrose the best community it can be. Good job Kiddos. And thank you, Ms. Jandl, for giving your students the blogging assignment. What a great way to show community pride. It is evident that Montrose is “On The Move”. I believe you have some future Montrose leaders in the making.

It was great to see a large group of Montrose community members show up Tuesday, January 15 for our first monthly Horizons’ ‘Progress Report’ meeting at the Community Center. We even had brand new faces–people wanting to know more about what’s happening in our community and how they might become involved.

As Martha Landes, our Horizons Community Coordinator, ticked off the various goals and committees, it was exciting to hear many of the committee members reporting that progress is truly underway. Even in the midst of the holiday season, people were beginning to make positive things happen. And, after the general meeting, various committees were setting dates when they will meet again and take more steps forward in our attempt to reduce poverty and increase opportunities for everyone in our community.

We’ll be reporting on some of the things that are underway, so keep checking into our blog and find out what’s happening.

OK. All excuses are used up. Christmas is over. We’ve celebrated the New Years. It’s time to get back to work. That’s certainly true in our everyday jobs. It’s also true with our Horizons’ program.

Our Horizons’ Coordinator, Martha Landes will be in Montrose on Tuesday night at the Community Center. (That is, if we can get her out of her ice skates and off the ice rink in town!) We’ll be sitting down with her and others involved in various committees formed during our Celebration Event way back on December 2. It will be time to see what’s been done to date. If you’re like me, it’s been hard to get much done on Horizons programs during the past month. But, some of you have been busy. The ice rink is just one example.

So, don’t feel bad if you just haven’t had time to schedule that meeting, or call others on your committee, etc. But now it’s time to get in gear. We’ve got too many great ideas to let up. Feel free to come to the update meeting on Tuesday night. Find out what’s been done and what’s going to be done. And, if you’re not already on a committee, we can always use an extra hand or two!

I finally did it! I got a copy of the Montrose Vision Plan on this blog. It should have been here long ago. No excuse except for busy work and holiday schedule. But I’ve placed it on its own page. Just go to Montrose Vision Plan and hit the link. It will take you to the word document.

If you’ve been active in Horizons, or attended our Celebration Event December 2, you received a copy of the Vision Plan. If you weren’t able to join us, you can read over the document. You’ll find a brief introduction about how we developed the plan, a survey of 60-plus residents that helped direct the plan, and our four major goals. Under each goal, you’ll find a list of objectives and suggested implementation steps. If you aren’t familiar with the plan, please go to that page (over in the top right-hand panel) and read through it. If you’d like a hard copy to have in your home, we have plenty to share. In fact, we want them in your hands! Stop in at the General Store and ask for one.

It’s been great to have some new faces–and new ideas–attending our strategic planning meetings. We need their input and fresh perspective. An example, Betty G. came and provided great input from the perspective of the school board. She also shared her passion for establishing a Montrose Community Foundation. That’s a wonderful idea that had not yet been shared. Kandi W. has information on possible funding assistance for a skate park. We’ll need that as we put down specific implementation steps for our community plan. And we had young people come to share their ideas of what they’d like to see in our community, and voice some of their concerns. We’re pleased that Horizons has provided a forum to share those dreams. Our next step is to come up with practical ways to implement them. Again, a thank you to everyone who is taking the time to contribute to this effort.