Meetings to shed light on poverty

By Steve Miller, Journal Staff Writer | Tuesday, September 05, 2006

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The South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service will have eight "Spotlight" meetings as part of an effort to reduce poverty in small towns.

The Spotlight meetings are an introduction to the effort, funded by a two-year grant from the Northwest Area Foundation, to develop community leaders and other resources to reduce poverty, according to Kari Fruechte, SDSU Extension's project director for the program.

SDSU Extension began working with community development in 2004 with the assistance of a Northwest Area Foundation grant that emphasized developing local leaders in Timber Lake, Isabel and Dupree.

Communities involved in the new round of the program must have fewer than 5,000 residents and a poverty rate of greater than 10 percent as of the 2000 census, Fruechte said.

SDSU Extension may work with as many as 25 communities throughout the state, Fruechte said. The size of the grant depends on the number of communities selected. If 25 towns are selected, the grant would total $1.7 million.

Dates and locations of Spotlights are:

- Monday, Sept. 11 - Hot Springs, Mueller Center.

- Tuesday, Sept. 12 - Belle Fourche, American West Steakhouse.

- Wednesday, Sept. 13 - Philip School.

- Tuesday, Sept. 26 - Webster, St. John's Lutheran Church.

- Wednesday, Sept. 27 - DeSmet, Kingsbury County 4-H Building.

- Thursday, Sept. 28 - Kyle, Oglala Lakota College.

- Tuesday, Oct. 3 - Chamberlain, Oacoma Community Center.

- Wednesday, Oct. 4 - Marty Indian School, Marty.

These regional events will be free and open to the public. Each meeting begins at 4 p.m. local time and concludes at 9 p.m. Supper will be served.

The sessions will give community members a chance to preview resources for leadership and poverty reduction that communities will use during the two years of the grant, Fruechte said. Communities that qualify and are interested can also begin the application process at the Spotlight events.

Communities are invited to send as many representatives as possible, but at least five people must attend in order to apply for the grant, she said.

Fruechte said much of the grant money will go toward training leaders and hosting community meetings.

At the end of the process, direct grants of $2,000 to $10,000 are available to communities to use as they see fit to reduce poverty, she said. They can use the money for such efforts as recruiting a business, grant-writing workshops and community-cleanup projects.

Those who plan to attend are asked to pre-register so organizers can get an accurate meal count. Contact Debbie Bortnem at 688-5131 or bortnem.debbie@ces.sdstate.edu to reserve a space.

For more information about the grant, contact Kari Fruechte at 688-4946, or fruechte.kari@ces.sdstate.edu. West River area residents may also call Dan Oedekoven at the West River Ag Center in Rapid City at 394-2236.