May 15, 2008

Ritzville Horizons Meeting Notes
DRAFT
May 15, 2008
Ritzville City Hall

Participants:
Debbie Chapman Ann Olson
Dorothy Grove Monica Babine

After introductions we discussed why each member got involved in Horizons, who they want Horizons to help, and what they are hoping to do or accomplish during the program. For each member, initial involvement was at the request of another local leader. A community “win” – successfully completing Horizons – was discussed as an important need in the community. The conversation also included hopes for employment (good jobs and good employees), leadership training, community development, and improving the community attitude (from negative to positive).

We reviewed Horizons efforts to-date and in some cases learned about activities not previously known to the whole team. We did discuss some of the challenges of the program (i.e., order of program elements, confusion over survey zip codes, visioning session). No one had seen the interim strategic plan until just recently and felt communication seemed to have dropped off along the way. The conversation also noted the portions of the program that seemed most successful and/or helpful (i.e., leadership training content, partnering with chamber).

There was consensus that the group wanted to finish the program. Since Horizons is a poverty reduction and human capital development program, we talked about how to best use the Community Capacity Building Funds given that the community resource/distance learning center is a project the team wants to continue working on. Debbie asked if scholarships for classes would be an acceptable use and we discussed how that along with other items such as transportation and child/elder care might be helpful resources. This seemed like a win-win idea for both providing training availability for community members in poverty and also helping the center be successful in filling classes.

Although we ran out of time and did not cover everything on our agenda, we did get a good start on discussing items that need to be completed including:
Updating the blog with previous activities and keeping it current (Ann said she could help with this and Debbie has pictures to include.)
Completing the final strategic plan
Completing and submitting the application for Community Capacity Building Funds
Determining who will attend the Inland NW Partners meeting from Ritzville
Developing a Ritzville Horizons display for the Inland NW Partners meeting (Dorothy will do)
Identifying any other events to be complete in the next couple months (i.e., Sue Post workshops, attending the Big Idea, or visiting a distance learning center, doing something related to the needs of the disabled, holding a celebration, etc.)

It will be important to get together again soon to continue efforts. In addition, there is a need for ongoing communication and assistance with details regarding each item above. This will be accomplished via email, face-to-face meetings, and telephone.


Monica Babine
WSU Horizons Coach