Choteau, MT

Last August, during the Visioning Phase of Horizons, residents responded to a survey delivered/collected door-to-door in Choteau.  The top concern of those responding to the survey was that we need to support our community businesses by purchasing goods and services locally. Two key concepts emerged as a result of the community visioning event held subsequently in November 2009.  First, in order for a buy local effort to be effective, local businesses would need to engage in and cooperate with any program developed by Horizons participants.  Second, there may be additional ways the Horizons program could support local businesses. The group determined to research further what retail businesses owners felt they needed in order to grow and thrive in our rural economy.

To investigate the full array of ways in which our community could provide support to local businesses, a “Retail Research” committe was formed. With the advice of an economic development specialist, we determined that we should survey retail businesses to see if a shop local campaign would affect their businesses, as well as what other types of support they might need. Some of the Horizons participants partnered with the Choteau Chamber of Commerce to start the retail survey process.

The survey included a 30-60 minute individual interview with business owners and managers (click HERE to see a copy of the survey questions).  Interviews were completed in mid-March with businesses that are currently members of the Chamber of Commerce, and an invitation was published in the Choteau Acantha for non-Chamber businesses to participate in the survey, as well. The results of those interviews are currently being tabulated and will be analyzed to set a course of action. (Click HERE for a preliminary summary of the survey results).

Choteau is located within an hour of one of Montana’s largest cities. Local retailers are put in a position of competing with big box stores and chains. One retailer felt that “Choteau supports Choteau as much as possible.” Other comments have concluded that there may be some benefit to fighting the perception that everything is cheaper in Great Falls. Another business owner commented, “We realize you cannot get everything you need in Choteau, but we want to be the business you think of first - we want to be your primary supplier.” Other business owners felt that it might benefit Choteau if business owners developed a deeper sense of business community. Some expressed the idea that we could do more to educate our consumers, and that some were unaware of the goods and services available locally.

A preliminary look at these results show that a “Shop Local” campain might be useful, although the nature of that effort will need further consideration. The results also indicate that consumer focus groups may be created to look more deeply at what factors influence consumer behaviors in Choteau. Additional actions may be considered, as well.

…………………. 

The above was provided by Jane Wolery. The question arises: why do we need to support our local businesses? How does that benefit us all? What does that have to do with Horizons, which is a program largely aimed at reducing poverty? Well, I’ll share with you some of what I’ve heard discussed:

At least some of the money spent locally stays local - businesses and income that are here in Choteau help to keep the economic base here that supports our local schools, our city services, and so on. Local businesses provide local jobs - whether they provide low or higher wages, many of those jobs are the only real lifeline for families here in Choteau. Keeping a thriving business community helps keep families and friendships intact, by providing jobs and services that allow people of all ages to remain in Choteau. There’s more, but you get the picture.

I have also heard some talk about whether things are really cheaper or more efficient to purchase in Great Falls. Perhaps it feels more efficient to grab groceries, pillowcases, a prescription, and potting soil all in one stop at a big box store in Great Falls. But it you might also consider the cost of the trip in terms of gas (which is going up again), all the extra thingies you picked up that you didn’t really need and weren’t on your list, the lunch you bought for the family to keep everyone going for the drive home… and so on. We’re all going to continue to do business in Great Falls - there are simply things you can’t get here. But as the business owner quoted above said, we should all at least try here first. We might be surprised at the reasonable cost, in terms of dollars, time, and even just neighborliness.  

In the last blog, I posted some comments from Jenny Lee and Kevin St. John, both of whom pointed out some of the less obvious ways that the Horizons program has benefitted the Choteau community: new ideas within existing organizations, empowerment of people to step forward and participate or even lead in community efforts and activities, connections made between people, community members finding ways to work better as a team through understanding of each others’ skills, and so on. Today…. there’s  more, so read on:

From Jason Asselstine, a view from “outside” the Horizons program:

 I believe that the Choteau community has been impacted greatly by the leadership developed and nurtured through the Horizons program offered here. I did not participate in the program directly, but do work with several individuals for whom this was a significant training. As a pastor, I continually utilize these persons within my church community to lead small groups, organize meetings and develop programs. Thank you for making this available to our community, it has, and continues to make, a difference.  

From Corlene Martin, a perspective on the whole being greater (and more effective) than the sum of its parts:

How will our community make decisions about seeking further resources to support its plans? There are a multitude of organizations working to further their best interests and, cumulatively, their work benefits the community.   The trick is to know who is doing what, which projects serve the greater public, and how to meld everyone’s work to achieve the best results.   If organizations are working on parallel projects, will one be a winner and the other a loser?  Or will they complement each another and provide constructive results? With the advent of technology, we are able to share information more efficiently.  The City of Choteau is developing a website, people have the ability to access county government through Teton County’s website, read the Choteau Acantha online, etc. 

Locally and regionally, communities have found that working together is better than going it alone, both within and between communities.  One must remember, however, that communities are simply a reflection of the people who live there.  And technology will never replace the importance of face-to-face contact and the power of the “grapevine.”   The Horizons program brought new skills to an eclectic base of civic minded people, and brought these people face-to-face.  Working together this way, we can build our communities’ resources …. exponentially.

And from Kayla Breen, some thoughts on the value of patience:

What changes have been made in who is now involved in leadership positions? It may be too early to see obvious, big changes in leadership as a lot of positions involve 2-4 year time commitments. Change in Choteau does not happen overnight. I believe the knowledge gained by individuals through the Horizons program is positive and the results will be seen in the years to come.

I have been paying close attention to who attends committee meetings, boards and organizational meetings in our community.  At least 15-20 individuals who participated in Leadership Plenty are involved in some committee, board, or organization. Most of these individuals were involved before; however I see them being more active, heading up committes and projects, taking on more responsibilities. This is positive and I believe reflects knowledge gained through the Horizons program.

I am starting to see our young adults becoming more active [in leadership roles]. I am excited about this. Recently two individuals who have finished college and returned to Choteau have volunteered to head one of the events during this year’s 4th of July festivities. One of the individual’s family members attended Leadership Plenty; I can’t help but wonder if some of the awareness and knowledge learned in Leadership Plenty was shared and passed on to this young adult. I am looking forward to working with these enthusiastic, energetic individuals. They will bring new and different ideas which will be a plus for Choteau. I hope others will follow the example of these young individuals and get involved in our community.

Leadership roles require time and commitment. They are also about learning, about improving one’s skills, and about action. I believe that whether the Horizons program inspired and motivated one individual or ten…. it has been good for our community. The awareness and the knowledge learned, I believe have strengthened the participants of the program and can only strengthen our community.

I’ve spent some time recently writing about some of the outcomes of the Horizons program that we can measure: development of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors and the Opportunities for All groups, plans for the Pavilion, garden mentoring… But what about the successes of the Horizons program that are every bit as real, but much harder to measure?

To give some idea of more of the widespread outcomes of the Horizons program, here are a few more voices from you all:

From Kevin St. John:

• The school adopted a 2009-2010 goal to promote citizenship and a better community through volunteerism
• The Lions Club has taken on a pro-active approach to developing volunteerism by establishing a program in which the Lions can recognize local effort involving volunteerism via a “Citizenship Award”
• Community members learned more about each other through the process and thus improved our ability to work together

From Jenny Lee:

Our community’s knowledge about leadership has changed due to the Horizons program by having brought together people who would have normally not participated in a leadership program. The Horizons coordinators worked diligently to bring together members from all aspects of our community and encouraged them to participate regardless of any preconceived ideas as to their leadership skills. By having this diverse group of participants, we as members were exposed to people we would not have normally been involved with. This gave us the unique opportunity to see beyond initial impressions of who we saw as leaders in our community and open our eyes to many potential leaders who have some amazing skills that may have not been recognized without the help of the Horizons program.

I, as a community member, see leadership as a community issue more than an individual one. Successful programs, projects, civic groups, and government agencies all have good leaders who are able to bring out the best traits among its members, recruit new members, keep projects going strong until the end, and have great communication skills. A good leader is able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of not only the individuals involved, but also those of the target group that the agency or program is trying to reach. By recognizing both the strengths and weaknesses, a good leader uses that knowledge to benefit the group and where each member can best help the group/project.

A community is made up of many individuals and a good leader unites these individuals where a leader who is lacking the fundamental leadership skills can divide a group (or the community as a whole) that is hard to unite again. The process of reuniting uses many valuable resources that could have been used in better ways and the mark of division may leave a lasting impression.

Both Kevin and Jenny bring up an important point that has been a theme throughout this program: Choteau already has a number of civic groups taking on a multitude of tasks that keep this community thriving. We also have governmental and quasi-governmental agencies, boards, etc. that are staffed by willing community members often for little or no pay: City Council, School Board, Conservation District Board, Library Board, Hospital Board… I’m sure there are more. It isn’t possible to measure how the Horizons program may have influenced these groups now or in the future. Who can say whether someone who participated in the Study Circles, was part of an Action Group, took the Leadership Plenty training… even just heard about the program… who knows whether that someone might have been inspired by Horizons to step up and join the Lions Club or run for City Council now or in the future? Or whether someone already participating in a civic group or other organization might be doing a much better job of it now, as a result of new knowledge and skills gained through Horizons?

These are the benefits that surely exist, but that we can’t measure. It is simply good to know that they are happening, and that people like Kevin and Jenny and others are recognizing them.

So. Imagine that you are on a limited income, just pulling it together month-to-month, skimping on the extras, hoping you can pay for day care, and your child comes home telling you about a great music class he wants to attend. He’s really musically inclined, you’d love to see him get this chance, but… you just don’t have the money.

Imagine that you are living in that hand-to-mouth way, working a job that pays barely enough to survive, and you know you could do better. You want to apply for a better job, but in order to qualify you need a certification, which requires that you take a class in Great Falls, and you just can’t afford the tuition or to pay the babysitter while you’re there … you just don’t have quite enough money to create your own opportunity.

These situations are real - they happen right here in Choteau all the time. This is many, many of us here in this community. About 18% of the individuals in Choteau earn income below the federal poverty level (refer to the MSU Website: City of Choteau page). More worrisome, 57% of the families consisting of single (divorced, unwed, or widowed) moms with children under 5 earn less than poverty wages in this town; 31% of people under 18 do so. How are these women, these parents, struggling to make a go of it on their own, going to provide opportunities for their kids to be on a level with their peers?  How can they hope to better their situation, and move upward economically? These aren’t just any people, either. These are our neighbors, our friends, our sisters, our nieces and nephews, our children. This is us.

Out of this knowledge, and out of the can-do attitude that our town is famous for, was born “Opportunities For All Scholarship, Inc.”. According to Nancy Thornton:

The non-profit organization, Opportunities for All Scholarship, Inc., was formed in July 2009 to raise funds to provide scholarships to low-income people for enrichment activities.  The organization’s board of directors will evaluate the feedback it receives from both participants and providers, ensuring that it has taken positive steps to level the playing field for fee-based enrichments, and by that action it hopes to reduce that type of poverty.

The community is being asked to sustain the program through donations and memberships and to establish a network of informal referrals to the program that will bolster conversations about unmet needs and what is available and what could be possible if one embraces enrichment activities.

The Opportunities for All group, born of one of the Action Items chosen after the Horizons Study Circles, has made tremendous progress. They have appointed a board and established bylaws - no small feat! - and have achieved their official non-profit status. This group has established themselves with a rock-solid foundation, and will be with us for a long time to come. I hear that they have received their first application for funds, with more soon to follow. They are also seeking additional funding sources and partnerships in order to maintain and expand their ability to, as Nancy put it, level the playing field for children and adults in poverty.

And what a concept! A level playing field - a chance for all kids, regardless of their parents’ income, to participate in activities like their peers. I know that my own youthful participation in music and sports was more than just fun - those things gave me life skills, confidence, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment that fed into all aspects of my life growing up. What a wonderful thing to open those doors for everyone. 

A few years back, I planted some ferns in my front flower bed. The idea was that they would anchor the back part of the bed, and camoflage the dull gray foundation of the house. The idea worked ….. for a year. The next year the ferns came back, but they sprouted up in different places, and some not at all, and others smaller or larger than each other. They just refused to be what I had originally envisioned. And yet they were still beautiful components of the garden, and I learned to add and move other plants to incorporate the ferns in ways I hadn’t originally imagined. They now anchor that flower bed - but rather than being a straight line along the foundation, they are a pattern of green threaded throughout the entire bed.

So it has been with the Community Garden idea, one of the Action Items identified last winter in the Horizons program study circles. The original idea was to create an actual Community Garden. The group wanted to create a place where anyone could come tend some vegetables and flowers, and in so doing, could learn about gardening from each other, improve their daily nutrition, and save money on groceries. It was a great idea, and fit perfectly with the goals of the Horizons program: foster community action, reduce poverty, create lasting change. And yet… like my ferns, the garden didn’t grow the way its organizers envisioned. But also like my ferns, the effort has grown into something different but just as good that is achieving those Horizons goals in unexpected ways.

   The group started out thinking that a community garden needed to be one physical site, complete with dirt and plants. What grew from their effort has been no less tangible, but not so site-specific. The effort to make an actual garden turned out to be an idea that is not yet ripe. Instead, however, the group put together an Adopt-a-Gardener program, aimed at teaching people basic gardening skills through a mentoring program. Not only did participants learn how to coax life from small seeds, they learned about the benefits of gardening: the nutritional value of fresh vegetables, the financial savings of growing their own food, the satisfaction of having enough extra produce to share with others who might not have a garden, and the simple joy of feeling the dirt in their fingers and the sun on their backs while they worked. 

In the words of those who participated:

“I found the gardener mentor program to be of great value to me. This was the first year I have raised a garden in Montana and to have someone I could call with questions really helped. This interaction also helped me to understand what other local growers were doing in their gardens, what was working, and what common concerns they have. We ended up growing and canning: 40 quarts of beans, 24 quarts of corn, 40 quarts of tomatoes, and numerous other fresh vegetables. I attribute much of that to my involvement in the gardener mentor program!” - Carolyn Major, Choteau

And more briefly but no less powerfully:

“My son built a small garden for the purpose of helping others“ - Kevin St. John

The community garden group adopted a name, GrowChoteau, and created a wonderful website that provides information about the Adopt-a-Gardener program, seed and plant exchanges, and other activities as well as providing links to a variety of gardening resources. What’s more, the group saw an opportunity to partner with the existing Farmer’s Market in providing mentoring opportunities and other activities.

The story of GrowChoteau thus far reminds me of another parallel in my own garden. I started in 2002 with a tomato plant and 2 sunflowers in an empty lawn of green (see the top photo). I never dreamed I’d wind up where I have in recent years (see the above photo).  Sometimes we don’t know where an idea will take us, but we’re mighty glad that it did.

We all know about the Choteau Pavilion - the scene of seemingly every community event that doesn’t involve sports - but how much do we know about what it takes to keep it open and available to all?  Jane Wolery has provided us with a great overview of the efforts to maintain and restore the Pavilion and how that effort has been helped by the Horizons program in Choteau.   KFBB News in Great Falls also recently reported on our historic gathering place. To see that video, please click on this link: Choteau Pavilion Stands Tall After 89 Years. For a print-only summary of KFBB’s coverage, click here.

I’ll summarize here what Jane had to report:

The Pals of the Pavilion is an advisory group to the City of Choteau that has been in existence for the past 11 years. The Pals and the City have partnered through time to make improvements to our 89-year-old community hall.

What does this have to do with Horizons? When the Horizons program came to our community, we went through a series of processes to pick ‘Action Items’ for our community that would help the entire community thrive and prosper. We were instructed to pick new ideas. While we did select new ideas to move forward, we have learned in the process of Horizons that Choteau has quite a few projects in the works already for a community our size.  The list is long and impressive.

Each of those projects, or passions, requires the energy of volunteers and funds raised in our community. Even though Pavilion renovation was not a topic selected as an Action Item through the study circles process, it was a much-discussed topic during the second phase of Horizons - Leadership Plenty.  Of the 11 member Pals group, 3 serve on the Horizons steering committee, one was a study circles facilitator, 2 were Leadership Plenty students, and 2 were study circles participants. Thus the majority of the Pals members have been involved the Horizons process.

Because of that connection to Horizons, we felt it was important that we note our progress toward creating a thriving community through renovations at the Choteau Pavilion. The people are at the heart of a community, but the people need a place to gather - for weddings, reunions, funerals, fairs, carnivals, conventions, celebrations, dances and fund-raisers. As a matter of fact, nearly every large fund-raising event in our community is held at the Choteau Pavilion.

Prior to the Horizons program, the Pals group raised money to create ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant entrances. The group has replaced tables, chair racks, and refrigerators. Coinciding with the Leadership Plenty courses, Pals tackled the remodel of the bathrooms, bringing them up to code and making them ADA compliant as well.

In the last 6 months, using skills learned through the Horizons program combined with existing talents, the Pals have started on remodeling of the main assembly room. The current project includes a new heating system, new windows, walls, lighting, and wiring. Pals is thinking of the long-term future: wiring for future needs that include the planned kitchen remodel, and for conference needs (Internet access, projectors, screens, etc.).

The Pals are thinking big, and for the future. They plan to create a shared-use kitchen (partnering with other communities, such as Lewistown, and other conference facilities, such as the Conservation Center at the Boone and Crockett Club’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch for ideas, plans, and knowledge) that would allow value-added agriculture products to be made in our community. The Pals plan to enhance our community’s ability to become a conference destination, partnered with our local hotels and considering our beautiful location and access to unmatched outdoor recreation opportunities.  The group has applied for a variety of grants to make this vision into a reality.

Many of the recent undertakings of this group have been greatly enhanced by skills and processes learned through the Horizons program. Without a doubt, the knowledge gained in the Leaderhip Plenty classes is being put to use in the Pals organization. If we had the advantage of the Horizons program when the Pals group formed, we might have been able to make faster strides toward these goals. However, since the Horizons program has touched so many of the Pals participants, we are picking up momentum that will result in a completed project that is integral to our thriving community.

Many of you know Jane Wolery, and many of you know that she is the Community Coach for this Horizons effort we have been engaged in. Recently, Jane asked a number of you to submit your thoughts on what the Horizons program has accomplished in terms of reducing poverty and fostering leadership in our community. She has now tossed her hat in the ring as well, and gives us her own perspective on what the Horizons program has meant.

Suze Orman, writing in “Women and Money”, provides a great introduction to Jane’s reflections: “… a remarkable tale of social progress, it’s a reminder for us that changes that take place on a personal level, every day, in small doses, add up to dramatic societal and cultural shifts over time.”

Jane writes:

Someone asked me recently, “Are you glad you did the Horizons program in your community?” I am. I am glad that the community decided to get involved in the Horizons program. I believe there will be immeasurable results from the program for years to come. As a professional, though, I am often called to task to relay measurable, impact-based results. We have tabulated surveys, developed community action plans, trained people in leadership skills and more. All of those efforts can be tabulated in some way - tidy calculations - to be put in a report.

Today, I am thinking more about the changes that are not so tidy. I’m thinking of the messy stuff. The changes that happen in the heart of a person. The changes that take time. Since the only heart I can speak to is my own that is what I will do.

The Horizons program addresses issues of poverty. I recently watched the movie, Becoming Jane, about the life of Jane Austen. A quote from the movie stuck in my mind - “There is nothing so hard on the spirit as poverty.” Through the Horizons program we came to know that poverty exists in a variety of ways. Most generally people think of poverty as financial. Poverty can be emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical. Poverty has to do with support systems, role models, relationships, knowledge, and coping strategies.

I cannot identify a time when I have felt that I have personally been in poverty. I can count many good fortunes in my own life. Perhaps it is because of my own good fortunes that I have not always been graced with the gift of understanding for those less fortunate.

Several different experiences in my own life have converged at the same time and place as the Horizons program. These experiences have changed and softened me. I find that I am now much more understanding, frequently far less judgemental and generally more open to people around me.

Last year I completed over a decade of service to the Caring Tree project that delivers gifts to those in need during the holidays. Previously, I tried not to know the people we were serving because I felt their anonymity was important. It was intentional on my part not to know more. However, last year, I became more concerned about the recipients. It was as if a shift had taken place within me. The recipients may have needed more from me all along than detached giving. I worked harder to coordinate with recipients to be sure they had enough food, blankets and winter gear. I have long maintained with the Caring Tree project that it is not our job to judge, but to serve. In order not to judge, I distanced myself. I have learned that knowing people better can allow you to serve better.

During the study circles portion of Horizons, I participated as a facilitator. One of the things I appreciated about the process of the study circles was that it helped me develop relationships with people I didn’t know very well. I find that I am always a little bit task-oriented, which in my case, can override the building of relationships. Since conversation was one of the fundamental tasks, the study circles allowed me to work at getting to know people.

I was impressed by the sentiment expressed by so many of the participants - “I’ve been through hard times myself and I always said if I was ever in a position to help, I would.” Since study circles a year ago, I have seen that sentiment lived out. We are a small community. I have witnessed the giving spirit of those from the study circle.

One of the people in my circle is also a 4-H leader. My family has just joined 4-H this year. My children are now being trained in benevolence by this person. My daughters, age 8 and 5, joined their 4-H club in selecting gifts to give to the Caring Tree this year. They have both worked at community service events as 4-H members to raise funds for community projects. I appreciate that generosity is being taught to them and reinforced through 4-H leaders and community members.

During the Leadership Plenty phase of Horizons, I met a single mom who had struggled with addictions and had been incarcerated. Through her, I came to have more understanding for a family member who has been faced with similar challenges. When this Horizons participant was asked to share her greatest accomplishment, she stated simply and clearly, “sobriety.” I am learning to be patient for others to make that same achievement.

I am more willing to meet people where they are, instead of being judgemental about what got them there. I am learning to be more open, patient, and kind. I still need quite a bit of work. I can fall into old habits easily,  but Horizons has forced a greater personal awareness which I know is the first step to behavior change.

Has Horizons changed others the way it has changed me? Maybe. But probably not. I believe in the old adage, “learning happens when you are ready.” I hope the Horizons participants learned what they needed to and were ready to learn. I hope they have taken away what was most important for them in that time and space. For some, it may have been acceptance. For others, it may have beeen new friendships and relationships. For someone else, it may have been momentum around a cause they are passionate about.

So how do you capture it, survey it, evaluate it? It is messy and personal. It is my belief that the changes that are not tidy to tabulate are likely the most important.

From Jenn Swanson:

As a result of the Horizons project in our community, an existing organization called Neighbors Helping Neighbors has been reinvigorated. Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) was started by some local community members several years ago as a way to address unmet local needs related to poverty. The originating members had developed a system for accepting referrals or direct calls, documenting a person’s or family’s needs, assessing what the person or family was doing to try to help themselves, and then offering referrals to existing service organizations or limited short-term financial assistance, as appropriate.  Strengths of the organization included its clear mission and vision, excellent documentation system, and its strong collaboration with the Teton Food Pantry. Limitations of the organization included the fact that it did not have tax-exempt status and therefore could not solicit tax-deductible donations, not many people in town knew about the organization, and no low-income persons were involved in the organization.
 
New partnerships formed during the  Horizons project resulted in heightened awareness of Neighbors Helping Neighbors in our community, as well as the involvement of a new board member who has first-hand experience with poverty, including state and federal assistance programs. Additionally, a new volunteer to NHN collaborated with a founding member in preparing the application for tax-exempt status, which was officially granted earlier this year. Two volunteers developed a website for NHN,  http://www.neighborshelping.org  which  contains links to and explanations of the local resources available to people in poverty, thereby providing a free and convenient “resource manual” for NHN volunteers and all community members. New projects that are underway include the development of an informational brochure about NHN, including promotion of its website resource, which will be distributed throughout the county.

According to a founding member, the number of referrals has increased lately, and the organization is optimistic about its ongoing role in our community. 

Mayor Jay Dunckel was asked to provide some input about what sort of concrete action Choteau has taken to reduce poverty in the community. Here is what our Mayor had to say:

The City strongly supports recycling programs. These programs tend to hold down the expense of garbage collection which, in turn, allows us to charge less for the collection. Promotion of recycling is ongoing and we are constantly looking for ways to improve and expand the program.

We continually research grants on the state and federal level looking for monies available for low income housing rehabilitation and new construction.

Some of our employees are being paid below the poverty level. A change in leadership in the city has resulted in an effort to increase salaries to compete with other occupations in local and surrounding communities. We are able to hire additional employees at certain times of the year and generally these jobs, though short lived, provide some help for low income families.

The city maintains a continuing effort to attract new business to the community.  New businesses will provide new jobs usually with more pay. We are able to provide tax incentives to new business as we partner with the county in this endeavor.

So now I ask - how has the Horizons program fit into some of these efforts and goals in which the City is already engaged? Are any of the Action items working on these things: keeping costs down, providing housing, services, and jobs to low income people and families, attracting new businesses to Choteau?

Ok, everybody. I’m back again with more voices from the community. Mark Major was asked to provide his thoughts on how the Horizons program has or has not affected leadership in Choteau. Mark was one of the instructors for the “Leadership Plenty” course last winter and spring. Here’s what Mark had to say:

     During and after teaching the LeadershipPlenty class, I saw a marked increase in “common” citizens taking on “not-so-common” leadership roles.  Class participants, who previously would not have taken on such a role, were actively organizing the community into informal action groups to accomplish things.  I also noticed that group members were employing many of the problem-solving skills taught in the classes.
     One other noticeable change was a common bond among class participants.  The LeadershipPlenty series brought together community members who had never before interacted.  It transcended race, religion,
class, gender, and of course, poverty.  I saw warm interactions and community support and teamwork that involved all parts of Choteau.

I had the good fortune to attend a different, very intense leadership training program through my work late last winter, and I found some of the same things that Mark expressed. The group was a mix of different professions from different areas, and we spent some time really identifying our differences in order to better understand each other. By the end of our 10-day class we had really bonded and become a team. And as Mark noted, some of the folks in the group who would not have stepped into leadership roles were jumping in to head up some of the class activities. Both of these experiences illustrate how a group can become a team, and how effective that can be for accomplishing things.

On another note, for those of you who are interested, there is a lunchtime speaker series being held Wednesdays in the Alice Gleason room at the library - check back in here in a couple of days for the remaining schedule, or look in this week’s Acantha for more information. I will hopefully post some videos of those presentations, but am having some minor technical difficulties at the moment.