By Tanner Kent
ST. JAMES — The nonprofit landscape is littered with programs that have died or been forgotten.
But with the help of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, the city of St. James is hoping its next community development initiative won’t be one of them.
The foundation recently announced this year’s winners of its Town Meeting Initiative grants. The awardees — St. James, Austin, Northfield and Pine Island — were given a $15,000 grant to be used toward the completion of a “community-selected project” in one of several focus areas all related to economic development. St. James chose the areas of entrepreneurs and experiential career education for students.
“We don’t have any defined goals yet,” said Molly Westman, St. James economic development director. “But we do know the community will be involved in deciding what the project will be.”
The foundation facilitates several such grants, which stress collaboration between existing agencies and resources. As the name implies, SMIF’s Town Meeting grants begin with a period of feedback from the community. After the community decides on a programming need, foundation officials provide leadership training and support to help implement the project.
Westman said St. James is just beginning the survey process but is already “looking forward to some positive results.”
In Montgomery-Lonsdale, the process is under way. After receiving a $15,000 Early Childhood Initiative grant during the summer — which works the same as a Town Meeting grant but is geared toward early childhood programs — the two communities worked jointly to form a leadership team and appoint a project coordinator.
Julie Ritter, director of early childhood and family education in Montgomery-Lonsdale, said the leadership team has already held its first meeting and brainstormed a list of programming needs.
“Actually, we had quite a long list,” Ritter said. “But we want to hear voices from all over our community.”
St. Peter received its Early Childhood Initiative grant last year. And after its own round of community meetings, the city decided on a community-based day-care center.
The facility opened in January and, as director Theresa VanderBurg said, has been “very busy.” Despite having enough space for almost 70 youngsters, VanderBurg said the center is nearly full with openings only available for infants (up to 4 months) and pre-schoolers (who will be starting school in September 2009).
With only one other center-based child-care facility in town, VanderBurg said day care availability was becoming a serious problem. But by focusing on collaboration and community involvement, VanderBurg said, St. Peter was able to formulate a long-term solution — one that won’t end up on the nonprofit scrap heap.
“We’ve definitely been embraced,” VanderBurg said. “We’ve received other grants from the community and a lot of support. I just can’t say enough about the community here.”
