White Sulphur Springs, MT

The first self-help rehabilitation housing project is ready for a fresh coat of paint!  The home is receiving two new energy efficient windows, a new roof, a new faucet, lead-based paint mitigation, and new GFI outlets.  The next step is to paint the exterior of the home.  Local youth, under the leadership of Gene Richeson, and several members of the MCCF board have agreed to meet at the home on May 29th to tackle the painting. 

The youth program is a genesis of study circles.  During study circles, the need for help around the community became clear.  A city council member suggested that youth who have been assigned community service should be able to help do work in the community.  The local coordinator of the youth community service program, Bj Hawkins, teamed up with Gene Richeson to provide supervision of youth who do work in town.  They do a number of projects in the community and are a great benefit for those in need.

meagher-county-community-foundation-minutes-041908.doc

Hit the following link to review the minutes from the April 29th MCCF Meeting.

The Meagher County Community Foundation awarded two $500 grants on May 19th, as part of the Community Clean Up Challenge.  The grants go to support two civic organizations that, in return for their help in cleaning up the community, will receive monies to support their organizations.

The Meagher County 4-H program/Stevens Youth Center joint application was the first award.  These youth have offered to clean up the local rodeo grounds - a summer draw for visitors to our community, who take part in the 4th of July Ranch Rodeo, the Labor Day Rodeo, and the 4-H fair.  These youth will also help a citizen in town to clean up the area around their house.  The youth plan to use their $500 to pay for expenses related to the 4-H fair, and also to bring some visiting artists to the Youth Center this summer.

The second grant was awarded to Smith River Health Ministries.  This group will clean three yards of citizens who would struggle to get their lawns, gardens, and flower beds cleaned up this summer.  In addition, this group plans to clean sidewalks, alleys, and other areas of town.  They will use their funds to pay for gas to take senior and disabled citizens to medical appointments out of town, for services that are not available locally.  The ministry notes in their application, “Many of our clients do not have cars, or are unable to drive.  We will use this grant money to assist with the cost of gas to drive out of town.  Many of our elderly clients are not able to afford to pay for gas, especially as prices are so high.  When a person is unable to pay for the gas, the Health Ministry assists them with the cost.”

The MCCF is thrilled to help these two organizations in their work to support our community, and looks forward to seeing the great clean up work that they complete.  These groups will be completing their projects in conjunction with the Clean-Up Days of May 31 and June 7, 2008.

How are the Meagher County Community Foundation plans to beautify the area related to poverty reduction?  Let us count the ways!  Check out the following website for links to university research that demonstrates that green space and community beautification contributes to many important aspects of our community - ranging from better student achievement, higher levels of personal self esteem for community members, and increased sense of community!

http://www.projectevergreen.com/whygreenmatters/lifestyle.html

The Meagher County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the 2008 Meagher County Clean Up Grant Program.  This program is designed to help clean up and beautify our community AND to help your service organization to be more successful by providing cash for the work that you do to help clean up! 

The Meagher County Community Foundation has allocated $1,000 in grant dollars for cleanup efforts in the community.  There is no minimum or maximum award.  This means that you could do a small project and get a little money to help your organization, or you could do a lot of work, and get a bigger piece of the pie! Projects should be done in conjunction with the tentative City/County clean up days of May 31^st and June 7^th.  You do not need to do the clean up on these days, but do need to have any trash that is generated from your clean up at the transfer station on these days. Applications are due by May 15, 2008.  

The Meagher County Community Foundation board will meet to review applications and will allocate the funds according to the matrix that is provided at the end of this application.  You will be notified of your application’s award by May 23^rd, 2008. 

The Meagher County Community Foundation reserves the right not to fund any application.  Any Meagher County organization can apply.  Funds will be released on completion of the work that you identify in your application.  Funds will not be released if you fail to complete the work that you describe. 

We hope that you will use this opportunity to help clean up the community and do great things for your organization!  We look forward to reviewing your application!

The Meagher County Community Foundation and the Stevens Youth Center are pulling together to develop a small community garden.  The MCCF is donating $500 of capacity building funds to the Center to develop the garden.  The MCCF board and the youth center discussed developing a large garden, but given our very short growing season and the struggle to get things to grow when your community is a mile high, we decided to start small and build the concept.

 For now, the garden will be located behind the Youth Center.  The Youth Center kids will have a portion of the garden and will lease out plots to interested community members.  All produce will be donated to either the center or the food bank.  A full 50% of the youth who use the Center are from impoverished families.  This project will not only provide community garden space for the community, but will also allow kids to learn about growing food and being outside!

 Here’s to a good start on a great project!  Thanks to Bethany Steinken and the Youth Center Board for helping to make this project a reality!

The Meagher County Community Foundation has teamed up with the City of White Sulphur Springs to host a second Clean Up day in White Sulphur Springs.  The annual Clean Up day is hosted on an alternating schedule by either the city or the county.  This year, it is the City’s responsibility to host the clean up day. 

Because residents have to pay for dumping, the City/County Clean-Up Day provides an opportunity for residents to get rid of bulky items (such as appliances) or other trash that they might otherwise be reluctant to dump.  Those living in poverty are especially reluctant to dump items that will cost a lot to dispose.  Offering a second clean up day is an attempt by Horizons and the MCCF to allow people to get rid of additional items and to really clean up this year!

The cost of the additional day of dumping is approximately $3,000.  This cost goes to pay for the trucking of the trash out of Meagher County.

In other exciting news, the offer to help with an additional Clean Up Day is adding new business to the City Council agenda for next month.  The city will meet to determine whether they might add approximately $15 in charges to the city water bills for dumping.  Most people in the city pay Disposal Services for their trash collection, however, there are many who opt not to pay for dumping services.  At least one city council member believes that, if people are already paying for dumping, they may be more likely to haul their trash out of town.  There are currently a number of residents to “hoard” their trash for the year and use the free dumping day to get rid of their trash.  The city is also suggesting that the fee imposed on the water bills would provide a voucher for a free day of dumping to each resident of the city.  The city is very sensitive to the needs of those in poverty and is concerned that even $15/month might stress some residents.  However, the current state of trash disposal in the community is creating health and safety concerns for some areas of town (hoarding trash contributes to rodent and pest infestations) and this action might help to eliminate that problem.

Horizons Steering Committee member, Sarah Calhoun, found some research that demonstrates the importance of clean up and beautification for White Sulphur Springs.  Thanks for this information, Sarah!

How Plants Help Communities - When trees are planted, communities grow
A scientific study at the Human - Environment Research Laboratory, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has demonstrated that green views and access to open green spaces in urban areas may in fact, help to restore attention and relieve everyday pressures of living in poverty.

For more information, check:

http://www.americainbloom.org/Default.aspx?CategoryId=63

This happened by accident!  In trying to help us determine what types of planters might work in White Sulphur, Brian Obert with Gateway Economic Development, pulled together photos of town in Montana with different types of planters.  He then pulled in pictures of White Sulphur to see where we could put the planters.  What we noticed is that White Sulphur looks like a ghost town!!!  See the next blog about research related to green spaces and poverty to understand more about how helping out our Main Street is helping to move us out of the duldrums!

Economist Article

This article, which was written in the Economist,in December 2006, ranks Meagher County as the poorest county in the United States, based on wages.  While US Census numbers suggest poverty rates for the county are only at about 17%, some calculate that poverty rates within the community of White Sulphur Springs are as high as 50%.  This estimate is substantiated by the April 2007 Free and Reduced Lunch program at the school, where a full 50% of students qualified for the program due to their poverty status. 

 As the article notes, the amazing thing about poverty in our Western counties, is that, “most people do not think of themselves as being poor.”  Because a full one in two people in White Sulphur could qualify as being “poor” by goverment definitions, strategies for addressing poverty in Meagher are really about helping the entire community.  Reducing feelings of scarcity and increasing opportunities for people to succeed are key in moving forward to address poverty.