News

Rural Action is Taking Application for AmeriCorps*VISTA Positions

Submitted by Candi Withem, AmeriCorps*VISTA Coordinator & Human Resources Dirctor

Rural Action is seeking new VISTA’s to start in July! Applications are being taken from March 3 through May 7. The start date will be July 17, 2007, and terms will run for one year. Americorps*VISTA is a national service program sponsored by the Corporation for National & Community Service. The positions are full-time, and provide an $833 per month living allowance, health benefits, vacation, sick leave and an end-of-service cash stipend of $1,200 or an education award of $4,725 at the completion of a calendar year of service. Complete job descriptions and more information are available at 19627 Walnut Street, Trimble Ohio, or cswithem@yahoo.com or 740-767-4938. Ask for Candi Withem, VISTA Coordinator. To submit an application go to www.americorps.org and follow the onscreen directions. For more information on which positions are available, visit the Rural Action website at http://www.ruralaction.org/RA_vistaservice.html.

Federal Valley Resource Center to Host After School Program
Submitted by Emily Beveridge, AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Federal Valley Resource Center

This spring Federal Hocking sixth graders will have a unique opportunity to participate in a new after school program. The Federal Valley After School Program will take place at the Federal Valley Resource Center, located in the Old Middle School Buildings, roughly two miles from the current Middle/High School. Dedicated volunteers and board members run the Federal Valley Resource Center, many of whom are alumni of the Old School. It has long been their dream to have an ongoing after school program, because the Center is so conveniently located to the current Middle/High School, and because of the quality of the facilities at the FVRC. After more than half a decade of renovations, the Center is the perfect place for many activities. The campus includes a freestanding gym, basketball court, and auditorium and computer lab with Internet access. This program is specifically geared to sixth graders who may need extra help in school, or those who need quality enrichment while parents are still at work. Sixth graders were recommended to be the specific focus group for the Program because they lack many after school activities that are available to 7th and 8th grade students.

Starting Monday April 9th, FVRC will begin hosting the Federal Valley After School Program. This is collaboration between Ohio University’s School of Education, and School of Social Work. Interns from both Schools will be available Monday-Thursday afternoons to work with the children who participate in the program. A snack will be served everyday, there will time for indoor/outdoor athletic activities, an enrichment activity provided by the interns, and there will be tutoring time for homework. Transportation on school buses will be provided after school from Federal Hocking, and students can ride the activity bus after the program ends at 4:45 to either Amesville or Coolville Elementary, or parents can pick up children at Federal Valley Resource Center at that time. This program will hopefully be continued next fall, and beyond as an ongoing program. If you want to help, we are looking to have a parent volunteer available daily, if you wish to donate your time for an afternoon, please contact Emily Beveridge: phone # 740-707-7208, email ew277002@ohio.edu. We also will be accepting donations of craft materials, paper, and bottled water, which will be most appreciated.

Upcoming Events

Monday Creek Public Meeting
Submitted by Matt Miller, AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Monday Creek Restoration Project

Monday Creek Restoration Project will hold its next potluck and public meeting on Tuesday March 27th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm, at the Nelsonville Public Library. The library is located at 95 W. Washington St. in Nelsonville, just off the square and across from the Post Office. Guest speaker Mitch Farley of the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management will speak about the work currently being done in the LostRun subwatershed of Monday Creek to reduce the discharge of Acid Mine Drainage. The Lost Run area is less than 3 percent of the whole Monday Creek Watershed, yet represents 9 percent of the total AMD problem in Monday Creek. Mitch Farley, also a resident of southeast Ohio, has worked closely with MCRP over the last decade to implement a number of successful grant-funded reclamation projects, including the Lost Run Project. Please bring a potluck style dish or beverage to share. Turn out and show your support for your local watershed groups!

For more information, contact MCRP at (740) 394-2047, or vista@mondaycreek.org


Youth Act to Hold Bake Sales
Submitted by Liz Bonny, AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Youth Act Program

The Youth Act program will be holding two bake sales in the next couple of weeks. The first sale is Thursday, March 29, and will be held at Trimble High School.This bake sale will be raising money for garbage cans for Glouster’s downtown. The Trimble students are partnering with Sunday Creek Watershed group for this project. The next one will be on Sundays, April 1, at the Athens Kroger. The sale will be held from noon until 4:00 p.m. The money raised from this bake sale will benefit the recycling program at Alexander Middle School. Anyone who wishes to contribute baked goods, contact Liz Bonny at 740-767-4938.

Faces of Rural Action

Elise George, Forestry Coordinator
Submitted by Katy Sulfridge, AmeriCorps*VISTA for Media

This week’s Face of Rural Action is a former VISTA who is now a staff member at Rural Action, Elise George. Elise was recently hired as the Sustainable Forestry Coordinator at Rural Action. This position, combined with her earlier VISTA experience, gives her more than three years’ experience with Rural Action.

Originally from Akron, OH, Elise earned a Bachelor's degree from Ohio University in Environmental Studies and a minor in Plant Biology in 2002. She also completed two internships in sustainable agriculture. At Plant It Herbs, a Chinese and Ohio Medicinal Herb Nursery and Research Facility, she furthered her study of medicinal herbs, which she had begun through class work.

In her role as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer, Elise coordinated event planning, membership development, as well as board and committee work with The Roots of Appalachia Growers Association. Her work with Rural Action has also included coordinating events with non-timber forest product researchers and growers and serving as volunteer coordinator for the Landowners Conference.

Membership Update

We’d like to welcome our newest member, Karen Elliott, and thank the following renewing members for their continued support:

Doug Albaugh
Rod Angeroth
Sandra Ashba
Betsy Beebe
Thaden Brient
David Brown
William Butt
Lou and Jewel DiOrio
Gregory Greene
John Howell
Paul and Charlotte Johnson
Tom and Patty Johnson
Michael Kilroy
Sharon Lankford
Joseph Rodak
Phil Short

Editor's Pick

Utah girl enjoys the foul smell of success

Thirteen-year-old Katharine Tuck's sneakers smell as bad as they look. Now the Utah seventh-grader can afford some new ones. On Tuesday, she defeated six other children to win $2,500 in the 32nd annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest. To read the entire article, click this link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17708100/from/ET/

Wish List

Just in time for your spring cleaning: do you have an old couch that’s just taking up space? We’d love to take it off your hands! Several of our programs are wishing for a gently used couch for their offices. If you’d like to donate, contact Tori Patterson at 740-767-4938 or tori@ruralaction.org.

Fun Fact

The Y Bridge in Zanesville was first built in 1814 to span the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum Rivers. The current bridge is the fifth construction at the same location. “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” proclaimed it the only bridge in the world which you can cross and still be on the same side of the river.

News

Donate a Penny to Rural Action Without Spending a Cent!
Submitted by Tori Patterson, AmeriCorps*VISTA for Development

Thanks to www.goodsearch.com, you can help raise money for Rural Action just by searching the Internet. GoodSearch, a Yahoo! powered search engine designed to give fifty percent of its profits to community organizations, will donate a penny to Rural Action for every search you do on their site.

The process is simple: go to goodsearch.com and enter your search term in the Yahoo! search field. Then enter “Rural Action” in the box beneath the search field labeled “Who do you GoodSearch For?” Select “Rural Action (Trimble, OH)” from the drop-down list, and click on “Search the Web.” It’s that easy!

GoodSearch estimates that an organization with 1,000 supporters who search twice a day could earn $7,300 in a single year. Rural Action staff members and VISTAs have been using GoodSearch for only a few weeks, and we have already earned $11.23.

Please help us in this simple fundraising effort by using GoodSearch daily and sharing this information with your friends and family, because all those pennies could really add up!

The Rural Renewal Strategy
Submitted by Katy Sulfridge, AmeriCorps*VISTA for Media

In the early 1980’s, social programming was looking bleak, at best, as funding for such programs was cut, in spite of the outrage from most of the country. The government strategy seemed to be that if they did not help the poor, the poor would help themselves, and the better off they would be. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and many social programs and services were in dire straights and looking for some kind of relief. In 1982, concerned citizens in the Athens County community and surrounding areas decided that they didn’t have to take it, and that they were going to fight back. These citizens formed a group called the Appalachian Ohio Public Interest Campaign. Over the next decade, the group went through some changes and transformations along the way. After some challenges and learning experiences, Rural Action was born out of the work that AOPIC had started, bringing back a sense of renewed hope to the region, thanks to the work of many volunteers and concerned citizens who refused to admit defeat.

Fast-forward 25 years. It is 2007, and Rural Action is still working hard to preserve its mission of promoting economic, social, and environmental justice in Appalachian Ohio. And in order to move forward, Rural Action is asking for help from area citizens once again.

In the mid 1990’s, AOPIC began drafting its Strategy for Rural Renewal, which has guided the work of Rural Action for more than a decade. In fact, the Rural Action Network, (now Rural Action Inc.,) was born out of the Strategy for Rural Renewal. Members of Rural Action and affiliated grassroots groups convened to evaluate Rural Action’s programs and to plan for the future. Recommendations included networking existing grassroots environmental and social change groups together and the development of a strategy for sustainable development that would encompass the work of citizens who were involved in both environmental and community-economic development.

Throughout the process of drafting, designing, and working through the original Strategy for Rural Renewal, Rural Action has had the support of dedicated partner organizations and community members who are dedicated to the revitalization of Appalachian Ohio. In 1995, Rural Action expanded involvement to include government, business, and religious leaders. A variety of approaches were used to get these other outside potential members involved. These included formal dinners, which were theme-based to attract the educated, influential power structure. Meetings were held in the outlying counties in order to gain the support of the citizens of the community. These were less formal, often potluck dinners. A series of conferences at Burr Oak and Lake Hope targeting government, utilities, educators, and religious leaders, and paid economic development professionals were held.

Over the past 15 years, Rural Action has accomplished many of its original goals in the Strategy for Rural Renewal, and in the process has brought more than $15 million into the region. But Rural Action did not accomplish these tasks on its own. It had the support of many concerned citizens from Athens County and beyond.

Rural Action is currently bringing the people of the region together again in order to write a new, updated Strategy for Rural Renewal. In keeping with methods used in order to produce the first Strategy for Rural Renewal, the process has begun with the telling of stories. Rural Action has been holding the first of many “house parties” throughout the region, where friends, family, and members have been invited to share their experiences with Rural Action, as well as their hopes for the future. Recent gatherings provided Rural Action with valuable insight from members and friends. They have also been pleasant ways for members of the community to get together for a few hours. “This is the best Sunday afternoon I've spent in a long time,” says Bob Borchard, a resident of Guysville.

The series of house parties will be followed by a Rural Renewal Conference that will be held in late spring. The conference will be the second step in proceeding with the new Strategy for Rural Renewal. Two hundred Rural Action members will be invited to attend the one-day Rural Renewal Conference. Attendees will break into groups by issue interests to brainstorm ideas for a better Southeast Ohio.

After the conference, attendees and other community members will form small task groups focusing on specific issues that they have identified (for instance, “Renewable Energy”). Working with Rural Action staff members and volunteers over a time period of at least six months, the groups will refine the “raw” vision from the conference, culminating in a new, comprehensive Strategy for Rural Renewal, which will carry the work of Rural Action into the next decade.

If you are interested in attending or hosting one of these house parties, or the spring Rural Renewal Conference, please contact Sara Peach at 740-767-4938, or sara@rurualaction.org. You can also receive ongoing updates about the process by visiting the Rural Renewal web page: ruralrenewal.blogspot.com.

Upcoming Events

Winter Tree Identification Workshop

Submitted by Tanner Filyaw, AmeriCorps*VISTA with Forestry

On Monday, March 12, Rural Action will host a winter tree identification workshop. Come out to learn how to identify common trees when they are without leaves. The location and time are still to be determined. Contact Tanner Filyaw, tanner@ruralaction.org, for more information and to register.

Volunteer Action Radio Show
Submitted by Chris Tomazic, AmeriCorps*VISTA for Media

Listen to "Volunteer Action," a radio collaboration between Rural Action and WATH/WXTQ. Join Ray Wagner, the show's host, as he talks with local people about making a difference in their community through volunteering. This week's guest are Tiffany Gatlin and Mike Noel from the Boy Scouts of America. Tune-in to 970AM from 10:06 to 10:36 a.m. for the show.


MAWE Hike
Submitted by Emily Boyer, AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Sunday Creek Watershed Project

Multigenerational Appalachian Woodland Explorers (MAWE) Proposed Hikes @ 1400 hours (2 p.m.) on the second Sunday & other outdoor opportunities.

On March 11, 2007 we plan to hike with David Hosack, Forest Manager for the U.S. Forest Serviced at the 2500 acre (soon to be 3200 acres) Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest which is a component of the 16,500 acre Raccoon Ecological Management Area (REMA). 25 folks can access the woodlands on a hay wagon while others can choose to hike and view a variety of woodland management practices.

We will carpool from the Friends Meeting House at 1 p.m. and the Athens Library Home Street Branch around 1:15 p.m.! For more information contact Jessica, Rich & Noah Fox at 740-767-4185.

Don't Be Early!

Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday March 11. Remember to "spring forward" one hour.

Membership Update

We’d like to welcome our newest members:

John T. Adams
Sandra Landis
Athens Insurance Services

And renewing members:

Jean Andrews
Jeff Frontz
Ginger Gehret
Linda Lilienfeld
Dave Schatz

Member support makes all our programs possible. Thank you for joining us!

Volunteer Opportunities

Native Plant Rescue and Tree Planting

Submitted by Matt Miller, AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Monday Creek Restoration Project

Monday Creek Restoration Project (MCRP) will host a tree planting on March 24th, in conjunction with the Rural Action Sustainable Forestry's Native Plant Rescue. The area to be planted is the site of the Lost Run reclamation project, where MCRP and its partners have been constructing limestone leach beds and limestone channels to reduce the discharge of Acid Mine Drainage into Monday Creek. Tree seedlings and small woody shrubs will be rescued from the Nelsonville bypass corridor and transplanted to the Lost Run Project area.

The planting will aid in the reforestation of Wayne National Forest land that was cleared during construction of the Lost Run Project. Benefits from replanting this area include: reducing erosion in the project area, helping native flowering plants to reestablish themselves, and minimizing the impact of gaps on small mammals and songbirds. Also, using rescued hardwood trees and shrubs in the replanting will keep help to preserve locally adapted varieties, and the overall integrity of Wayne National Forest.

For more information, or to sign up to volunteer, contact Elise at 740-742-4401 or Matt of MCRP at 740-394-2047.

Native Plant Rescue partners include Wayne National Forest, Ohio University Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Hocking College, United Plant Savers, and Frontier Natural Products Cooperative.

Editor's Pick

Walter Reed feels close to home
Submitted by Chris Tomazic, AmeriCorps*VISTA for Media

Recently, reports of squalid living conditions and impenetrable red tape at Walter Reed Army Medical Center have flooded news headlines. It is all to easy to dismiss this as an isolated incident - one hospital in one city - but some are beginning to suspect that the problems exposed at Walter Reed may be indicative of a systematic flaws in the military's veteran health care system.

A postcard of Walter Reed Hospital, ca. 1930

Back in December, I heard an NPR news story that reported on an unsettling issue at Ft. Carson in Colorado. Soldiers there - veterans of the current Iraq War - felt helpless because of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But, their helplessness did not stem from the psychological and emotion struggles of a soldier returning from war. Rather, it grew from the Army's inability and unwillingness to provide adequate care for their mental anguish.

Daniel Zwerdling's investigative report told the story of four soldiers who returned from Iraq depressed and angry. Two of the soldiers even attempted suicide. But, when they went to the hospital for help, they were told to wait nearly a month before seeing a counselor. When their performance as soldiers started to suffer, their commanding officers punished them. And, when Zwerdling questioned commanders, they professed opinions that soldiers with PTSD were "weak-minded" and perhaps faking it to get out of further duty in Iraq.

I find these issues about soldier and veteran health care poignant because my sister is a current soldier. Her Army unit is in Germany right now, but she expects to deploy to Iraq by summer. I do not fear for her safety. I have faith that she will return from combat a changed but whole person. I do think, though, that as a society we under appreciate the service that our soldiers do for us. Combat soldiers risk their health daily so that our health is guarded. I am disturbed to think that their reward for that is poor healthcare when they return home.

Fun Facts

Marsupials have very short gestation periods ranging from a few weeks to about a month. The young are born underdeveloped and crawl into the mother's pouch where they are nursed until maturity - which could be nearly seven months later!

Marsupials first evolved in South America about 100 million years ago. At that time, South America, Australia and Antarctica were connected together in one continent. Over time, Australia and Antarctica gradually moved away from South America.

Today, Australia has about 120 species of marsupials, New Guinea has 53 species of marsupials, South and Central America have 90 species of marsupials, and North America has only two species of marsupials.

Wish List

Thank you Maureen Wise for hearing our pleas for a vacuum cleaner! The Trimble office is cleaner than ever.

This week we are wishing for Rural Renewal Strategy house party hosts.
During March and April, 30 storytelling sessions will be taking place in homes throughout Southeast Ohio as part of a new strategic planning process for our work. Hosts will invite their neighbors and other Rural Action members into their homes for intimate gatherings with food and drink to tell their stories about Rural Action and their dreams for our organization’s future.

Hosts are asked to invite guests – ideally eight to twelve would attend; open their doors for a party that would last about two hours; and provide refreshments (such as coffee and cookies) or hold a potluck. We will provide a facilitator; all you have to do is open your door.

If you are interested in hosting a party, contact Sara Peach at 740-767-4938 or sara@ruralaction.org.