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AWARDS
Points of Light Foundation honors Rural Action
December 2004
Ohio Hill Country Heritage Area honors Carol Kuhre
December 2004
Monday Creek receives ODNR Minerals Education Award
December 2002
National Rural Community Assistance Award
April 2000
National Award for Sustainability
Rural Action presents Sustainability Awards
National
Rural Community Assistance Award presented by USDA
Forest Service
December 2002
The Community Organizing and Support Initiative (COSI), a program of Rural Action, has received the National Rural Community Assistance Award from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
The award was presented to Rural Action Executive Director Carol Kuhre at a luncheon in December at the Wayne National Forest Headquarters. COSI received the award for its Partners in Leadership Development Program, which has worked with local communities since 1997.
The Rural Community Assistance Award is given annually by the Forest Service. Rural Action competed with organizations throughout the country for the honor. Awards are given to those organizations whose work mirrors the community-oriented goals developed by the Forest Service. Rural Action was the only organization to receive an award in the special category of capacity building.
"The Forest Service has been concerned for many years with the quality of life of communities within and near the national forest," stated Ted King, Partnership Coordinator for the Wayne National Forest. King and the Wayne National Forest nominated Rural Action for the honor. "Rural Action is in distinguished company," King noted.
About the Partners in Leadership Development Program
The Partners in Leadership Development Program has partnered with 18 communities in 6 Appalachian Ohio counties since its inception. Over 90 participants received training in 12 different leadership and community development skills. "The purpose of the program is to empower citizens," stated Candi Withem, COSI coordinator. "We help members recognize that they already possess the skills and resources necessary to revitalize their communities."
Results to Date
During the course of the program COSI gave out 16 mini-grants for community-designed projects. These grants were funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Governor's Office of Appalachia, and as a result, over $200,000 has been pumped into local economies.
The award recognizes the collaboration between COSI and the Wayne National Forest. Rural Action and the Wayne National Forest have worked together for the last four years to serve communities that are located in or on the border of the Forest, such as Murray City. Rural Action's PLD gave a mini-grant to the Murray City Improvement Committee which became the nucleus of a restoration project at its historic train depot which community members transformed into a city museum.