Rural Action 2003
Annual Report

the Seeds

From the Executive Director
2003 Revenue and Expense
From the Board President

the Soil

Collaborators and Community Partners

Grants and Contracts

Business and Organizational Members

the Roots

Program Highlights:
Sustainable Communities
Sustainable Economies
Sustainable Environments

the Branches

2003 Staff Members

the Fruit

Sustainability

the Roots

 

Program Highlights
Sustainable Communities

Arts and Cultural Heritage Program
Through this program’s endeavors, we seek to nourish the spirit of the community with recognition of its cultural heritage and the inspiration of the arts.

2003 Accomplishments:
• Completion and publication of a Youth Poetry Chapbook, with
original poems by Nelsonville youth involved in a series of workshops.
• Dedication of the Glouster Mural, with key speakers from the
Foundation for Appalachian Ohio joining the Mayor of Glouster and
Rural Action’s Carol Kuhre.
• Dedication of the Nelsonville Mural and kick-off of the Mural Corridor
project.

Community and School Connection
This program worked to organize citizens to develop strategies that strengthen rural communities through their schools.

2003 Accomplishments:
• Worked with COSI and citizens in Stewart (Athens Co.), Beaver (Pike
Co.) and Pennsville (Morgan Co.) to preserve old school buildings for
community use.
• Helped Federal Hocking Local (Athens Co.), Green Local (Wayne Co.)
and Warren Local (Washington Co.) citizens gain input on possible
new school facilities.

Community Organizing and Support Initiative
Known as COSI, this program works with rural communities to build
local citizens’ capacity by increasing their knowledge, building and
utilizing their skills for community betterment and promoting sustainability among those citizen groups working to revitalize their communities for positive change. COSI seeks to facilitate strong citizen team development and ensure the growth of community capacity through reinforcement of solid skills and raised awareness.

2003 Accomplishments:
• Helped organize a Glouster Open House & Memory Tour with 125
attendees.
• Helped promote and organize the first Appalachian Ohio Festivals
Conference and the Murray City Chautauqua, assisting at the latter
event with development of a historic drama depicting Snow Fork’s first
settlers.
• Guided the Federal Valley Resource Center Committee and the
Pennsville Community Committee through community group
development processes, helping the former group become a non-profit
and save an old school building for possible community center use.
• Coordinated 800 volunteer hours with the help of 50 volunteers.

Environmental Learning Program
The ELP works with young people, teachers and families to foster a sense of wonder, responsibility and stewardship of the natural world. ELP programs reached 2,218 children in 2003.

2003 Accomplishments:
• Organized the first annual Winter Wonders Educators Workshop at
Lake Hope State Park, helping educators increase their skills and
acquire tools necessary to integrate environmental education into
their classrooms.
• Sponsored the second annual Earth Walk, raising $2,000 for ELP
activities.
• Presented environmental concepts and natural interpretation sessions
to 80 girls at Hocking College’s Girls Exploring Math and Science
(GEMS) program.
• Provided Watershed Day Camps for 35 Federal Valley and Sunday
Creek Watershed youth, encouraging active watershed stewardship
roles and raising local water quality issue awareness.
• Offered 10 weeks of after-school programming to 383 students at seven
Vinton Co. schools, and conducted Kids On Campus After-School
Programs for 149 students at three Athens Co. elementary schools.
• Organized environmental education programs for hundreds of area
students, with programs at school events, libraries, festivals,
conferences and state park outings.

Job Training Staff
Rural Action staff provided work experience and taught job skills to 15
community members in the Ohio Works First Program. JTS workers
filled important organizational roles while developing and strengthening
clerical skills and handling maintenance and janitorial services,
recycling and bulk mailings for all of our offices.
2003 Accomplishments
• Two gained full-time employment
• Three pursued higher education

Ohio Fair Schools Campaign
Initiated by Rural Action, this program spun off in 2003 to become an independent non-profit organization. The OFSC’s mission is to organize and advocate for high-quality public education opportunities for all Ohio children, whatever their circumstances.

2003 Accomplishments:
• Held a rally with 900 participants, engaging citizens in the state
budget process.
• Began “Our Schools, Our Voices,” a student project involving 18
teachers and about 450 students surveying peers about their schools’
available resources.
• Held an essay contest for grade 7-12 students.

Youth Act
In 2002, Rural Action developed Youth Act, a youth grant-making project at three area middle schools. In 2003, these councils gave away over $15,000 in grants for service learning projects in their schools and
communities.

2003 Accomplishments:
• Formation of Youth Grant-Making Councils at Trimble and Federal
Hocking Middle Schools and Alexander Jr. High, with over 50 young
people developing grant guidelines, soliciting classmate proposals and
participating in school year community service learning projects.
• Recognition via Athens Children’s Services’ KUDOS (Kids Undercover
Doing Outstanding Service) Award of Alexander Jr. High’s “Sunflower
Association.”

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