Boulder, MT

“The committee dealing with resources and services for the Boulder community have been very active in researching and talking to the appropriate people to get much needed services back into the community. Boulder seems to have been forgotten by the state and this dedicated group of individuals have decided that the people in the Boulder community are not going to be forgotten! “

BCDO has stepped forward to reach out to the community. First a Community Resource Guide was developed and published by Jan Anderson of the Boulder Monitor. It listed 23 active Boulder Area committees partnering for change within the community. The resource guide includes the original Horizons vision focus strategies, actions, solutions, time lines, and supporting resources. It is available at the Boulder Monitor and is called Connection the Community, a Human Resource Guide for Boulder Residents complete with community county state and national listings. A tri-county area directory is included. The Horizon’s Partnership list is included to link leaders, groups and organizations to residents that may require services.

On June 18th, a workshop was held taking action to increase awareness and bring Helena resources closer to the town of Boulder. It encouraged community leaders to assist needy residents to complete complicated government forms and remove the stigma of asking for help.
Leaders were updated on resources and contacts available from Lewis and Clark Co. This will be one of many actions to effectively close the gap identified between services not perceived as available and their impact on the poverty levels within the community.

This parenting support seminar was led by Eric Wahler, a licensed therapist who has worked with teens and their families for 17 years. He presented and shared information to help parents and others build confidence and self-discipline in their teens.
It was held Tuesday, May 13, 2008 from 7-9PM at the Boulder Elementary School library. The seminar was free to the public and assistance with childcare and transportation was available.
The seminar was well attended by representatives from AYA, RMDC, BCDO, 21st CCLC, and Boulder Elementary staff. The diversity of the people they interact with will be an additional resource to create structural change within their work places that supports this community. They received useful new procedures to assist teens and parents in behavior modification and confidence building. The professionals received certification credits and the parents left with new coping and communication skills.

How could your Boulder Community Group use this blog? Let me count the ways…

1. Create a web page (free) and post your meeting minutes (Look to the right ==>)

2. Start a discussion here that you think will dominate an entire meeting and have the discussion online, on the blog, instead, then recap the discussion at the face-to-face meeting.

3. Publicize the wonderful work your group is doing by making your group’s affairs public.

4. Post pictures of your group having so much fun that others are compelled to join you.

5. You can use the blog in any way that benefits your community group. Your imagination is all that is limiting you.

How do you learn to blog? Contact the Connie or Daryl Grenz 225-3288.

The Education committee has now successfully completed two classes: 1) Safe Childcare and 2) Effective Parenting. Both were well attended and were done in conjunction with the 21st Century Community Learning Program. More classes to come!

Comments from Tara Mastel:

As an extension agent working with the whole county, it is great to have a contact for any workshops I want to do. The great people that sit on the committee know what is going on in town and are eager to help bring any more educational programming to town. They even bake and cook home-made meals!

The Boulder Community Development Organization is now officially an organization! After several months of organizing and getting by laws and purposes into place, the temporary board turned it over to the permanent board. Officers were elected and everyone became familiar with the role of the group. There was a lot of enthusiasm and even after many, many meetings of various committees, which expanded participation of community members and the busyness of our daily lives and the temptation of summer time activities, the new board agreed we needed to continue to meet and not take a break. So the next meeting will be July 1st—the first Tuesday of the month and will be held at the United Methodist Fellowship Hall. The meetings will be posted on the blog,community calender, and in the local newspaper to encourage many of the public sector to attend. Brainstorming is always better when many minds meet together! Consideration is being given to becoming a part of the Montana Foundation Association, the first step in creating a Boulder Community Foundation. The Boulder Community Development Organization is a concrete step to reduce poverty, keep the Horizon spirit and enthusiasm alive!

1. Tara Mastel Says: June 6th, 2008 at 2:40 pm edit

I am happy to sit on this board as an ex-officio (I am the extension agent working in economic and community development in this county). It was a great meeting. People come and give their time who are truly interested in the progress of the community.

The handbooks that were prepared were exceptional. They have all the background and copies of the resource guide that the resource committee put together. Very thorough and useful. A great start to an organization that is sure to be long-lived.

WORKING HAND IN HAND

A boatload of committees meet regularly and are engaged in a wide range of activities and at reducing poverty.

The community has been working hand and hand with the community governments. Frequent press releases and news articles appear in the Boulder Monitor. Each one invites and encourages people to be involved.

At least one committee has also scheduled a meeting at which the public health office, clinic, senior citizens’ center, schools, churches and others will be invited to help inform potential human service users of the available resources. In addition a community resource guide has been published and has undergone two printings for wide distribution.

Gary Craft, BCDO and Jan Anderson, newspaper publisher and Boulder Housing Authority Board

THINGS ARE HAPPENING

The Housing program has been started, the skate board park has been approved by the Town Council of Boulder, grants have been written and awarded, new recreational equipment has been sought that will go in the city parks. This will help children of all income levels involved. Remember, Healthy Kids make Healthy Communities

SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE

The Resource Committee published a Community Resource Guide to help inform lower income people and others that need assistance of any kind of services that available in Boulder without having to travel out of the community. Hopefully we will bring in even more.

Carmen Craft, Chamber President, Steering Committee

Linda Norden, Steering Committee, BCDO

WORKING TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY

We have over 23 committees working on the betterment of our community—not all are directly related to poverty, but all are related to the betterment of the community and communication with others which in turn will help, in time, reduce poverty in many different ways.

COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION

The BCDO was developed to continue communication and to coordinate the community. One of the goals is to meet with the various factions and get everyone on the same page, through our action plan and vision statement. We also hope to start a community foundation program to help sustain the programs over the years. Our local newspaper does a tremendous job of covering all of the things that are happening and the meetings—above and beyond what most newspapers do. Faces are put with the programs so people feel connected. Colleen Teeling, BCDO, Linda Norden, BCDO, Steering Committee

GROWING LOCAL JOBS

Our community is trying to bring in more jobs that would be local. The Steering Committee has asked for individuals to join in and help with all of the various groups that have emerged from the Horizon program. In this way each of us will be given an opportunity to voice any ideas, needs, and help that we need. Every person in Boulder is being given an equal opportunity to speak up.

Emily Mathiason, Gail Lattin

SUCCESS IN NUMBERS

The first step we made was in having a large amount of people attend the Horizon program. We have all worked together in sharing our thoughts and ideas in building a better community. The core committee has been developed to help us follow through with our plans.

Mary Ellen Earnhardt, Ellen Rae Theil, Denise Grove, and Nancy Alley

ITS REALLY HAPPENING

The fact that many committees and follow-up activities have happened attests to how much mobilization has taken place. Committees that were started during the Horizon program continue to function and work together for the overall good of the Boulder community.

Cheryl Hassakker, Skate Board Chair, Pat Cansler. Animal Shelter, Barb Reiter, Steering Committee

AWARENESS

The Boulder Horizons program made many more people in the community aware of the level of poverty in the community. People often quote the rate of poverty and are now far more accurate about that figure than before with many expressing surprise over the high level.

LISTENING

There is less finger pointing with fewer people expressing the opinion that it is the attitudes of those in poverty that caused the situation. Perhaps there are people who still think that, but they do not express it like before.

CHANGE

Evidence and understanding of how public policy affects poverty is clear in carrying out the affordable housing project. The city and county became involved in backing the National Affordable Housing Network effort and a Boulder Housing Authority Board was formed. As the Horizons program comes to a close in Boulder, we currently have roughly a half a dozen houses going up (or at least under excavation).

Gary Craft, Boulder Community Development Organization and Jan Anderson, Boulder Monitor newspaper publisher and Boulder Housing Authority Board

MORE THAN ECONOMICS ALONE

More people are now aware of the fact that poverty is not just about economics but comes in many forms and can affect us all at one time or another.

Linda Norden, Boulder Community Development Board (BCDO), Steering Committee Chair

SUCCESS IN NUMBERS

The Horizons program has had great success at all of the community events it has hosted. There has been an attendance of over 80 plus people attending. This has brought more awareness just through people talking to other people. I believe that this has made people more compassionate and more tolerant of each other. It has brought a lot of pride to Boulder, enough so that other communities are noticing a “difference” in Boulder.

MORE HOUSES

The Housing program has started with a projected 5+ houses being built for families in need. Just having the visual of things happening in Boulder are making people believe that things really can change here.

Gerold Craft, Pres. of Boulder Parks & Rec.

Carmen Craft, Chamber President, Steering Committee member, business owner

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS

Perception before: It is their problem, not mine. Perception now: It is my community, it is my problem also, and my responsibility to help make a difference and create the best possible place to live for everyone. The “Not in my backyard” attitude is gone or at least diminishing——and it did not take a tragedy for this to happen! We also realize that this is a long term process that will not happen overnight. There are no quick and easy fixes, the process has to be continual and we have to continue building leadership and pride in our community.

Evidence that the community understands how public policy can affect poverty—-approval of the school mill levy plus grant money received to sustain the after school summer program. The United Methodist Church even donated their building for the programs use during the summer. There is more involvement in city and county government—more voices being heard.

Colleen Teeling, BCDO, Linda Norden, Steering Committee, BCDO

UNDERSTANDING POVERTY

The community is now more aware of the poverty level that is currently in our community. We are talking to each other and in our various groups and committees. We have seen various actions and decisions that have taken place within our community that have taken away services and programs that would have benefited the poor. We do not have enough housing for low income person and families, but we are now working on it. If we all better understood poverty, than we could deal with the matter more effectively, and we would have more compassion and understanding for people in those situations.

Gail Lattin, BCDO, Emily Mathiason, BCDO, Farmers’ Market

COMMUNITY EDUCATION

The education committee has made the community more aware of its poverty awareness through booklets that they have developed. We have gathered data to demonstrate our level of poverty for the purpose of obtaining funds. Awareness through education programs. We have spoken to various community groups making them aware of the poverty needs of our community.

Mary Ellen Earnhardt, Education committee, Nancy Alley, Ellen Rae Theil, Denise Grove, Heritage Center

LACK OF SERVICES

Funding cuts have almost completely eliminated human and social services to small rural communities. A Resource Committee was formed to work with agencies, county commissioners and JLDC (Jefferson Local Development Corporation) to bring the much needed services back to Boulder. The lack of services has been a hardship for many of the folks who need extra assistance. They have all felt that they were forgotten. Now there is hope and involvement.

Cheryl Hassakker, Skate Board Park Chair, Pat Cansler, Horizon participant, Animal Shelter, Barb Reiter, Steering Committee, Resource Committee

The 21st Century Community Learning Center based out of the Boulder Elementary School is applying for a grant from Hamburger Helper and General Mills to support their community garden, Jefferson County Discovery Tours, and The Battle of the Books.
Visit here now to see what people are saying about the importance of these programs to our community and to show your support.

The Metal Mines Grant is another resource the 21st CCLC will be pursuing in April 2008 to be awarded in May 2008. This grant, if received will sustain the program through the summer of 2008, months after the original 5 year grant ends in June 2008. The community utilizes the summer program for enrichment activities, academic & literacy programs, as well as service learning programs supporting the Farmers Market and Heritage Center Tours.

Horizon members are working on specific strategies to implement ideas and make dreams for the future become a reality!

Boulder is a strong community committed to planned growth that enhances new economic diversity while preserving our natural beauty, clean environment, and small town friendly atmosphere. Boulder is a family friendly town with an emphasis and focus towards promoting safe and healthy living and creative new learning opportunities.

Boulder has a diverse economy that builds on its natural resources and heritage while safeguarding our traditional agricultural culture. We continue to support and encourage local business and artisans while promoting value-added products.