WSU Sociology Students at Work for You!

Sociology 433, an undergraduate class at Washington State University, has been researching options and resources for topics that are important to your rural communities as you work to reduce poverty. Topics include: affordable housing, neighborhood safety, youth activities and much, much more.

Your community may be in contact with one of these teams, but all of their research may be relevant to the issues you are addressing. Click to the Horizons website http://www.horizons.wsu.edu/project/horizons3/community.html to read about their work.

MAPP - Microenterprise Assistance Pilot Program

One of the most exciting ventures that Benton City's participation in the Horizons program has brought us is the Microenterprise Assistance Pilot Program (MAPP). Please check back for updates to this post - what we've done, successes, and notices of upcoming events.

Horizons - creating change in our community

In the Spring of 2009, about 40 people including members of the Ki-Be High School leadership class participated in the Leadership Plenty training. Many good things have been started from connections made and excitement generated by those training sessions.

• The need to update our city parks was identified as a priority to provide our children a safe place to play and for community members to gather.
  -- Several class participants developed a position paper and presented it to City Council to solicit their support.
  -- Participants partnered with the Benton City Chamber of Commerce to serve breakfast and other concessions at the Citywide Yard Sale, with proceeds designated for park improvements.
• High school student Jessy Kurth and chaperone Shawn Rutledge attended the State 4-H Conference in Pullman, bringing back lots of good ideas.
• Our head librarian has become more aware of community needs for access to technology and will continue to work to expand ways the library can help community members connect to information via the internet and other resources.
  
• One of the community needs identified by the high school students is for a thrift shop, a local place where they could buy clothing inexpensively. Serendipity happened with the Lower Valley Hospice desiring to expand their services in this area and wanting to open a second thrift shop to support their non-profit organization (the first Hospice Benefit Shop - HoBS - is in Prosser).
  -- The shop will be staffed by volunteers, senior citizens working with high schoolers.
  -- The high school wood shop students are building the sorting/storage area addition to the new shop facility.
  -- Landlord's improvements to the building have sparked other downtown merchants to make facade upgrades.
  -- Another downtown merchant was encouraged to expand her offerings to fill a gap in needs between what the thrift shop will have and what she was already doing.
  -- The expected January/February opening is anticipated with excitement by the community.
• A conversation between participants ("Why can't we have ... like they do in the Tri-Cities?" led to the initiation of Benton City First Fridays, an informal monthly networking event that has facilitated sharing of good ideas, tips, and better communication. Feedback has included the desire for a second similar event to be held at a different time of the week so that those who can't come in the morning could participate.
  

On a sad note, we mourn the untimely passing of Leadership Plenty participant Charlie Parent, who had recently returned to his hometown with hopes of providing much-needed services to our senior citizens.

Upcoming events - April

April 11 - Community cleanup day, free dump day for city residents
April 11 - Easter egg hunts, 10 am City Park, 11:30 Lions Club
April 12 - Community Easter sunrise service, 7:00 am Ki-Be High School football field
April 18 - Renew Yourself, Renew the Earth: 8:30 am registration for Fun Run/Walk; 9 am Run, 9:45 Walk; 10:30 Bike Rodeo & helmet fit; 1:00 pm Skateboarding Exhibition; displays & exhibits all day; Cherry Blossom Limo Tours; Segways
April 17-19 Sagebrush Freetrapper Mountain Man Rendezvous, Rattlesnake Mt. Shooting Facility
April 18 - 11:00 am Mud Bog Races
April 18 - BCJFRA horse show at the fairgrounds
April 25 - Spring Opener Car & Bike Show
April 26 - BCJFRA horse show at the fairgrounds

EDC and Business News

Please post local business news. Chamber of Commerce is a source of news. Post local Business meetings, EDC meetings, business parks updates and development progress. Also economic development studies. Please send post to cjhickel@gmail.com. Place "EDC" or "Business" in the subject line of the email.