Leadership  |  Goals  |  Accomplishments  |  Resources  |  News and Events

The Center for Rural Virginia serves as a catalyst to empower local governments, to encourage continuity, coordination, and cooperation across the state and between regions, and to generate creative approaches for the purpose of the economic, social and demographic revitalization of rural Virginia, while retaining its quality of life.   

The Center is made up of leaders from across the Commonwealth looking for solutions to offer greater opportunities to rural citizens. ‘Local people just like the people we serve!’  During 2006, four regular meetings of the Board of Trustees were held; through a joint effort with the Council for Rural Virginia, the Center helped plan and conduct Virginia’s 2006 Rural Summit, and throughout the year was instrumental in bringing information about rural needs and opportunities to numerous groups across the state. 

The hallmark of the organization remains constant, ‘collaboration’, and bridging the gap between services to urban and rural areas.  Our challenges require innovative solutions and investing time and energy into promoting partnerships to work for increased opportunities and finding solutions for obstacles that face small business, rural farmers, agribusinesses, education and healthcare.  Important to this effort is providing information on access to capital to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to position their business for growth.   

In 2006, the Center partnered with technology companies across the Commonwealth to promote affordable broadband . . . broadband serves as a vehicle for rural advancement. Remote areas that once could not attract business and industry are on a more level playing field and have a greater opportunity to advance because of telecommunications.   

This year has been a particularly busy one. The Center supported innovative approaches to addressing issues, challenges and opportunities facing rural areas.  We are encouraged by the enthusiasm of rural communities and the inroads made with the help of volunteers across the state (i.e., citizens who care about and are willing to make a difference in rural). Positive results in 2006 represent the hard work of many groups, and serve to encourage continued efforts through regional dialogue to sustain long-term social and economic development in rural, remote communities.

Center Established the Following Focus Areas:
 

• Capital Access and Entrepreneurship - Working to develop resources whereby rural business and entrepreneurs that need funding can be paired with resources for businesses start and/or operation.
• Building Leadership and Community Development through encouraging regional cooperation and facilitating local and regional meetings to hear the citizens’ voice.
• Promoting Affordable/Accessible Broadband Deployment - The Center for Rural Virginia serves as a connecting point for telecommunications providers to support equitable expansion of broadband across the state.  In today’s market, access to broadband for everyone, especially rural access,  is essential for community and economic growth
• Healthcare - The Center is promoting coordination of information about ways to make healthcare more accessible to rural residents. Geographic location, lack of transportation, economic issues and lack of education are often barriers. The Center’s challenge is to help close this gap by affecting public policy.
• Education/Workforce Development - Affecting Education by strengthening relationships between rural school systems and educational resources through appropriate advocacy, and working for policies that benefit rural.
  Workforce Development through approaches to education, job training and life long learning to ensure that the workforce has the skills to stay employed.
• Agriculture and Natural Resources - The Center partners with current agriculture organizations and promotes programs that help sustain agricultural and forestry production and protect land and water resources through sound land and community planning.
• Providing Useful Information Exchange The Center serves as a convener of issues and a clearinghouse for information at the federal, state and regional level on rural issues about any facet of rural need.  Whether issue or opportunity, the Center has learned who the players are, who needs the information, which have the expertise, and promoted partnerships to join resources and people to strengthen and improve rural life.

  Special Projects

A number of new and distinct organizations and individual citizens convened with the Center to work for solutions and promote opportunities across the Commonwealth. 

  A Collaborative Activities Agreement was created between the Council for Rural Virginia, funded by USDA/Rural Development and the Center for Rural Virginia forging a strong partnership for rural revitalization
in Virginia.  

  A Joint Effort between the Center and Council for Rural Virginia convened successful Virginia Rural Summits in 2005 and 2006 with emphasis on:  

  A Capital Access Round Table was held to bring together public and private organizations to identify financial resources and resource gaps for rural needs.  

Conclusion: Education and coordination of available resources is the critical element missing in an effort to grow entrepreneurship in rural Virginia. 

  The Center’s Goals include:

 To provide a Virginia rural business financial resource directory designed to
    improve the financial viability of rural producers and service providers.

To assist rural entrepreneurs by providing information on access to specialized
   business planning assistance

To establish a program for access to special capital loan programs

To help early stage rural enterprises with the operational and market risk
    assessment and access to formal business plan development. 

     Affordable Broadband Access throughout rural Virginia

Broadband holds the same importance for moving goods and services as farm-to-market highways did for past generations. 

Measurable Progress -  Partnerships were formed with:   

    Work In Progress 

The Center is working to ensure that tools are affordable to citizens of rural Virginia, at their businesses and in their homes.

Rural Benefit: Broadband will level the infrastructure necessary to compete in our expanding global economy, and greatly aid access to quality and affordable services.

Telemedicine: The delivery of healthcare through telemedicine, and local healthcare providers will continue to improve access for rural citizens who do not have transportation or resources for long-distances specialized treatment.

Agriculture and Forestry: The Center serves as a partner to promote sound decisions and excellent planning for land and water resources. 

   Effective Partnerships:  

The Center formed a partnership to create a Rural Caucus and provided on-going support and interactions to involve: 

  Forward Progress: 

    The Center is effectively creating connecting links across the state to promote Rural Partnerships. 
    Our partners include: 

• Southwest Virginia Tourism through “Round the Mountain” and “the Crooked Road”
• Franklin County education and economic development strategy engagement session
• Southside Education Leadership through the Virginia Rural Education Association
• Eastern Shore and Southwest through the Virginia Rural Health Association
• Middle Peninsula telemedicine initiatives
• Statewide RC&D Councils and Northwestern Planning Districts involving regional dialogues around agriculture and natural resources land planning and conservation initiatives
• Virginia Economic Bridge to leverage resources for statewide rural issues and programs
• Longwood University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech and Southside communities on “Charting the Course for Southside Virginia” to evaluate the educational, economic, social and civic issues affecting the region
• Many other organizations to develop and expand initiatives in tourism, a capital access portal and sustainable energy alternatives for agriculture and natural resources.
• Focus and leadership groups across rural areas of the Commonwealth to learn who the stakeholders are and obtain input on core strategies and vision relative to “higher education and economic revitalization.

  Rural Strategic Planning: 

    The Center helped bring rural agencies and organizations together in October to develop a Rural
    Strategic Plan.  The 'next step' is to identify partnership activities and organizations that will take
    responsibility to execute the plan initiatives.   

• Planned accomplishment: Re-convene the groups for a roundtable discussion to evaluate the actions needed and success toward revitalizing rural Virginia.
• Follow-up Measures will be to evaluate the number of groups or entities that now have an impact on the revitalization and economic health of rural Virginia.
• Measure currently involved entities to those that become involved as a result of the groups outreach.
• Geographic impact that denotes the original eleven organizations and identifies new organizations as they come on board.

    Lastly, the Center for Rural Virginia concluded the year with the Board of Trustees plan to finalize
    work that has already begun on a Strategic Plan to move the organization forward in 2007.

2005 Joint Center and Council Accomplishments

		Partnered to convene the first Rural Leadership Conference, an event we anticipate becoming an annual conference
		Promoted the creation of the Secretary of Agriculture in the Governor's Cabinet
		Collaborated on the development and implementation of an Awards Program for Rural Communities
		Participated and collaborated with other organizations on the conference "Charting the Course: The Role of Higher Education and Research in the Economic Revitalization of Rural Virginia"
		Collaborated on a mobile workshop offered during the International Rural Network Conference, "Innovative Place-Based Services for the Rural Economy"
		Participated with the Southern Growth Policy Board (SGPB) focus group
		After collaborating with other organizations on defining what is "rural" Virginia, began development of a Rural Agenda for the commonwealth
		Developed a strategic plan and executed a Joint Resolution between the Center for Rural Virginia and the Council for Rural Virginia
		Developed a draft of Collaborative Activities Agreement and approved a Letter of Intent between the Center and Council—Agreement to be finalized in early 2006
		Achievement of 501(c)(3) tax status
		Hired executive director
		Opened offices in Richmond and Blacksburg

© 2006 The Center for Rural Virginia