Volume 1

Edition 7

July 2008

Virginia's 2008 Rural Summit

September 22-23

Lynchburg's Kirkley Hotel and Conference Center

Policy Makers

Government Officials

Nonprofit Advocates

Private Sector Leaders

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Town Hall Meetings

Rural Policy Forums

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Register Today!

Early Bird Rate

Workforce

Community Capacity

Report On Trends

in Rural America

Workforce

Agriculture

Healthcare

Rural Community

Capacity Building

Rural Summit
Networking Pays Off!

Community Capacity

Networking
Building Partnerships

Professionals find jobs back in rural hometowns

Software engineer Keith Brown was conducting a meeting by teleconference at home when he had to call an abrupt halt. Dido, one of the family's two dogs, had just brought in a dead opossum. Welcome to the professional life in this slice of rural southwest Virginia.

Like many before him, the 42-year-old Brown left this region of rolling hills and verdant valleys after high school because he saw no future outside farming and mining.

"I only left because there were no opportunities," he said.

Keith Brown, a 1983 graduate of Graham High School, is returning home in January from Cincinnati with his wife Julia, and their 23-month-old daughter Wendy. By Sue Lindsey Associated Press Writer Read the full story . . .

By SUE LINDSEY, Associated Press Writer - Sunday, July 27, 2008, (07-27) 23:07 PDT Lebanon, Va. (AP) --

Employment Growing In Southwest Virginia

As the national economy goes, so go the regions in Virginia. Well, not always.

The latest data for nonmetropolitan areas show that employment in Southwest Virginia grew 1.4 percent last year, compared with 0.9 percent in the state. The region encompasses the counties of Lee, Wise, Scott, Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell and the city of Norton.

By Christine Chmura - Times-Dispatch Columnist Read more . . .

Return to Roots is a project of The Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc., and Virginia Tobacco Commission.

Carl Mitchell, President and CEO of the Virginia Economic Bridge serves on the Council for Rural Virginia’s Board of Directors.

Carsey Institute Reports on Rural America

· Carsey Survey Finds Wide Variety In Rural Communities - 23 Jul 2008

The Carsey Institute has conducted an incredibly large poll within four groups of rural counties. Carsey interviewed those living in the Eastern Kentucky coalfields; the Kansas Great Plains; the ski resort area of Colorado; and the Mississippi Delta and "Black Belt" of Alabama. The purpose of the survey was to describe the variety of economies, attitudes and realities of rural life. The survey found that the one thing people in these regions shared was a worry about jobs. Home values varied. So did educational attainment.

But concern about a lack of job opportunities in these rural communities was a constant. The role of religion varied across the regions.

More Republicans lived in the Great Plains counties while the poorer counties in the Delta and Appalachia were more Democratic. A majority of those polled in all the regions knew someone serving in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. Read the Carsey Report

Watch a video of Carsey Director Mil Duncan speaking about the four rural Americas.

Economic Gardening - How does your community grow?

Economic gardening is designed to "grow your own" jobs through entrepreneurial activity within the community. The concept of Economic Gardening (EG) originated with Chris Gibbons in Littleton, CO who 20 years ago decided that it made more sense to work with existing, fledgling and new businesses in the town rather than trying to compete with the 35,000 other ED organizations in the country to recruit in businesses. It is a strategy that has worked well in Littleton and the dozens of other communities that have embraced the idea. The Agurban 7/28/08 Read More . . .

The World - Rounder or Flatter?

Right now, we're talking with them about an expansion to their existing plant which is located in a rural community. It is a conversation we are increasingly having with a number of other manufacturers. Is your community ready when these manufacturers come back knocking on

the door? The Agurban – Read more . . .

A challenge to eat local for Virginia Farmers Market Week

Buy local. Eat local. As the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), I am delighted that so many Virginians are taking these ideas to heart and putting them into practice. They make sense for a lot of very good reasons. If you’re not already on board, Virginia Farmers Market Week is the perfect time to join the crowd. This is a time we set aside to emphasize the importance of farmers markets and all the reasons why buying directly from a farmer makes sense. By Todd P. Haymore, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Read more . . . www.virginiagrown.com EatLocalVa@vdacs.virginia.gov.

Virginia Farmers Market Week - The week of August 5 – 11, 2007 will be a very special one for the more than 100 farmers markets across the Commonwealth. It’s Farmers Market Week, and an ideal time to celebrate Virginia agriculture!.

Note: The Center & Council for Rural Virginia are involved in the ‘Locally Grown’ initiative
--- Jay Poole, Center for Rural Virginia Trustee and the Executive Director, Glen C. Sink.

Governor Kaine Celebrates First Farm Protected by State Funds for Purchase of Development Rights
Clayton Family Farm Enrolls in Albemarle County's ACE Program

ALBEMARLE – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today participated in a ceremony recognizing the first property protected by a local purchase of development rights (PDR) program with funding allocated by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). The property, Clayton Family Farm, is located in Albemarle County near the town of Crozet.

Localities interested in future rounds of grant applications for PDR matching funds should contact VDACS' Office of Farmland Preservation at 804-786-1346. Read more . . . Contact: Delacey Skinner 804.225.4806 . . . Elanie Lidholm VDACS (804) 786-7686 vdacs.virginia.gov

Center for Rural Virginia Board of Trustee, and President of Virginia Agribusiness Council, Donna Pugh Johnson, contributed this link.
“Thank you Donna !”

New Law Allows Virginians to Freeze Their Credit Reports

Consumers gained an additional weapon in the battle against identity theft when Virginia’s new security freeze law went into effect on July 1, 2008. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA), the law (Virginia Code Sections 59.1-444.1-444.2) authorizes individuals to restrict access to their credit reports and lock out anyone seeking to open an account or fraudulently establish new credit in their name. If a consumer has placed a freeze on his credit report, a credit reporting agency is prohibited from releasing the credit report, or any information in it, without the consumer's specific authorization.

Starting July 1, Virginia residents wishing to place a freeze on their credit files may do so by sending a request and paying a $10 fee to each of the three major credit reporting agencies. No fees will be charged to victims of identity theft who submit a valid police report with their freeze request. Once the freeze is in place, the consumer will receive a personal identification PIN #.

Visit the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for full information http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/releases-a/070108creditfreeze.shtml. Read the full text of the new law. Contact Marion Horsley, 804.225.3820

Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine - VCOM’s Summer Enrichment Program ….

High School Students Get a Dose of “Medicine”
The students are learning about the human body. Something Dr. Francine Anderson, Head of Anatomy

at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, says is the foundation for ANY medical career.
View the full article News 7 Feature Check out the VCOM View

This program was also highlighted on Channel 10, in the Roanoke Times and in the News Messenger. www.Vcom.vt.edu

VCOM has a commitment to the medical students and a commitment to rural communities of Virginia and the Appalachian region.

VCOM Dean and Executive Vice President, Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, D.O., serves on the Council for Rural Virginia Board of Directors.

View the Healthcare Cost Chart: Outlook - Pros - Cons, and Possibilities - AARP July/August 2008

Depression and Heart Disease in Diabetes

What is the problem and what is known about it so far? Depression affects about 18 million adults, or about 9% of the U.S. population. People
with depression are more likely to develop disabilities, miss work, be less productive, and spend more money and time on health care. Studies have shown that there is a link between depression and diabetes.

Ten to thirty percent of people with diabetes also have depression. Some people with diabetes who also have depression might be depressed about not being able to control their blood glucose levels, which can lead to complications, and having to pay more for health care. Although

studies have shown that many people with diabetes also have depression, there have not been any studies that link having diabetes and depression to a higher risk of death from all causes and from coronary heart disease.

Depression and all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality among adults with and without diabetes by L.E.Egede, P.J.Nietert, & D.Zheng. Diabetes Care 28:1339–1345, 2005

RAHEC Announces New Officers, New Name

Contact: Jane M. Wills, Executive Director, 804-333-3733, janewills@rahec.org Read the Press Release

Jane Wills, Executive Director, Rappahannock Area Health Education Center, shared the following with Center Council staff: She would not have known about resources for the new Family Maternity Center of the Northern Neck if she had not attended the 2007 Virginia Rural Summit. This center is one of two state pilot projects and is based on a ‘midwifery’ model of care. In the fall of 2004, the closure of four of Virginia’s rural hospitals’ labor and delivery units left large areas of the sate without this service. Local leaders began to look for a way to fill this void (i.e., They needed quality labor and delivery services).

At the dinner table, Jane and Ellen Davis, Virginia State Director, USDA Rural Development began a conversation as we all do when we meet new people at partnership events. Through this conversation, Jane learned how to make this dream become a reality! She and other board members are waiting to hear about a loan application of 1.6 million dollar to construct the center. Learn more Family Maternity Center of the Northern Neck

Ellen Matthews Davis, Virginia State Director, USDA Rural Development serves on the Council for Rural Virginia Board of Directors

~ ~ ~ Filling Our Role As Virginia’s Rural Advocate - Connecting RAHEC and DHCD is a great example of how the Center and Council fulfill our charge to serve as an Advocate for Rural Virginia. Also, a great example of the lasting value Virginia’s Rural Summit can have. New partnerships are created and new doors of opportunity are opened for rural citizens. Networking pays off !

S. 901: Health Care Safety Net Act of 2007 - A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Community Health Centers program, the National Health Service Corps, and rural health care programs.

Victories for Rural Primary Care! Two important developments have occurred in rural health. Read the full story . . .

Center Council staff, Thelma Burris was among 120 NRHA members invited by the National Rural Health Association to participate in
a conference with Senator Blanch Lincoln following the passage of S. 901. Thelma received a request to publish her comment Read the email request

More Americans, including insured, forgo medical care ‘Due to Cost’

A report from the Center for Studying Health System Change shows that "an increasing array of Americans, many with health insurance, are delaying or forgoing medical care because of concern about cost," reports the Wall Street Journal. The uninsured had the highest rate of delaying or forgoing needed care at 38 percent. Read More - Cover the Uninsured

Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) - Nonprofit community development organizations to receive funding for capacity building and technical assistance

Program will work with organizations to increase their capacity for serving their communities - Richmond, VA – The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has announced $140,000 in grants through the agency’s Office of Community Capacity Building (OCCB). The grants are being funded through Seed, a two-year capacity building and operational support program for nonprofits and local governments engaged in community development activities.

Basil Gooden, DHCD Principal Deputy Director, serves on the Council for Rural Virginia Board of Directors

Kellogg Foundation Expands Rural Policy Networks - June 3, 2008 - - - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Battle Creek, MI) -- The Rural People, Rural Policy (RPRP) Initiative welcomes 26 organizations joining the Rural Policy Networks. This multi-year initiative is designed to improve the lives of those living in small communities across the nation. Each organization receives a $100,000 grant (over five years) to participate in the Initiative. Of the seven Networks, there are four regional ones: Central Appalachia, Great Plains, Mid-South, and Southwest. Two are non-regional: an At-Large network and a Network of National Organizations. In 2008, Kellogg funded an existing Michigan Network. The Networks bring together diverse organizations for developing policies locally, statewide, regionally and nationally that positively impact small communities.

The recent additions strengthen the Networks with rich expertise across various sectors including agriculture, land use policy, education, youth development and health. “Our emphasis at the WKKF is to build and strengthen of the Networks while also encouraging their organic expansion and active engagement in policy change for rural people and places,” said Caroline Carpenter, Program Director, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Joining the Central Appalachia Network: Appalshop, Incorporated, Whitesburg, KY, Highlander Research and Education Center, Inc., New Market, TN, Partnership of African American Churches, Institute, WV, Rural Action, Inc. Trimble, OH, and Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc. Radford, VA.

Note: VEB, Inc., joins the Council for Rural Virginia (Glen Sink) and Virginia Rural Health Association (Beth O’Connor, Executive Director) in the RPRP initiative.

Center Council Executive Director, Glen C. Sink represents the Council for Rural Virginia in the RPRP initiative, and with the CARN group.

Questions or comments?

Email

or call 540-231-6866

Editor and Design
Thelma Burris

Contributing Editor
Glen C. Sink

Contributing Editor
Cheryl Anderson