Members of the Sunderland community came together Wednesday, July 18th for the second step of the Sunderland Shines community visit process and set two concrete and actionable priorities for the future of the town. All area residents are encouraged to sign up for these task forces online at bit.ly/SunderlandShines.
As part of the Community Visit process, community members discussed and prioritized a list of 16 Ideas and opportunities for action that were brainstormed in the first phase of the process on June 16th. Through a two-round voting process, Sunderland residents identified two task forces as top priorities to take action. These Task Forces will work to:
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Create and improve community spaces and increase food access
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Expand outdoor recreation trails and access
Local task forces are now forming to move each item forward. Community members are welcome and encouraged to join a task force, regardless of whether or not they have participated in the process so far. Alyssa Johnson, VCRD Community Visit Program Manager says, “At the next meeting, community members will shape the direction of each Task Force by building a plan for first steps and resources. Now is a great time to join your neighbors and work on these action areas!” Community members can sign up online at bit.ly/SunderlandShines or come to the next meeting to learn more.
The third and final phase of the Community Visit process will take place on Wednesday, August 13 from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Sunderland Elementary School. Dinner and drinks will be served, and childcare will be provided. All members of Sunderland’s extended community are encouraged to attend.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the advancement of Vermont communities was invited to the community by the Sunderland Selectboard. Over more than 20 years, VCRD has worked with over 90 communities in Vermont to bring residents together through their facilitated and structured process to share ideas and move towards common solutions.
The Sunderland Shines Community Visit is funded with support from the Northern Border Regional Commission, Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Vermont Community Foundation, National Life Foundation, Lintilhac Foundation, Wisdom Connection, and VCRD supporters and donors.
For more information, visit bit.ly/SunderlandShines, or contact Alyssa Johnson at VCRD at 802-222-6896 or alyssa@vtrural.org.
Vermont Council on Rural Development
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of the locally-defined progress of Vermont’s rural communities. VCRD is a dynamic partnership of federal, state, local, nonprofit and private partners. Actively non-partisan with an established reputation for community-based facilitation, VCRD is uniquely positioned to sponsor and coordinate collaborative efforts across governmental and organizational categories concerned with policy questions of rural import. The organization has facilitated over 90 community processes, resulting in hundreds of locally defined projects including new childcare centers, wastewater infrastructure, downtown redevelopments, and much more.
