(Montpelier, VT) Sunderland community members are encouraged to participate in the second step of the Sunderland Shines Community Visit process by joining the meeting on Wednesday, July 16 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Sunderland Elementary School to discuss and vote for community-led actions that will improve the future of their town.
Selectboard Chair Todd Lawrence says, “Your voice matters. Our town matters. Join us for free pizza, great conversation, and a chance to vote on community-driven ideas at the next Sunderland Shines event!”
Participants at the July 16 meeting will review the ideas brainstormed by community members in surveys, at a youth forum, and during the June kickoff event. Through discussion and multiple rounds of dot-voting, the community will choose top priorities for action. All members of the Sunderland community are encouraged to join — including year round and seasonal residents, youth, families, and those who work in town or who own businesses — even if they didn’t join the first meeting. Dinner and childcare will be provided, and transportation or other accommodations are available. Learn more about the process at bit.ly/SunderlandShines or contact Alyssa Johnson at (802) 222-6896 or alyssa@vtrural.org.
VCRD Community Visit Program Director Alyssa Johnson says, “It was inspiring to see the energy and ideas generated by Sunderland community members at the kick off meeting. This next meeting is a crucial time for Sunderland community members to weigh in and help shape the future of your town!”
This event is the second of three steps in a Community Visit process, which brings community members together to examine issues and generate ideas, decide top priorities, and develop action plans for the future of their town. The first step of this process collected input on the opportunities and challenges facing Sunderland from over 100 community members through forums at a community dinner, paper and online surveys, and a youth forum. A Visiting Team of representatives from state and regional organizations joined to listen and will serve as resources to the community as they take action.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) provides the overall structure and neutral facilitation throughout the Sunderland Shines process. VCRD is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the advancement of Vermont communities and has brought together over 90 Vermont communities in facilitated and structured processes to share ideas and move towards common solutions.
The third meeting in the process will take place on Wednesday, August 13 at 6 pm at the Sunderland Elementary School to build action plans around the chosen priorities and launch local task force groups.
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 or assistance engaging in the process, visit bit.ly/SunderlandShines or contact Alyssa Johnson 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 successfully completed over 90 community visits, resulting in locally defined projects like new childcare centers, wastewater infrastructure, and downtown redevelopments.
