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This year, Interact for Health launched our first Rural Investment Strategy, which included the Rural Changemaker Grant, training and event sponsorships in our rural region, and a dedicated Rural Community Council in each state to advise on the grant-making strategy.
As we wrap up the final round of Rural Changemaker Grants for 2024, we sat down with our Rural Community Council Members Shalayne Maxwell (KY), Launi Gum (KY), and Lee Ann Watson (OH) to reflect on their experience:
The purpose of The Rural Investment Strategy was to dedicate efforts to the fourteen rural counties in Interact for Health’s service area. “Rural communities don’t get a lot of focus. We get overshadowed...people forget we have needs, too,” said Lee Ann Watson of the Ohio Rural Community Council. In her work as the Executive Director of Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board, Watson noted that the needs she sees in the community were reflected in the diversity of applications for the Rural Changemaker Grant. For each round of funding, applications were reviewed and scored by Rural Council Members.
Council Members served one-year terms and were encouraged to use their connections in the community to raise awareness about the funding and opportunities. A common theme among Council Members was the importance of centering community voice. Shalayne Maxwell, Non-Residential Service Manager at the Ion Center for Violence Prevention, reflected on her experience, “there are so many good ideas that don’t get voiced because of fear or because people don’t have the opportunity. We’re evolving as a community. We aren’t meant to be stagnant. We need people to share their voices so we can continue to grow and improve.” Launi Gum, who also served on the Kentucky Council and is the Program Director of Champions for a Drug-Free Grant County, noted that requests came from agencies of all sizes. “Small agencies in our community took a chance…a risk with applying, and I am very proud of them for that,” Gum said.
The goal of the Rural Investment Strategy this year and moving forward is to support community-driven change for and by rural community members. When asked what they wanted people to know about their community, Council Members shared a deep appreciation for the resilience of their communities and a hope for future collaboration and problem-solving.
“There is a terrible stereotype that rural communities have nothing to offer. It isn’t true… Grant County dreams big; we all have things that we want to see for our community, our youth, and our future.” – Launi Gum.
“I am proud to work in Clermont County. We are such a collaborative community. We don’t have a lot of resources, but we are good at working together, figuring out problems, and making things work. We don’t let not having enough funding get in the way of getting things done.” - Lee Ann Watson
“Because there is such a resource drought, you become resilient through negative experiences. So being able to have a voice by being boots on the ground has helped me build a positive resilience that there is hope for the future.” – Shalayne Maxwell Interact for Health is grateful for the time and talent dedicated by the 2024 Rural Community Council Members. Our conversation with these council members left our team feeling engaged and inspired and looking forward to the future of this growing, evolving strategy.
The first two rounds of Rural Changemaker Grantees can be found here, with final grant announcements to be announced in the coming weeks. Recruitment for 2025 Rural Community Councils will begin soon. The application will be posted in our Health Watch Newsletter and on our website.
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