Alexis Halbert named Heart and Soul project coordinator
The North Fork Vision 2020 project is progressing. The valley received a $100,000 grant to continue to work on a project to help position the North Fork Valley for a future that inspires the best for the community.
Whether young or old, a businessperson, a farmer, a coal miner or a nonprofit organizer, the Heart and Soul process is about each one and the North Fork Valley. Since the beginning of this year, a good foundation for the two-year Heart and Soul process has been building. It is intended to unlock the potential of the valley.
An essential part of working in the community is to form a Community Advisory Team that represents all facets of the North Fork Valley community. Team members provide leadership, legitimacy, skills, energy, sweat and time. They put the "local" in a local project, and as teammates they pull in the same direction toward concrete accomplishments. Anyone interested in joining the team, may respond by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
On March 5th at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall, the Community Advisory Team will have its first gathering.
North Fork Vision 2020 is partnering with Delta County Economic Development, the three North Fork towns, and the Chambers of Commerce and the Orton Family Foundation to share the tools and resources for the project.
After a search of the North Fork area, a selection team representing the valley hired a part-time project coordinator, Alexis Halbert. She has been in the North Fork Valley for several years. Halbert is the president of the Paonia Chamber of Commerce and brings expertise in project management, organizing and community development. Halbert will be working with Sally Kane and Elaine Brett. Kane is a well-known Crawford resident who grew up in Paonia and is an expert in leading organizations and in community facilitation. Brett is a Hotchkiss "newcomer" of eight years who has worked on promoting food and ag projects in the valley and is a business consultant and facilitator in organizations all over the world.
At the end of February, they will attend a training session with representatives from other Heart and Soul communities including Essex Junction, Vermont; Gardiner, Maine; Polson, Montana, and Cortez, Colorado. The goal is to learn from each other.
Together they will be designing a plan that will help guide the project for the next two years and involve all facets of the community.
The team is planning a community "kick-off" in April and would like to hear from all those interested. Contact them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
blog comments powered by Disqus