Rochester's Horizons Project
Rochester was selected as one of the several communities in Washington State to participate in the Horizons Project. Donna Weaver-Smith was contacted about the program and in late summer of 2008, several individuals from Rochester were given training as facilitators. During October and November several meetings were conducted by the coaches, Joe & Joy Baisch, and the trained facilitators to begin the Rochester Horizons Project. About 40 individuals took advantage of this process which included a description of the program and the Study Circles phase of the project.
Click here to view the list of action items that were determined by the Rochester participants to be important for our community. This list was developed by those Rochester residents who took advantage of attending the Study Circles sessions of this initial part of the project. The Study Circles phase of the project is now complete but there will always be time to make adjustments to the list of action items.
Involvement of all Rochester residents is encouraged even if you have not done so already. It is essential for the entire community to become involved in this project for it to be successful. Each member of Rochester has some knowledge, skill, talent, or ability they can contribute. Our community is much like a human body with various parts - arms, legs, hands, feet, brain, heart, lungs, etc. Each of these has a specific function that cannot be accomplished by any of the other body parts. When one of them isn't doing its job the body doesn't function well. Our Rochester community is the same. Become involved in this project to discover what function, service, skill, talent, or knowledge you can bring to the table to help reduce poverty and bring enrichment to the lives of all who live in Rochester, including yourself and your family.
In December of 2008, several people from Rochester traveled to Spokane to receive training for chronicling the Rochester Horizons Project by both still and video photography and blogging ( Go here to view the blog: http://grandmound-rochester.blogspot.com/ ).
Beginning in January, and extending into March of 2009, several sessions were conducted for the LeadershipPlenty® phase of the program. About 20 Rochester residents attended these sessions. This gives us a core group of individuals with the training to provide leadership and leadership training ability as we continue on with the program.
Doreen Hauser/Lindstrom visited the Grand Mound Rochester Leader LeadershipPlenty® training session on March 3, 2009. This photo was taken before the meeting and not all had arrived yet.
Community Visioning the next phase of the Rochester Horizons Project. While it was important for involvement of ALL Rochester residents for the previous sessions, it is a VITAL COMPONENT for the remainder of the program. Your input and participation is necessary for the success of the program. This is not a time to "let Joe or Suzie down the block" do it for you! He or she cannot bring to the table that which you are able to. Likewise, you cannot bring what he or she is able to the table. It takes us ALL, each one of us, to accomplish this important task!
Watch the calendar on this website for information about when and where these meetings will be held. All Rochester residents are encouraged to attend and participate in identifying and developing the vision Rochester's future. Input from everyone is needed! Each of you has something to contribute. Plan to come out and be a part of this important process.