What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Well, I didn't really take a summer vacation. What I have been doing these first few months is getting out and visiting with regional leaders - from Ft. Lauderdale to Silicon Valley, Louisville to Syracuse - and learning about their successes, their initiatives, and their hopes and dreams. The short story, folks, is that there are enormously talented and energetic citizens out there working hard, and creatively, and successfully, to build vibrant, competitive communities. These are folks who, as John Gardner noted, see "a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems". I hope you'll take a minute to learn more about them and feel the energy that pours out of their efforts.

The Envision Greater Washington Initiative, spearheaded by ARS Board Chair George Vradenburg, is a multi-year, multimillion dollar initiative bringing regional business, civic, and governmental leaders together to chart a common course for growth in the rapidly expanding Washington region. The Initiative, advised by ARS Senior Counsel John Parr and a team of ARS Advisors, was featured in the Washington Post on June 21, 2006.

OneKCVoice is an ambitious attempt to engage regional citizens in significant regional issues like transit and healthcare. A principal focus of OneKC is to gain citizen input around a proposed bi-state regional transit funding district, an outgrowth of the SmartMoves initiative of the Mid-America Regional Council.

Learn more about OneKCVoice at: www.onekcvoice.org/

Good things are happening in Upstate New York.

ARS President and CEO David Thornburgh spoke at the Future of Rural New York Symposium (July 19-21, 2006), organized by Cornell's Community and Rural Development Institute, the Rural New York Initiative, and the NY State Commission on Rural Resources. Over 200 people attended the conference to chart a dynamic course for the future of NY's rural communities.

Learn more about the Rural Vision Project: hosts.cce.cornell.edu/rnyi/documents/
Rural%20Vision%20one%20page%20description%202.pdf

40 Below (http://www.40belowsummit.com/) is an initiative to retain and/or draw young people to the Central Upstate New York region. Launched at an October 2005 summit with over 1,100 young people in attendance, the Initiative has grown into a larger catalyst for positive change in the region. The Ford Foundation recently announced plans to foster "creative communities" in Central Upstate New York's urban centers.

To learn more about this and other efforts transforming the region to a knowledge-based economy: www.mda-cny.com/pdf/184.pdf

The Fresno Regional Jobs Initiative is an effort to increase jobs in the Fresno region, thereby creating sustainable economic development. Thanks to the efforts of regional leaders, the San Joaquin Valley has seen significant growth in construction, manufacturing, information processing, and tourism. In July, San Joaquin Valley leaders persuaded legislators to approve a $5 million appropriation to improve economic conditions in this rapidly growing region. This will help fund the effort to prepare the San Joaquin Valley for the predicted demographic shifts to the region.

Learn more about these and other RJI accomplishments: www.fresnorji.org/

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