Uncommon Communities

Our Journey began over four years ago when a small group of volunteers began making plans to promote economic growth and development for their community. Their efforts began in earnest with great strides made in revitalization efforts that did not go unnoticed. It didn’t take this team long to make the connections they needed to move their efforts forward and were invited to be a part of a larger group of individuals dedicated to community development.

This newly formed group of representatives from Van Buren County, one of five counties, participated in an initiative titled Uncommon Communities. The initiative was a partnership between the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service’s Breakthrough Solutions program and the Extraordinary Communities program developed by Dr. Vaughn and Sandy Grisham of Oxford, Mississippi. The goal of the initiative was to provide training for community development leaders in the five counties and to also provide assistance with development projects.The group that attended these monthly meetings over a period of three years have departed with a wealth of knowledge and experience with the tools needed to help their communities grow and succeed.