Efforts of collaboration in the Marshall/Lyon County

Check out prairie business magazine article on the efforts of collaboration in the Marshall/Lyon County community.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Rural America economic development challenging, but not impossible

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My Marshall Kick Off!

Tuesday, August 30, 5-6:30 p.m. at the Marshall YMCA

Marshall area residents are invited to this exciting event. Eleven community initiatives will be unveiled.  My Marshall stewards will be present to greet and answer questions.  If you are interested in what’s happening in the Marshall area, are interested in getting more involved, or simply want to meet your neighbors, please join us.  Enjoy a light meal during a brief description of each initiative.  Community members will be invited to sign a declaration of interdependence, a commitment to work together, as many of the initiatives may take between one to five years to accomplish.

This initiative is brought forth by Marshall area community members to strategically align our resources.  If you have any questions about this project or would like to get involved in the leadership please contact a member of the My Marshall Leadership Team:

Jason Banks - Jason.Banks@bigstonetherapies.com

Amber Crowley - Amber.Crowley@avera.org

Jacob Fahl - jcfahl@Bremer.com

Stacy Frost - Stacy.Frost@SMSU.edu

My Marshall

• A grassroots effort working together to engage citizens and connect neighbors.
• A collaborative effort, connecting people, projects and resources.
• Building on the positive – the community we all want to live in.
• Creating a focus for a better future.
• Building consensus on use of community resources.

Over 40 Marshall area stewards have been working on the My Marshall initiative for over a year in discerning Marshall’s best assets and greatest needs through dialogue with community members.  The following initiatives, have been decided upon as Destiny Drivers, initiatives the My Marshall stewards have brought forth as community priorities.

Destiny Drivers

Social Inclusion:

1. Every child will have an opportunity to achieve success in school.
   Champion:  United Way/Ruth Ascher
2. Marshall will create a culture of neighborliness and inclusivity.
   Champion:   Marshall Community Services
3. Marshall will nurture diverse leadership opportunities in order to connect and engage all.
   Champion:  Marshall Community Services.
4. Marshall will become a Yellow Ribbon Community
   Champion:  Marshall Leadership Academy

Economic Opportunity:

1. The Marshall Area will have a clear and effective economic development strategy and organization by September 2011
   Champions: Ben Martig & Cal Brink
2. Complete the Amateur Sports Facility by 2015
   Champions: Roger Madison & Jacob Fahl
3. Marshall will develop the Marshall Area Performance Excellence Network to improve individual, organization, and community performance by sharing knowledge and best practices that transcend organizational boundaries.
   Champion: Klint Willert

Livable Community:

1. Marshall’ s downtown district will be revitalized into a vibrant economic, arts, entertainment, and cultural center by 2015.
   Champion: Committee comprised of Chamber, City, Downtown Business Group, MAFAC, PHM, etc
2. Completion of a paved trail between Marshall and Camden by 2016.
   Champion: PHM trails committee
3. Marshall will have the region’s only fully developed MERIT center by 2020.
   Champion: MERIT center commission
4. Marshall will be recognized as a Green Step City by 2016.
   Champion: Tom Hoff

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Hello and welcome to the My Marshall initiative.   This initiative is brought forth by the community of Marshall to strategically align our resources to make the town of Marshall the best place it can be.  If you have any questions about this project or would like to get involved in the leadership please contact us, we would love to have you!

“The community of Marshall has given me great opportunities to grow as an individual and learn from its respected leaders.  I came to Marshall through SMSU to play basketball thinking It’d be four years and on my way to bigger and better things.  My transformation came the first day on campus when talking with a teammate.  He told me, “it’s not about where you are, but what you do while you are here.”  We all have that opportunity to create the life we desire!  I met my wife here and we have two lovely daughters to raise in this wonderful community.  It is my responsibility to give back to the community and help create a sustainable, stronger, and progressive vision for all of us.  The My Marshall initiative gives us the direction needed to align all of our efforts for a desired quality of life.  Be Impactful, Be A Better Marshall!” Jacob Fahl, Bremer Bank

“My Marshall’s” most important contribution has been new leadership asking a very important question, “Are Marshall’s best days behind us? Or ahead of us?”

– Harry Weilage, Marshall Community Services

“I grew up in the Marshall area and graduated from SMSU.  Being part of the My Marshall Initiative has given me a platform of participation in the strategic development and growth of Marshall Region.  This initiative is an opportunity for me to give back to the community and the region through purposeful leadership and engagement.”

Amber Crowley, Avera Marshall

“Being a newcomer to the area gives me a perspective on social inclusion.  How do the people who have lived here for some time welcome others into all aspects of the community? Because I have lived in a number of different places and cultures I have found ways to get involved.  My concern is for those who come from other countries with mother tongues not English and who have another culture.” Sr. Sharon Altendorf, Avera Marshall

“‘Working together we can accomplish much more than when we stand alone.’

I believe that thought applies to families, workplaces, organizations and to the area where we live.”

Ruth Ascher, United Way of Southwest Minnesota

“Marshall has historically been a community that takes care of itself. My Marshall continues that legacy with a citizen’s group that develops priorities and then recruits the resources to achieve those amenities and improvements that have long term local and regional impact.” Roger Madison, Bremer Bank

“Our family of 8 moved to Marshall seven years ago and have fallen in love with the community.  We love the people, the family values, and great environment to raise our family.  We want others to have the same opportunity to live in a thriving, vibrant community.  My Marshall lays the groundwork to unite the community with a common vision and helps us all move in that direction. Together and united, we can accomplish more with the great people and resources of Southwestern Minnesota.”

Don Jones, Donald L. Jones Consulting

“MyMarshall is about engaging the community to establish a shared strategy in an effort to continue to move ourselves forward as a quality place to live and do business.  The leadership team includes a manageable number of engaged members of the community who have been very deliberate in seeking input from the community through surveys as well as personal conversations. The MyMarshall movement is about achieving some realistic and tangible goals through a cooperative plan involving numerous stakeholders.  It is an easy sell to get people involved in projects that are supported by the community and at the end of the day are able to demonstrate real results.” Ben Martig, City of Marshall

“We all play a role in building a future for our community.”

Pat Mellenthin, The Arc Minnesota

“My husband and I came here for jobs and ending up staying here and loving it!  We raised our family here and have had a Marshall address for many years.  We are both from rural communities and believe that Marshall has enough of a small town feel with the assets of a larger community.  I graduated from SSU (now SMSU) and am very invested in our community.  I am involved in several community groups and am extremely honored to be a part of the My Marshall initiative.  It gives me an opportunity to work along side other community members to help shape Marshall’s future for generations to come!”
Joyce Arends, Marshall Public Schools

“My Marshall is a movement of community engagement and improvement.  Through extensive and ongoing input, the community has offered a vision for a bright future and My Marshall provides the structure for that vision to become a reality!” Klint Willert, Marshall Public Schools

“I came to Marshall nearly 30 years ago to attend Southwest Minnesota State University, it was there that I met my wife Cheryl and we decided to make Marshall our new home.    This community is such a great place to raise a family; it is safe and offers so many opportunities for young people to remain engaged.    We have been committed, through our work and volunteerism, to make this a better place to live and are excited about the possibilities that the “My Marshall” project has to educate the community and mobilize agencies, businesses and community members around critical initiatives.”

Thomas Hoff, SW/WC Service Cooperative