Contact:Tim McNeilly, (202) 690-0498
tmcneill@rdmail.rural.usda.gov

USDA ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT TRAINING SESSIONS FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES

     WASHINGTON, May 25, 2001--A series of two-day workshops devoted to training community leaders in strategic planning and how to obtain development assistance will be held this summer by USDA Rural Development’s Office of Community Development (OCD).

    The 2001 Regional Champion Community Training Conferences will be open to interested community leaders at ten locations around the country. The first day of each conference will offer training to help low-income communities develop strategic plans encouraging economic growth in partnership with public and private entities. The second day will be devoted to helping community leaders learn how to apply for development assistance through the Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities (EZ/EC) initiative.

     Under the EZ/EC initiative, USDA provides grants to qualifying low-income communities to encourage economic growth and improve vital infrastructure. Participants are trained to leverage EZ/EC assistance with other resources from public and private entities.

     USDA Rural Development serves as the lead federal entity for rural development needs, and administers program assistance through three agencies: Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service. Further information on USDA Rural Development programs can be obtained by visiting USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov

Details of the training conferences follow.

Schedule of 2001 Regional Champion Community Training Conferences

Louisiana
Dates: June 12-13
Location: U.S. Geological Survey
National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Boulevard Lafayette, LA 70506
Additional Info: www.nwrc.usgs.gov (Information on National Wetlands Research Center) http://www.lafayettetravel.com (Visitor information about Lafayette, Louisiana) States in the region to attend: Arkansas and Mississippi. Contact: Sheila Ford, phone (318) 473-7811

South Dakota
Dates: June 20-21
Location: Mitchell, South Dakota
States in the region to attend: North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Eastern Montana Contact: Pat Gross, phone (605) 624-7060

Washington State
Dates: June 20-21
Location: Spokane, Washington
States in the region to attend: Oregon, Idaho, Western Montana Contact Karen Bailor, phone (360) 704-7704

Georgia
Dates: June 26 (evening registration), 27-28
Location: Andrews College, Cuthbert, GA
States in the region to attend: South Carolina, Florida, Alabama Contact: Jane Ferguson, phone (706) 546-2165

Texas
Dates: June 26th and 27th (possibly also the 28th)
Location: Temple, TX
States in the region to attend: Southern Oklahoma, New Mexico. Contact: Francisco Valentin (512) 863-6502

Pennsylvania
Dates: July 11-12
Location: Harrisburg, PA (tentative)
States in the region to attend: New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern Maryland. Contact: Nancy Brewer, phone (570) 584-6275

California

Dates and location to be announced
States in the region to attend: Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, Alaska Contact: Chris Sundstrom, phone (559) 734-8732, ext. 103

West Virginia
Dates and location to be announced
States in the region to attend: Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee, Virginia, Western Maryland and North Carolina Contact: Jim Anderson, phone (304) 965-2712

Missouri
Dates and location to be announced
States in the region to attend: Kansas and Northwestern Oklahoma Contact Janie Dunning, phone (573) 876-0981