The vision of New Richmond Area Community Foundation (NRACF) consists of three basic pillars: leadership, philanthropy and collaboration. The Foundation serves the small rural community of New Richmond in St. Croix County, located in northwestern Wisconsin.
In April 2009, the Community Foundation, in conjunction with the Bremer Foundation, incorporated all three of those pillars to start a new community leadership program called the Leadership Trust Initiative (LTI). The mission of the Bremer Foundation is to assist people in achieving full economic, civic and social participation in and for the betterment of the community, a mission which aligns perfectly with NRACF's community leadership program.
New Richmond Area Community Foundation is committed to LTI by:
- Overseeing the development and facilitation of the project;
- Providing tuition assistance to individuals in need; and
- Screening individuals to be nominated for participation in the program.
"We observed that one of the challenges to our community, and communities like ours, is continued engagement and a shared concept of leadership," said Michele Hermansen, executive director of NRACF. "LTI is designed to seed the community with well-equipped, supported community leaders far into the future."
The LTI is a year-long program that builds a network of established and emerging leaders from local schools, government, business and community service. It is intended to build a growing network of established and emerging community leaders who understand the history and spirit of the community and who are equipped to respond to community needs and challenges in a healthy, collaborative manner. The Initiative was created in response to the need for community discourse and civic engagement that the New Richmond Area had been struggling with. The overarching goal of the LTI is to create a bevy of strong leaders who can help direct positive and progressive change in the New Richmond Area.
March 31, 2010 marked the graduation of LTI's first class of 32 diverse individuals. The second year-long course will begin in May 2010 with 24 participants. The group represents a broad cross-section of the community, with individuals of various professions, service positions and avocation; experienced and emerging leaders; teachers, elected township officials, business owners, members of the clergy and more.
"I now understand the joys and struggles that this community has endured to get to where we are and, even more importantly, understand the types of leaders it will require to keep this community moving forward in a civil, productive manner," said Jesse Kvitek, volunteer firefighter and LTI graduate.
With such a broad distribution of participants, the program's impact is being felt at all levels and segments within the community. Small groups formed by participants are addressing a variety of needs and opportunities within the community. All participants indicated that their knowledge increased as a result of the LTI, and that they had developed an expanded network of people with whom they will continue to problem-solve, consult and collaborate on a variety of issues.
