Gackle, ND

On March 13, 2008 community members attended a presentation by Kevin Dvorak on how the North Dakota Community Foundation (NDCF) might help Gackle develop its own endowment. While you haven’t heard anything since the initial meeting (click on Tri-County News below) I thought I’d bring you up-to-date on what’s happening.

Everyone left the meeting with great feelings of hope and everyone who attended felt that starting a permanent endowment would be good thing for Gackle. Such a fundraising vehicle would be a way for people to INVEST in the community for its long-term future. The invested “principle” can NEVER be spent, only the interest is used to make grants to benefit the community. This type of investment can be very attractive to individuals who want to make sure their contribution will ALWAYS make a difference to Gackle.

The initial investment to get a the endowment started is $25,000. North Dakota Community Foundation will match that with $5000. There are then future opportunities for dollar-for-dollar matches making the investment grow quickly. Of course, until the principle grows, the grants will remain small, but that can change with just a few large contributions.

During April and May, further discussions with NDCF have occurred. They are willing to help us get started developing “ask-strategies” for raising our first $25,000. They will also help us with putting together the Gackle Community Endowment board. The consensus is to wait until the Horizon’s program is complete before launching the endowment.

Gackle’s Horizon program has resulted in an atmosphere of change, a surge of community activism and an understanding of community needs. Some of these needs will be addressed this summer–clean-up, providing healthy, locally grown food/produce for the residents and providing cultural & social opportunities. All these activities will show that effort is being made to improve the town–we hope this will be an attractive incentive to investors in Gackle’s future.

Andrew Owen, who will be a junior this fall at Gackle High School, is working on updating the Gackle web site, www.gacklend.com. Its great to have a young person on board helping the community. Thanks Andrew, great job so far.

The web site hasn’t been current since the 2004 Centennial Celebration. Our work during the Horizons process (and Strategic planning) identified a web site update as an important goal to marketing our community.

In the future there will be a link to this Gackle, ND blog.

The date has been set for the kick-off of the 2008 Gackle Farmers Market. The Market will take place on Saturday afternoons, 3-5 pm. Location: A. F. Lehr Park

Lots of planning has occurred to organize the weekly event. Research and networking with regional farmers markets groups, Napoleon, Bowdon, Jamestown Anamoose and others has helped shape the plan. NDSU extension has also helped with formulating policies.

Eight volunteers met last week for the second planning meeting. Mayor, Ritchie Jacobson reported on his conversations with vegetable vendors and there is a core group which has committed to selling produce. Sally Jeppson reported on the “Capture the Coteau” - Art in the Park event.

Lots of discussion occurred on time, date, location for the Market. The Market will take place in the Park to take advantage of the beautiful setting that has resulted from such hard work this spring by many volunteers.

Bakers will once again be invited to bring tasty treats. Artisans will also be invited to bring their artwork to sell at the Market. The focus will be to attract “one of a kind” unique products (artworks/handicrafts). The Gackle Farmers Market does not charge to any fee for vendors. Contact sjepp@daktel.com if you would like to bring your artwork to the farmers market.

Comments on my post, “Feeling the Weight of the World? Advice Sought for Ebbing Energy,” asked this question. Yeah, we’re tired. I personally enjoy writing the blog, but, this spring, life got in the way, and I had to do a reality check. Priorities needed to shift. I wish I could have encouraged more folks to take up this blogging task so we could “Shoot for the Stars” and win a computer for the town. But the reality is that our community is not yet plugged-in. The “prize” was just not a priority with everything else occupying residents (and volunteers) time.

Choices and priorities shifted and time was spent on grant writing and the result is we have Art in the Park during this summer’s Farmers Market!

At this point, the blog brings Gackle’s stories to the larger world and that’s a good thing.

I don’t want to abandon getting Gackle on-board with using computers. Its too important a “tool” to leave unused. We are brainstorming on how to get more people to see the value of cyber-world. With Gackle’s access to highspeed internet, residents could be using the resources of the world-wide-web to get education, information, entertainment, and much more. These are all “poverties” - resources/ opportunities that are lacking in our rural communities.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the blog and everyone who has been supportive of the effort. If anyone wants to become a Gackle “blogger” please send me a “comment” on this post.