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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 20 Stories
Three men standing next to a police equipped sport utility vehicle.

Public Safety Gets Boost in Popular Ohio Vacation Destination

Rural communities and small towns could teach master classes in creative problem solving for operating on tight budgets and stretching scarce resources.   Patrolman Jason Keeler sits in the new K-9 equipped sport utility vehicle… [Read More]
Ohio
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
Lab Technician at Exceptional Hospital Bullhead City Looks Into Microscope.

Putting the Exceptional in Exceptional Healthcare

Exceptional Community Hospital in Bullhead City first opened its doors in November 2023 Exceptional Healthcare is growing in service of rural Arizona. The community hospital provider has recently added facilities in Prescott Valley and… [Read More]
Arizona
First RespondersHealth Care
People standing in front of a fire truck in a field.

SW Ohio City Breaks Ground on New Fire Station

The City of Loveland, Ohio, gathered on a sun-drenched autumn morning to celebrate the groundbreaking for its new fire station. Local leaders and community partners, led by Loveland Mayor Kathy Bailey, donned helmets of Fire Station 63 and took ceremonial shovels in hand to… [Read More]
Ohio
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
Firefighter in front of fire truck

Java Fire District replaces oldest brush truck with modern upgrade

The expansive landscape of north central South Dakota provides fertile ground for farmers and ranchers. Due to the dry grasslands and warm summers, the area faces an elevated risk of wildfires.In the event of a wildfire, the 20 volunteers of the Java Fire District depend on its… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
Greenville Town Manager Mike Roy stands in front of one of the town's fire trucks in the new public safety building.

Enhancing Public Safety in the Highlands of Maine

Located in the Highlands region of Maine, the town of Greenville has long been a vacation destination. In recent years, the community has welcomed even more visitors pursuing outdoor recreation and lakeside living. While the influx of… [Read More]
Maine
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersInfrastructure
Senator Susan Collins stands with members of the Corinna Fire Department and others at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new fire station.

Eight-bell Turns a Thing of the Past for the Corinna Fire Department

The Corinna Fire Department groundbreaking ceremony July 31, 2023 (from left to right: Shawn Richards, Jeff Dorman, Allen Emerson, T.J. Emerson, John Bridges and Shawn Henderson). Less than one year after breaking ground on a new fire… [Read More]
Maine
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersInfrastructure
Wolfe County KY Search & Rescue Team

USDA Rural Development helps search & rescue team save lives

USDA Rural Development program dollars do more than just increase prosperity – they save lives.Each year, Wolfe County, Kentucky, sees tens of thousands of rock climbers, hikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who visit Red River Gorge and surrounding recreational areas. Anyone… [Read More]
Kentucky
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders
Officials participate in the City of Virginia's groundbreaking ceremony for their new Public Safety Center

City of Virginia Breaks Ground on New Public Safety Building

The City of Virginia is undertaking a project that has been long in the making. With the help of USDA Rural Development, the city finally broke ground on the new Public Safety Center, a project that will be life changing for area residents. Law enforcement and fire departments… [Read More]
Minnesota
First Responders
Gary Fox with the town of Rockingham and Bellows Falls Fire Chief Shaun McGinnis stand next to firefighter gear

Bellows Falls Fire Department Receives Clear, Consistent Comms

The town of Rockingham in eastern Vermont includes the villages of Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, little but lively hubs of activity lending their special brand of hardboiled New England character to the rich cultural history of the Connecticut River. Though separated by only… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
First Responders
Side view of Alberta VFD pumper

Showstopping Pumper Elevates Efficiency and Safety of Alberta Emergency Responses

Hand-me-downs are a right of passage in many large families but aren’t a great approach to public safety in rural communities. The Alberta Volunteer Fire Department was making do with engines procured from nearby communities when the nonprofit decided to pump the brakes on… [Read More]
Virginia
Community FacilitiesFirst Responders

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