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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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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 21 Stories
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
A woman with a bag walks towards the door of a newly built childcare center.

Lasting Legacy: How a Vision for Childcare Was Built in Griswold, Iowa

Since 1869, the Noble Center United Methodist Church stood on a hill at the corner of Highway 71 and Victoria Road in Noble Township, Cass County, Iowa. Four years ago, the last remaining members gathered. “We had to make final decisions on where and how to gift the remaining… [Read More]
Iowa
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersGrantsHousingRural Development
The Moulton volunteer fire department station with the US flag flying in front of in lies along the main street in town.

Moulton, Iowa, Modernizes Fire Department

In the southernmost tier of Iowa counties lies the quiet town of Moulton in Appanoose County. Far from an urban area, the town, population 607, is small, but offers several convenient services along Main Street. The local telecommunications company, Moulton city hall, and a… [Read More]
Iowa
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersHigh Speed Internet
Bennett County Hospital

What if the ambulance never comes?

Audio file Your browser does not support the audio element. What-if-the-ambulance-never-comes-Bennett-County-Hospital.mp3 Download files: What-if-the-ambulance-never-comes-… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersGrantsHealth Care
Cartersville Volunteer Fire Department helmet

Broadband Provides Vital Lifeline for Protecting Lives and Property in Cartersville

Volunteer fire departments are an integral part of the communities they serve, carrying on a proud tradition of neighbor helping neighbor in times of trouble. Each member is committed to maintaining readiness to respond to every call, but those working in rural communities like… [Read More]
Virginia
BroadbandFirst Responders

Stretched Thin: Volunteer First Responders get USDA Lift

The remote town of Dorothy, New Jersey, is made up of about 1,300 residents. It’s small, surrounded by miles of pineland, and traversed only by two-lane roads. It’s the kind of place where having a friendly neighbor could go a long way if you found yourself in a pinch. Lifetime… [Read More]
New Jersey
First Responders
Roberts County patrol cruiser parked outside Sheriff's Department.

Equipment upgrades improve response, community relations in Roberts County

When Deputy Trevor Mishler was hired by Roberts County Sheriff's Department, there weren’t enough patrol cruisers to go around and some of the equipment being used by deputies was outdated and past its serviceable life. The Sheriff and county staff gave the deputy the green… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersRural Development
Smiling woman named Lisa Fensick standing in front of a new ambulance she helped obtain for her fire station.

Rural Healthcare Worker Lisa Fensick: An Everyday Hero Saving Lives

First responders are often on the front lines of health care, and their impact to rural communities has been immeasurable. For Lisa Fensick of Seaford, Delaware, this impact drove her desire to become a nationally registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT). “I became a… [Read More]
Delaware, Maryland, and District of Columbia (DC)
First RespondersHealth CareRural Development
Day County Ambulance

Day County receives Rural Development Grant to purchase ambulance service

Located in the northeastern corner of South Dakota sits a county dotted with lakes, ponds and rolling hills. Agriculture plays an important role in the economy, and when summer and fall arrive, Day County sees its population more than double as anglers, hunters and outdoorsmen… [Read More]
South Dakota
Community FacilitiesFirst RespondersGrantsHealth Care
Gosper County Rural Fire District's New Grass Fire Truck

Gosper County Rural Fire District Gets New Grass Fire Truck: A Special Addition to the Team

Living in a rural community has its advantages; peace and quiet, a more reasonable cost of living, and friendly neighbors who pull for each other in times of need. Rural America seems to have community values that sometimes can feel lost in other places, and no one embodies… [Read More]
Nebraska
Community FacilitiesDisasterFirst RespondersGrants

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