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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 their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Search Results: 769 Stories
Couple pointing to Nevada shape sign at The Grid Restaurant in Fallon Nevada

Micro Loans Support $17.2 Million Investment in Rural Nevada

For more than 25 years, Rural Nevada business owners have benefited from a small but powerful alternative lender – the Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC). Based out of Ely, Nevada, the nonprofit development corporation maintains one rural office, and quietly offers a… [Read More]
RMAP
When owning a home seemed impossible, Sandra and Michael achieved homeownership for their family through their own sweat equity.

Achieving Homeownership Helps Rural Family Reduce Expenses

Sandra and Michael thought homeownership was beyond their reach. They never imagined it was not only possible but that they could reduce their housing expenses by buying a home. They were living in a manufactured house with their three children and their dog. The home was built… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing

Small Farm Feeds Local Appetite for Sustainable Products

When Geoff Scott and John Mathia teamed up to open a farm in northwest Oregon, they envisioned producing high-quality meat raised in an environmentally-sustainable manner. Their products were attractive to local customers and sold quickly, enabling them to expand to a 47-acre… [Read More]
Business
Bamberg County Fire Chiefs

Bamberg County Gets Three New Fire Engine Pumper Tankers

Bamberg County recently was awarded three, Community Facility Combo Loan/Grant projects totaling $690,300 in loans and $149,700 in grants.  These awards allowed Bamberg County to purchase three new fully equipped Fire Engine Pumper Tankers to replace their aging fleet.… [Read More]
Community Facilities
Cindy proudly holds the SOLD sign.

Cindy's Journey to Her Home

Having lived in the small, rural Otoe County community all her life, Cindy Jewell knew that buying a home was something that she wanted to do but she was concerned that her financial situation would be challenging for a conventional loan. Cindy has worked as a hair dresser in… [Read More]
Housing
Well house

Rural Water System Improvements Prove to be Influencer in New Elementary School

The village of Bladen consistently dealt with issues of coliform violations but worked hard and successfully to keep the problem manageable.  The water storage, a 1911 elevated tank, was in need of painting and resurfacing of the interior and exterior along with sanitary… [Read More]
Water
Booster Station

Water System Improvements for the Village of Homer

The village of Homer, is a small town in Northeast  Nebraska located in Dakota County.  The village was experiencing  unaccounted for water reaching nearly 17 percent of the water pumped throughout the system.  Residents in part of the town were not receiving… [Read More]
Water
Photo Chuck's Foodland, Inc.

Small Town Grocery Store Prides Itself on Making Your Shopping Experience the Best it Can Be

Many people in rural communities will agree that having access to a grocery store is very important to the community.  It means easy access to healthy foods, not to mention it provides jobs and tax revenue. A small-town grocery business in Beresford, Chuck’s Foodland, Inc… [Read More]
REAP
Valley Wide Health Clinic

Integrated Health Care comes to Canon City, Colorado

Integrated health care has come to Canon City.  No longer will patients have to travel from location to location to access services, thanks in part to a loan from USDA Rural Development. Valley-Wide Health Systems, Inc. has been in business since 1976 and has numerous… [Read More]
Health Care
St Vincent Hopsital Construction Photos

St. Vincent General Hospital Development Under Way in Leadville

St. Vincent General Hospital District in Leadville, CO takes pride in their dedication to serving their community. The hospital has been serving Leadville and the surrounding community since 1879.  The existing district was established in 1972 and since then, the hospital… [Read More]
Community Facilities

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