Three leaders behind the “Making Boulder’s Future Bright” effort were honored Tuesday, June 13 by the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals. Micky Zurcher, Tom Harrington and Drew Dawson were presented with the first place “Excellence in Teamwork” award for the 11-state Western Region of the NACDEP.
The award, presented during the NACDEP national conference at Big Sky, recognizes accomplishments in meeting community development needs. Zurcher, an MSU Extension Agent who works with Harrington at the Jefferson Local Development Corporation (JLDC), said the award truly honors the entirety of Boulder residents who participated in the study circles and “Making Boulder’s Future Bright” effort.
“This is really for all of us,” she told those gathered at a recent Boulder Transition Advisory Committee (BTAC) meeting. Dawson has guided the BTAC efforts as chair. “Over a 16-month period, Boulder residents have collectively invested 21,278 hours (10.2 years) of work toward the project,” Zurcher told the NACDEP judges.
“The Extension faculty were instrumental in securing a $20,520 grant to fund the effort. As a result of the community meetings, the Governor recently proposed a $500,000 Boulder Economic Impact Fund.” Since the award process, that $500,000 has been approved by the legislature and put into the Department of Commerce budget earmarked for Boulder.
In her application for the recognition, Zurcher credited the program’s success to “all the community meetings, letters to the Governor, and Boulder’s eagerness to be optimistic.” As a result of the award, Zurcher and Tara Mastel, a former JLDC manager who worked to create the study circle guide, were invited to present a poster at the national gathering in Big Sky.
Titled “Visioning a New Future after 122 Years of Caring,” the poster details the process used by Boulder to achieve the “Making Boulder’s Future Bright” goals thus far.
