About the Resource Center

1. Organization information:                                                                                            

a.  MISSION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.  The mission statement is: The Rural Communities Resource Center is a grassroots, non-profit organization in Northeast Colorado.  The Resource Center provides advocacy, education, and support to create systems change and develop programs that promote the physical, emotional and economic health of the area.  The primary goal is economic self-sufficiency and good health for the residents of Washington, Yuma and surrounding counties.  The objective of the organization is to ensure that a comprehensive range of educational, health, and human services programs are available to the isolated, rural population of Northeastern Colorado.  In addition to providing needed services, these programs should help in the creation of systems change.

 

b.  HISTORY Rural Communities Resource Center is a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1984.  It is a grass roots organization in the best sense.  Young women with small children in Yuma and Washington Counties were isolated from each other and from human and supportive services in a remote rural area.  These women came together to meet a challenge common to rural areas -- how to create and maintain services for rural people.  As their awareness of community needs grew, they began to develop programs and services to fill critical gaps.  The first programs (all volunteer) included child care, peer support, and advocacy with a local hospital to provide a birthing room. Today Early Childhood Education, Care and Development, access to health care for the medically underserved, economic and social justice, emergency services, resource and referral, and collaborative partnerships with area agencies and organizations are a major focus of the Resource Center.

In 1990 the Resource Center moved into a new facility.  Requests for services extended beyond the two-county area and the center began serving six counties in Northeast Colorado, including Yuma, Washington, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick and Morgan counties.  In 1994, a fully staffed center (Washington County Family Center) opened in Washington County offering all RCRC programs.  In December of 2003, both centers moved again to provide extra space for programs, staff and storage.   The Resource Center is now situated on Main Street in Yuma in a large, “store front” facility.  Washington County Connections in Akron moved down the street to a building that is more user-friendly and houses the toy and equipment library as well as the Food Bank.  In 2004, the Resource Center tracked 23,500 calls and visits to the Yuma and Akron centers.

 

PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMEMENTS

As a grassroots organization, the Resource Center has developed programs and piloted projects to fill gaps in service delivery.  These include Healthy Child Clinic, child and family literacy, parenting support and information, after-school activities, oral health screenings, domestic violence services, homeless prevention including emergency assistance, family advocacy, access to quality child care, legal services, career and vocational guidance counseling, transitional housing, young parent program, individual support and educational groups, organizing within the Hispanic community, and access to medical services for the underserved.

 

In 2004 the Resource Center’s strategic planning resulted in a focus on five areas over the next three years.  These are Early Childhood Education, Care and Development, Family and Community Health and Safety, Advocacy and Support, Economic and Social Justice, and Youth.  Many new programs/ projects have been implemented in the last twelve months as a response to our focus on these five areas.  They include: ESL class and Children’s program, BLAST babysitting class, Buckle Up with Love, Head Strong, Children’s Speech and Language Development group, Young Women’s Leadership group, Women’s Health Coalition (Breast Cancer Awareness) and AJ’s Youth Center in Akron.

 

The Rural Communities Resource Center is the only one of its kind in northeastern Colorado.  A Board of Directors governs the organization.  The board employs part time co-directors, project directors and staff members.  Funding is received from federal, state and local government, private foundations, local donors and fundraisers.                             

If you have any questions concerning the

Rural Communities Resource Center please contact

Patricia Brewster-Willeke or Becky Meyer at

970-848-3867 or 970-345-2225