She asked what is the process for funding requests, what are the elements of a proposal that attract, how has the economy affected their review process and their ability to fund, and how do we put our best foot forward.
One of the things they all repeatedly stressed was the importance of collaboration, of filling a need with an unduplicated service or, if someone else is working towards the same goal, work together to be stronger.
I met with Anne and Becky today to go over some specs for our group project while I was thinking about the meeting I'd attended earlier. I was late to the meeting because I took a wrong turn in the fog around Catron Blvd. I have never seen so much fog! Oncoming vehicles just materialized out of the gloom about thirty feet in front of me! Anne has detailed notes and took a few more pictures and I am left with daydreams for this post. (Or am I?) We have a better idea of how to align our goals with the agency we have chosen to assist.
Afterwards, Becky joined me to help set up for a fundraiser breakfast tomorrow morning. While she was there, we had an opportunity to meet several girls from Central High School's Solutions program and their director, Jackie Swanson.
I met Jackie last summer after I read an article about her in the Rapid City Journal. Her Solutions program connects with students at risk of dropping out due to a variety of reasons. The inaugural class has already won a national award.
The girls in Solutions are in charge of their own futures and they work hard. I've visited them a few times and today, while Becky and I were putting flyers at each place setting for the Breakfast, I saw them enter the hall to volunteer with us and I saw young leaders. I saw young women who faced the same struggles I face every day but without the benefit of my years. I invited them to collaborate on our blog and offer their insights to this community and their thoughts on leadership. Working together with the women of WCLI I am learning about the importance of perspective.
When we were debating class project ideas, I recall several variations of mentorship expressed by my classmates. My vision of this blog hasn't gone the way I planned so far. Despite my best efforts, I'm just not as interesting when I'm waxing poetic all by myself as I hoped :) I need back up. I need company. I need to be inspired.
A blog about women, women's issues, leadership and the Rapid City community should be by women of the community. I hope to generate some interest with differing perspectives. Collaborations generate interest, according to the funders. The Women's Community Leadership Initiative is a collaborative venture on its own; we set an example in this community by our actions as do the young women in Solutions. We are working towards similar goals and many of them are more comfortable with digital media. They are the first generation that grew up with access to computers from infancy. We are living their world and we will one day give it to them. Let us get to know the leaders of tomorrow here.
This blog is a place to communicate ideas, to showcase accomplishments, and collaborate with other women. I have spent my service year building relationships between the agency I worked for and others. I have personally connected with enough individuals to want to continue living here. I love what I do and I enjoy sharing with others. I also enjoy learning what other people are doing, what daily accomplishments make you smile. I want to know what you struggle to achieve and if you need a different perspective, there are several here. Well, mostly just me, but that will change. This blog is a tool for creating a better future for ourselves and for each other. I hope this collaboration between WCLI and Solutions will prove to be a prolific breeding ground for many discussions about the Rapid City community as a whole, leadership, and the bonds between generations of women of diverse backgrounds.
Welcome, Solutions!
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