NC Rural Center

Total Impact Outreach Ministries in Wilson is our Church of the Month. Led by Pastor Jasper L. Kent since 2012, the church is part of our latest Connect Church cohort. Their outreach includes hosting Wilson Idol, show featuring some of the best performers in the area. https://ow.ly/x9iS50SuYKX #Faith

Justin Setser has spent the past decade updating the infrastructure in Town of Franklin - trails, EV charging stations, parks, bike paths, and more. It's all part of the plan for the future of this small mountain town. Strong infrastructure is critical to the success of any community and an advocacy priority for the Rural Center, so we'll be highlighting a few infrastructure issues throughout July. “I love working on plans, talking to people and letting them know what we’re doing and what we’re thinking, and [asking], ‘What do you think?" https://ow.ly/8Gmy50SuXfy

I love that my job allows me the opportunity to connect others to resources, networks, and opportunities. Thank you, Nat Robertson, for allowing me to share and chat with the Sandhills Chamber Directors about the NC Rural Center Business Connectivity Alliance (BCA) and our commitment to NC entrepreneurial ecosystem support.

Business North Carolina is seeking nominations for its Trailblazers feature recognizing people who are: in communities with less than 150,000 people; under 40; having significant business success; and making a positive impact on their communities. Selections will be profiled in the magazine and honored at the first NC Rural Economic Summit in October sponsored in part by the NC Rural Center. Nominations close July 19. Learn more: https://ow.ly/g82S50StXBy

The NC Rural Center has issued a request for proposals seeking a qualified consultant to conduct a comprehensive strategic assessment of our Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Thread Capital, and to inform decisions regarding the re-deployment of available small business capital. The selected consultant will evaluate Thread Capital’s current lending operations and strategy, Thread Capital’s place in micro-lending within North Carolina’s capital access ecosystem, and recommend strategies to enhance our effectiveness and impact across North Carolina, with a particular focus on rural communities and marginalized populations. The consultant will also gather information, perform research, and recommend strategies for the re-deployment of approximately $60 million in small business capital. For the full RFP: https://ow.ly/ESIW50StjiQ

Catlin Torres, University of North Carolina at Greensboro '23, is among those from her alma mater looking for a career serving rural communities. After graduation, she received an AmeriCorps MedServe fellowship to work at a medical office near her hometown in Rockingham County. Data show that Rockingham and every other rural county in the state are suffering from a shortage of medical personnel. Health care institutions, universities, the Rural Center and our partners are working on resolving health care disparities – from using the growing popularity of telehealth to forging partnerships between rural practices and urban medical centers. https://ow.ly/w2c550Ssw3J

The N.C. General Assembly has adjourned for now. Learn where things stand with issues that are important to rural North Carolina by checking out our summary of each chamber's budget proposals for education, health, small business and infrastructure. https://ow.ly/fV6K50SrKyl

Investing in the Great Outdoors: Some rural and small-town communities see potential for outdoor recreation to reinvigorate their economies. Real GDP for outdoor recreation sector increased 4.8% in 2022, greater than overall US economy growth of 1.9%. Economic growth in North Carolina's outdoor sector was up nearly 12% in 2022. https://ow.ly/clFB50SrmNP #GreatOutdoorsMonth #InvestInRural

The Industrial Commons in Morganton, an innovative program to rebuild the working class in western North Carolina, is an inaugural grantee of the new Trust for Civic Life. The trust said its 20 grantees "are rallying communities to solve problems across differences and reimagining civic life in creative ways." Congratulations to our board Vice Chair Sara Chester, co-founder and co-executive director of the Industrial Commons, and her colleagues for this honor. https://ow.ly/9B7450SrlsM #InvestInRural #RuralCounts

Congratulations to these rural scholars.