GALION, Ohio – Dave Williamson of Crawford 20/20 Vision recently offered the Betterment Commission a fresh view and update on the positive innitiatives that are transpiring in Crawford County.
In 2010 a group of Crawford County citizens got together to brainstorm how the county’s problems could be fixed. “First, someone has to sound the alarm,” said Williamson about the beginning of the group.
The county was facing trends such as an aging population, brain drain (well educated residents leaving for better paying jobs elsewhere), businesses were closing or leaving, employment was declining which led to the rising of food stamp reliance, the private sector payroll was falling, there was a low rate of post-secondary education and the drug abuse problem was epidemic.
The residents got together and created a plan which included action teams and citizen involvement.
Crawford 20/20 has a 13 member Vision Committee and four basic Action Teams: Quality of Life, Public Safety and Drug Abuse, Education and Workforce Preparation, and Business Success and Job Availability.
Williamson reported on some of the strides already made within the Crawford 20/20 mission. The Quality of Life Action Team has organized several Cemetery Walks, Make a Difference Day, Young Professionals groups and Crawford County Arts Council. In the works for the team are establishing bike paths and walking trails, working with leaders to advance tourism and zoning countywide, and the ambitious goal of building a sports facility for tournaments, concerts and conferences.
The Business Success and Job Availability Action Team organized the Supervisor Boot Camp, a six week hands on training for supervising more effectively; the Hiring Fair, 50 local companies seeking employees all in one place; SPARK, a one-day Boot Camp on various topics for supervisors who cannot commit to six weeks; and other leadership programs.
New on the horizon is the pilot program WAGE, Workforce Awareness for Graduates and Educators, a program funded by Crawford 20/20 and American Electric Power where educators and students tour facilities and engage in career guidance. The pilot program is being tested in Bucyrus Local Schools this year.
Poverty and mentoring efforts include Crawford County Mentoring Program, SPARC/UCAN, Getting Ahead, Toxic Charity, YIPPIE (youth intervention), CARE (adult mentoring), and BORN (outreach network). Early childhood efforts include Crawford Childhood Initiative, Mobile Learning Lab and TREAT Totes. And the county-wide Senior Project has been supported by Crawford 20/20; and Crawford Success Center in Bucyrus which brings North Central State College to Bucyrus.
The Public Safety and Drug Abuse Action Team celebrated progress, seeing a drop from fifth in Ohio to 13th in Ohio in deaths attributed to opiates. Drug Court retention rates have risen to 89 percent participants staying in treatment. Residents are taking a stand against crime and drugs with more anonymous tips being made available to law enforcement resulting in more arrests.
Countywide efforts include Neighborhood Watch, Teen Institute, ADAMH Board, Maryhaven, Community Counseling, Alpha 12-Step, Opiate Task Force and Together We Hurt Together We Heal. The action team is using the phrase “Crawford County is Worth the Fight!”
To find out more about Crawford 20/20 Vision go to www.crawford2020.org. Offices are located at 117 E. Mansfield Street, Bucyrus, Ohio 44820 (The Crawford County Partnership for Education and Economic Development). Call (419) 563-1809 or email info@crawford2020.com.
