Bonners Ferry, ID

The Bonners Ferry Swish 3-on-3 basketball tournament has begun its volunteer drive.

This fantastic community event will take place on Sat., Aug. 2 and Sun. Aug 3.

Court monitors and scorekeepers are needed for both days for the following time slots:

* Time Slot 1 - 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

* Time Slot 2 - 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Woking both days for the same slot is the preference, however, one-day volunteers are appreciated also.

Volunteers will receive a custom volunteer T-shirt, as well as other goodies!

We will need your:

NAME______________________

PHONE#_____________________

EMAIL________________________

T-SHIRT SIZE_________________

If you have a preference on age group, i.e. youngsters, teenagers, or adults or male or female, please indicate and we will do our best to place you there.

Send to Brett Brown at fish3286@live.com

Please pass this on to anyone who can help.

Congrats to Judy of Cascade, she’s our weekly winner!  Thanks to all the new bloggers who’ve signed up.  If you’re part of the steering committee, hopefully these questions will help you work on the final report that is due June 30. Please let us know if you have any questions about the blog or the report.There is a Blogging Handbook available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks to MJ for writing this beginner’s guide! Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, June 3 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles… I will be at a conference May 27-30 so this will give you a whole extra week…NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.Reflective Questions:

•  Of all the things you have done during the last 18 months in the Horizons program, of what are you most proud? 

Scavenger Hunt Question:·         Which Idaho Horizons community is working with the University of Idaho to help with their vision to “rebuild a community center to assist local families fight back against the ravages of poverty. They are looking to the future when they will have a center that provides central business offices for the city, a town library and public computers with Internet accessibility, expanded recreational facilities for youth and adults, a hall for future leadership and life skills training.”The winner will receive a copy of the book: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People will Follow You by John C. Maxwell.

By: R.J. Cohn
Editor - Rural Northwest.com

If the ghost of Edwin Bonner could hover above the little city named after him for a fortnight, the sight of it emerging from the shadows of its logging past as a work in progress would give the good ghost a mighty startle.

Boasting an Italian bistro, a dynamic art gallery, chic clothing and gift boutiques flourishing on a Main Street that only a few years ago crackled with vacant storefronts, it’s hardly your father’s timber town anymore. For complete article click here

Congrats to Andrea of Grangeville, she’s our weekly winner!

Thank you all for the interesting responses about your community and what makes it ‘unique’ to you compared to other rural communities in Idaho.

I grew up in a small farming community in Idaho near the Utah border and I still think about it every day, the views and colors and smells and intense farm work we did (pulling rye, driving around and around in a tractor for 12 hours a day, herding cattle, etc) helped shape my life and world view. It’s that sense of place that helps define who we are and how we relate to the world around us.

I hope you’re all getting comfortable and familiar with the blogging process. Mary, MJ and I thank you for all the time and hard work you’ve devoted to this part of Horizons and know it’s just a small part of what you are all doing in your communities.

Please let MJ (merijoz@uidaho.edu) or me (dgray@uidaho.edu) know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

A ‘how to blog’ handbook is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page…

Reflective Questions:

As we near the ‘end’ of this phase of Horizons, take a moment to look back on the past 18 months to answer these questions.

Has your community sought any additional resources outside of Horizons for your projects? 

How has your community partnered with communities and/or organizations beyond Horizons?

Scavenger Hunt Question:  Which Horizons community has an organization sponsoring a ‘Volcano Breakfast’ and what IS a Volcano Breakfast?

This week’s winner will receive a copy of:

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 20 (midnight) and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

The NIC Center at Bonners Ferry will begin its summer schedule on Monday, May 19th. The Center will be open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-6:00pm. A wide range of services and classes are available at the Center, located at 6791 Main Street, next door to Far North Outfitters. Several non-credit courses are scheduled for the summer, including basic computer skills and several special interest classes. Contact the Center at 208.267.3878 for more information. Adult Basic Education classes and GED testing will continue throughout the summer. For a schedule of classes and test dates, call or visit the Center.

Congrats to Christine of Kooskia, she’s our weekly winner! Thank you to all who have recently signed up and started blogging.

Please let MJ or me know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

Reminder: MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 6 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…
NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
What is something unique about your Horizons community that you’d like to share with the rest of the world? What makes your community different from the one right down the road? Is it a strength your community can capitalize on or a burden you have to bear? Or both? For example, Sun Valley has the beautiful landscape, ski resorts, etc. but the tourism industry has also left behind many local people who are now unable to afford to live in the town they work in…

Scavenger Hunt Question: This week the scavenger hunt is a simple assignment. Find an entry on one of the Horizons community blogs (or even your own blog) and leave a comment to the author. It’s fun to give and get feedback about things we’re doing and talking about.

This week’s winner will receive:
The working poor: invisible in America by David K. Shipler
And
Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight.

Spotlight on Families

Spotlight on Families will be an ongoing blog that features programs/events in Boundary County. If you have information you would like to see on Spotlight on Families please email Erika Thiel at ethiel@uidaho.edu

~Community Coalition For Families meets the 1st Thursday of each month (except August) at the Chic n’ Chop Restaurant. Community Coalition For Familes promotes a cooperative climate for volunteer groups and professional agencies to worth together and advocate for the betterment of residents of all ages and all cultures of Boundary County.

~ i2i presentation for youth and adults on physical and psychological effects of substance abuse May 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Bonners Ferry High School. Each family in attendance will be given a tool kit. Information: Laura Anderson (208) 267-3149.

~Health Fair This annual event will be held on Saturday, May 17th at the Boundary Community Hospital - lower level. For more information please contact Tina Wilson at 267-3141 ext 324 or email at tinaw@bcchmail.org

~ Summer and Fall Classes set at Bonners Ferry NIC Six non-credit courses - from learning fly fishing to conquering computer phobia - are being offered at North Idaho College’s Bonners Ferry Center starting in May. Students can also register for 17 fall credit classes at the Center. The fall semester begins Aug. 24. Courses range from Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Principles of Economics and Introduction to Psychology. All classes are taught at the Center, located at 6791 Main St. (next door to Far North Outfitters). For more information call 267-3878, or visit www.nic.edu for a full list of both summer and fall courses.

~ Individual Education Program Workshop Attention parents and guardians of children with special needs: An Individual Education Program Workshop will be held Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellspring Community Center, next to Far North Outfitters in Bonners Ferry. Child care will be available .
Bring your child’s IEP and/or 504 Plan:
* Talk with other parents.
* Learn to write an effective goal.
* Learn what “progress” is and how often it should be reported.
* Learn how to request accommodations.
* Learn what a Functional Behavioral Assessment is and when you might ask for one to be done.
* Learn about Behavior Plans and how your child can get one if he/she needs one.
* Learn how to use the Idaho Special Educational Manual (Bring your copy, if you have one).
Presenters: Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) and Co-Ad, Inc.
Hosted by: Bonners Ferry Parent Support Group(Parents of Children & Adults with Special Needs)
Child Care available during workshop RSVP REQUESTED. To RSVP or additional information please call 267-7686

The NIC Center at Bonners Ferry is pleased to offer a wide range of non-credit classes for spring and summer 2008.

Workforce Training and Community Education Classes

A Drive Through 1.5 Billion Years of Time
Saturday, 8:00am-5:00pm 1 session - $35
May 17 Instructor: Roderick Barcklay
This day trip adventure begins with a two-hour classroom orientation. Car pool with classmates approximately 50 miles round-trip to Kootenai Falls, Montana.
Note: Class will meet at the Bonners Ferry Visitor Center.

Introduction to Fly Fishing
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00pm 6 sessions - $39
Beginning May 7, ending June 11 Instructor: Adam Kusler
Walk away from this class and head to the river with the basic skills and knowledge you’ll need to catch a fish on the fly.

Learn to Locker Hook
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00pm 2 sessions - $29
Beginning July 30, ending August 6 Instructor: Terrie Kralik
This portable handwork project is fun and easy. Fee includes a kit with tools and project supplies.

Conquer ComputerPhobia
Wednesday, 9:00am-12:00pm 1 session - $35
May 21 OR August 13 Instructor: Steve Fendos
If you are confused and anxious about operating a computer, this class is for you!

Make a Safari Fabric Box
Thursday, 10:00am-2:00pm 1 session - $25
July 31 Instructor: Terrie Kralik
This is an easy project for all skill levels. Class is based on instructor’s book, 90-minute Fabric Fun.

Surf the Internet with Explorer 7.0
Tuesdays, 6:00-9:00pm 2 sessions - $49
Beginning June 3, ending June 10 Instructor: Steve Fendos
Discover the advantage of using the internet with this informative look at the World Wide Web.

The NIC Center at Bonners Ferry is located at 6791 Main Street, next door to Far North Outfitters. For more information call 208.267.3878 or visit www.nic.edu.

Congrats to Mountain Mama of Kendrick/Juliaetta, she’s our weekly winner! Even though she took me to task for forgetting about those of you in remote areas with only dial-up internet access… she persevered after many grueling hours on the scavenger hunt! I will definitely keep in mind your technology limits in the future…

MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 29 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
• Looking back, what is one (or more) skill or leadership trait you have developed from participating in Horizons (maybe from Study Circles or LeadershipPlenty or from the hands on work going on in your communities right now)? How has participation in the program changed you? What about your community? Are there specific examples of things happening in your community that wouldn’t have happened without Horizons?
• Bonus reflective question: How has the blogging experienced affected you? (please edit any inappropriate language, hahaha trust me, I feel your pain!!)

Scavenger Hunt Question:
• Which of the Idaho Horizons community blogs has information about April being Child Abuse Awareness month? This website also provides information about Youth Suicide Prevention.

The winner will receive:

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol
And

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, et al

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 22 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What’s next in Horizons for your community? Are your Action Teams planning activities in the next 2 months? How do those activities relate to the 3 legs of Horizons: Poverty reduction, Leadership Development and Community Mobilization?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Let’s broaden our scavenger hunt world a little… Of the other Horizons states, which one has interesting information about using Chicken Tractors to help maintain community gardens? Check out the link section of the Idaho Horizons Blog that lists the blog addresses for Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa Horizons. Feel free to explore and be inspired by other community groups just like yours!

This week’s winner will receive a copy of each of the following books:
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 15 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What words of wisdom would you give to a community just starting a program like Horizons?
• Words of warning?
• What kind of changes in their community and its leadership might they expect?
• What kind of changes in themselves might they expect?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Which community’s chamber of commerce recently met with high school youth to work together to involve more youth in the community?

This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John Maxwell

Or

Leadership for the Common Good: Tackling Public Problems in a Shared-Power World by Barbara Crosby and John Bryson

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 8 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for a fabulous prize.

Reflective Questions: What does the phrase ‘living in poverty’ mean to you? How has your definition of ‘poverty’ changed in the past year? Does your community think differently about poverty now? How can you tell?

Scavenger Hunt Question: Which community (in partnership with ComBAT (Community Based Access to Technology)) will be having a FREE concert on April 23, 2008?

This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:

One Nation, Underprivileged, Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

or

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community / Robert D. Putnam.

Congratulations Judi from UPriver, winner from week 1!

Rules:
Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 1 (no jokes about April Fool’s day!) at midnight and be entered in the drawing for a fabulous prize.

 Reflective Question: How is your community thinking about/planning for sustainability after the end of the Horizons program on June 30? What will Horizons-related groups look like in your community in one year? Are you optimistic/worried? (relieved?) 

Scavenger Hunt Question:  Which community has been approved to receive a $65,000 Idaho Community Development Block Grant for work on their city water reservoir?

HINT: don’t forget to check ‘previous entries’ (the link at the bottom of the blog page, or check archives in the column on the right) 

This week’s winner will receive BOTH of the following books:

The Magic of Dialogue : Transforming Conflict into Cooperation by Daniel Yankelovich

Population: 485 –Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry 

As promised, here are your two Weekly Questions!

Rules:
Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, March 25 at midnight and be entered in the drawing for a fabulous prize. This week’s prize-the weekly winner can choose from one of these book titles
Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets - John P. Kretzmann or
Teaching the Commons: Place, Pride, and the Renewal of Local Schooling - Paul Theobald

The Questions:
1. A reflective question–What do you think of Horizons blogging? What do you like, what do you dislike? What can the UI Horizons Team do to help improve the blogging experience?

2. A scavenger hunt question (visit other community blogsites to find this answer) What is a PUG Mark and in which community would you find them?

Instructions:
These questions will be posted on your blog so you can post the answers on your website.

The Idaho Horizons project, will hold a one day trainings for Horizons communities on 11th called “Leading Community Conversations”.

The training is planned for Mar.11th in Plummer. Attendees will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Wellness Center. Communities attending the Plummer event will include Bonners Ferry, Silver Valley, Coeur d’Alene Reservation, St. Maries, Up River (Fernwood, Santa, and Emida), Bovill, Troy, Elk River, and Kendrick and Juliaetta.
The Idaho Horizons training “Leading Community Conversations” is the next in a series of community trainings through the Northwest Area Foundation-funded partnership with University of Idaho Extension.

This training will be led by David Beurle of Innovative Leadership Australia. David led communities through their community visioning sessions in the fall of 2007, and as promised by Horizons will return to motivate, engage and strengthen community during this training. Topics that will be addressed include: reconnecting your community by building enthusiasm, how to engage people in community-wide dialog, how to talk about rough subjects, how to deal with challenging personalities, and incorporating small town dynamics to build a”true community”.

The training is free and open to all members of Horizons communities, as well as other interested rural Idaho residents. Lunch will be provided to those attending the Grangeville and Plummer events.
More information about the Horizons program is available at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/training_regional.htm
Those planning to attend are asked to contact Meri Joswiak, Horizons program assistant, by email at merijoz@uidaho.edu or by telephone at (208) 885-8949.
-30-

Spotlight on Families

Spotlight on Families will be an ongoing blog that features programs/events in Boundary County. If you have information you would like to see on Spotlight on Families please email Erika Thiel at ethiel@uidaho.edu

~Community Coalition For Families meets the 1st Thursday of each month (except August) at the Chic n’ Chop Restaurant. Community Coalition For Familes promotes a cooperative climate for volunteer groups and professional agencies to worth together and advocate for the betterment of residents of all ages and all cultures of Boundary County.

~ i2i presentation for youth and adults on physical and psychological effects of substance abuse May 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Bonners Ferry High School. Each family in attendance will be given a tool kit. Information: Laura Anderson (208) 267-3149.

~Health Fair This annual event will be held on Saturday, May 17th at the Boundary Community Hospital - lower level. For more information please contact Tina Wilson at 267-3141 ext 324 or email at tinaw@bcchmail.org

~ Summer and Fall Classes set at Bonners Ferry NIC Six non-credit courses - from learning fly fishing to conquering computer phobia - are being offered at North Idaho College’s Bonners Ferry Center starting in May. Students can also register for 17 fall credit classes at the Center. The fall semester begins Aug. 24. Courses range from Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Principles of Economics and Introduction to Psychology. All classes are taught at the Center, located at 6791 Main St. (next door to Far North Outfitters). For more information call 267-3878, or visit www.workforcetraining.nic.edu for a full list of both summer and fall courses.

~ Individual Education Program Workshop Attention parents and guardians of children with special needs: An Individual Education Program Workshop will be held Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellspring Community Center, next to Far North Outfitters in Bonners Ferry. Child care will be available .
Bring your child’s IEP and/or 504 Plan:
* Talk with other parents.
* Learn to write an effective goal.
* Learn what “progress” is and how often it should be reported.
* Learn how to request accommodations.
* Learn what a Functional Behavioral Assessment is and when you might ask for one to be done.
* Learn about Behavior Plans and how your child can get one if he/she needs one.
* Learn how to use the Idaho Special Educational Manual (Bring your copy, if you have one).
Presenters: Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) and Co-Ad, Inc.
Hosted by: Bonners Ferry Parent Support Group(Parents of Children & Adults with Special Needs)
Child Care available during workshop RSVP REQUESTED. To RSVP or additional information please call 267-7686

You are Invited!!!

Community Appreciation Celebration
Saturday February 16, 2008
10 am to 2 pm
Bonners Ferry Visitors Center

Join us for a community celebration to say thank you!

Sponsored by the Horizons Projects
For more information contact Shelly at 267-5932

In the largest voter turnout for a city election on record, 518 votes were cast, which translated to 36 percent of the city’s registered voters. In 2005, only 287 voters - or 26 percent of registered voters - cast ballots in a city council election.

City officials said it was the first contested mayor’s race in Bonners Ferry in more than 35 years. Dave Anderson defeated Mick Mellett and Michael Huggins to become the new mayor of Bonners Ferry.

In the three-way race for City Council, Dave Sims and Connie Wells were elected to fill two seats that were up for grabs. Sims collected 395 votes while Wells polled 312 votes. Tina Wilson received 128 votes.

“I’m extremely happy that voters have showed confidence to elect me as their mayor, but also excited at such a large turnout,” said Anderson. “For me, that’s a sign that the people of Bonners Ferry want to be involved in their community and the future of this wonderful city. I cannot wait to roll up my sleeves and begin working with a new city council.”

Source: Rural Northwes.com

Community Potluck Celebration
December 10, 2007
Trinity Lutheran Church—Bonners Ferry
6:00 pm

Now is the time: Celebrate, get energized, inspired and encourages about our community’s future. Get involved you are our community’s most valuable resource.

Join us for a potluck and celebration as the action teams unveil their work plans. Be a part of the future as the Horizons Project moves toward action.

A partnership with Boundary Community Hospital, Northwest Area Foundation, the Montana Office of Rural Health and the Rural Health Resource Center of Duluth, Minnesota. A Community Council was formed by Boundary Community Hospital, which has met twice already. Through the Culture of Wellness, a community wide survey was sent out, to identify health care concerns and needs. The Community Council brings together a diverse group of citizens not seen in most other organizations.

The formation of a youth advisory committee for the Horizons project is underway at the BFHS. The youth advisory committee is our team’s first successful collaboration –bringing together our youth, school administrators, and faculty in a new community vision-focused partnership.

This committee will:
 Help identify youth needs and concerns
 Increase youth participation in the planning and activities of all Horizons Action Teams
 Coordinate youth volunteers for more effective community service

In cooperation with the Culture of Wellness and Horizons we are putting together a resource guide for our community. Do not miss this opportunity for your organization to be listed. For more information contact Tina Wilson at Boundary Regional Community Hospital.

On behalf of the Horizons Project in Bonners Ferry I would like to cordially invite you to attend Talk & Tacos. This event is designed to bring the media resources for Boundary County together with the Horizons Project. Fourteen northern Idaho communities are participating in the Horizons program, a long-term partnership between the University of Idaho and the Minnesota-based Northwest Area Foundation. The Horizons program is designed to empower citizens to make rural Idaho a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. One specific goal of the Bonners Ferry Horizons Project is to help foster open communication within our community. The focus of this event is to identify what resources and tools are available in Bonners Ferry as well as look at creative ways to communicate activities and events. We are asking that at least one representative attend this enlightening evening.

Talk & Tacos
Monday, November 26, 2007
Boundary County Extension Office (located in downtown Bonners Ferry behind the Courthouse)
5:00 p.m. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m.
RSVP by calling 267-3235 or email me at ethiel@uidaho.edu

The Volunteer Appreciation Day has been rescheduled for February 16, 2008 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Visitors Center.

Check out our works plans!

Building Community Strengths Action Plan
Communication and Connections Work Plan
Business Development - Work Plan
Education - Work Plan

Horizons Project Riding a Wave of Momentum

By: R.J. Cohn
Editor

A large-scale project launched nearly a year ago aimed at turning Boundary County into a thriving rural community fostering new economic opportunities is suddenly gaining momentum.

Still in its infancy, the Horizons Project has mushroomed into a community-driven undertaking determined to reduce the grip of poverty in Idaho’s northernmost county by building on existing economic strengths while collaborating with local organizations towards creating a more sustainable future……

For more about this article go to click on Rural Northwest on our blogroll

H-appy, Thriving community (the goal)
O-rganize & mobilize existing assets (people, places & groups)
R-eceive resources & support (grant funders)
I-nitiate community conversations (study circles/ action forum)
Z-ealous leadership (leadership plenty)
O-wn our own destiny (reinvent the future)
k-N-ow where we are going (unified vision)
S-pring into action (make significant changes to improve)

Bonners Ferry is a relaxed, alive, and inviting rural community that values its youth. We promote open communication to keep our community connected. We value our citizens and strive to preserve our quality of life. We prize education and recreational opportunities.

As a unique destination for visitors, we promote exploration of our natural landscape. We achieve a balanced growth that builds on our strengths and the sustainability of our existing natural resources. We nurture innovative ideas and environmentally friendly small businesses that will shape our future for generations to come.