With trust comes change: Heart & Soul leads to action in Postville
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Community Heart & Soul
The Right Tools to Enhance Rural Vitality
Small towns have big assets. Their residents are leaders with the ingenuity, expertise and drive to build strong, vibrant communities.
Our innovative community development model empowers rural residents to own the trajectory of their hometowns and drive decisions that improve the quality of life based on what matters most to them.
Our Accomplishments
We support resident-driven change
Worked with leaders in Iowa and Illinois to complete and implement Heart & Soul programs in nine communities
Amplified the power of Community Heart & Soul by helping communities pair the process with our Small-town Dreams Initiative, which helps local residents build endowment funds to support their Heart & Soul priorities
Empowered community members in Monticello, Iowa, to identify education as a key quality of life indicator and ultimately pass a school bond issue
Created a network of Heart & Soul practitioners across five Midwest states that meets quarterly to discuss best practices and share successes and challenges around rural vitality
Our Unique Role
Small Towns; Big Assets
Community Heart & Soul® is an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, which has a long history of building trusted relationships across rural Northeast Iowa.
By bringing together diverse groups of people — including those who aren’t typically at the table — we facilitate solutions to critical challenges facing our rural region. By analyzing data about local communities, we can connect the dots between issues like rural quality of life, economic development and academic achievement, and work collaboratively toward holistic solutions.
Additionally, we amplify the power of rural philanthropy, bridging the generosity of caring community members and the most critical needs of the region.
Our Stories
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