Brinnon/Quilcene 4-H Club Wins $100,000 Award

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Brinnon/Quilcene 4-H Club Wins $100,000 “Great Strides Award” from The Northwest Area Foundation

The Award Recognizes Poverty Reduction Efforts and Successes


ST. PAUL, Minn. (February 2, 2007) - The Northwest Area Foundation today announced that the city of Brinnon/Quilcene has won its "Great Strides Award." The award is given to up to four communities each year in recognition of the innovative strides they have taken to reduce poverty for the long term.

Brinnon/Quilcene, Washington won a 2007 Great Strides Award for capitalizing on social assts and leadership to develop new industry that would reverse economic and wage decline. The city of 4,000 with a poverty rate of 11-percent will receive a $100,000 award for the community. Other 2007 Great Strides winners include the cities of Independence, Oregon; White Earth Reservation, Minnesota; and the city of Westhope, North Dakota.

"In our work, we've observed that many communities have a hard time acknowledging the poverty suffered by its own citizens," said Karl Stauber, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation. "But our work has also shown us that there are scores of communities that can, and are, working to reduce poverty long term, and that they have powerful lessons to share. The Great Strides awards are meant to applaud the bold and innovative steps communities are taking to reduce poverty and make lasting change that will lead to opportunities for everyone in the community."

Members of this community along the Olympic peninsula are not willing to cede opportunity of future prosperity to the waning of the once thriving timber industry. Development of a new business, the aquaculture industry, has provided over 400 jobs paying up to $25/hour, which has contributed to a wage growth of 16-percent over the past ten years. Taylor Shellfish is the primary aquaculture business in what has grown to be a $73 million-per-year industry for the state of Washington. Taylor Shellfish has taken an innovative step and is providing corporate mentorship for the student-owned Big Quil Enterprises aquaculture business. Big Quil is an example of a school/community partnership that is preparing young people for living wage jobs that will enable them the opportunity to remain in their communities, earn a living wage, and contribute to future success.

"We are so thankful for being recognized by the Northwest Area Foundation with the Great Strides Award. There are many in the community who contributed to this success. The award money will allow us to continue our work building a youth-directed economic engine in South Jefferson County, Washington," said Joe Baisch, co-community coordinator, Brinnon/Quilcene, Washington.
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Northwest Area Foundation created the Great Strides Awards to reward communities for the significant progress they have made to reduce poverty long term. The four winning communities each receive $100,000, which will go to community organizations which will decide how the funds will be used for community benefit. Northwest Area Foundation has asked each winner to work with the Foundation to share key lessons about their efforts and programs so that other communities can learn from their experiences and possibly replicate the success.

Twenty-eight communities from the Northwest Area Foundation's eight-state region (South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon) applied for the award. The five finalists hosted on-site visits by the Foundation, after which the four winners were selected.

Great Strides Award recipients were selected using the following criteria:
… Inclusiveness: involvement of community members from diverse sectors and groups.
… Regional Impact: interaction with, and awareness of, other communities facing similar issues in their geographic area.
… Asset-Based Perspective: recognition of the community's existing strengths.
… Economic Engines: involvement with businesses and other organizations that fuel the local economy.
… Leadership: efforts to nurture leaders from different public and private sectors, ages and genders.

The Northwest Area Foundation, headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., is committed to helping communities reduce poverty in its eight-state region of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill, served this region from 1889-1970. Hill's son, Louis W. Hill, established the foundation in 1934. Today, the Foundation brings technical assistance and financial resources that help identify, share and advocate community-focused strategies for long-term impact. For additional information about the Great Strides Award and about the Northwest Area Foundation, www.nwaf.org, or call 651-224-9635.