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HOW IT ALL BEGAN...
The diversity of culture and experience in northcentral Montana is in many ways as rich as the landscape itself. Northcentral Montana is currently home to approximately 150,480 people, three reservations with five federally-recognized tribes (Blackfeet, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Chippewa and Cree), and the Little Shell tribe. The eleven counties and three Indian Reservations comprising the area Opportunity Link serves are spread across 31,037 square miles, an area roughly the size of South Carolina. Overall, there is an average of 4.84 people per square mile in the region, and without Cascade County the number drops to 2.47.
In January of 2001, the Northwest Area Foundation invited four regional communities to participate in a strategic planning process. The Northcentral Montana regional community responded and convened a diverse group to begin the planning, calling the group the Northcentral Montana Community Ventures Coalition. A common vision for the region, definition of what poverty is in northcentral Montana, and strategies to build on opportunities to create change were crafted by community members during the 18-month planning process. Strengthening communities and building trust and respect, both within and between them, were established as goals of the coalition. Members also felt that it was important to identify the values that bind together those in their region, including:
- Land: We are all connected to it, but for very different reasons. Some people value its economical value, natural resource extraction, or agricultural use. Others value its recreational uses, and still others hold it sacred
- Spirituality: A belief in a higher power
- Schools: As part of our social fabric
- Learning: Which can occur in different ways and in different places
- Family: The base we rely on
- Community: Pride in the place where we all live and how we connect with family and friends
- A Sense of Safety
In December of 2003, the Foundation selected Northcentral Montana Community Ventures Coalition as one of the two communities with which to partner based on the merits of their planning process and strength of the plan. As a starting point in its multi-year efforts to pursue the Partnership vision of the community's future, community work will occur in seven strategic directions:
- Community: To identify, learn about, and celebrate the spirituality and uniqueness within our regional community.
- Health: To create healthy communities by improving the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of those living in poverty.
- Children, Youth and Families: To provide families and communities with the resources and skills necessary to build and maintain healthy families.
- Economy: To build and live in a sound and healthy regional economy.
- Education: To create educational opportunities and resources that is readily available and affordable to people at all educational levels.
- Housing: To ensure that safe and affordable housing and home ownership is available.
- Transportation: To ensure access to affordable, accessible, and convenient transportation for low-income individuals.
A NEW IDENTITY...
In February of 2005, a new name and brand for the organization was adopted, and the Northcentral Montana Community Ventures Coalition formally became Opportunity Link, Inc. The logo incorporates colors purposely chosen to signify the four directions of the medicine wheel in native Culture. The wheel represents the unending cycle of life, with no beginning and no end. The quarter segments represent the components of our existence that, through combination, form our beliefs, our values, and our identity. The four directions have meaning far beyond the compass points of W-N-E-S. White (north) represents strength and fortitude, Red (south) represents generosity, Yellow (east) represents wisdom, and Black (west) represents courage. The four directions and corresponding colors represent the key virtues in any society, and the four characteristics of the mind, body, spirit and soul.
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