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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 179 Stories
football2

St. Helena College and Career Academy: Touchdown Loan

St. Helena College and Career Academy in rural Greensburg, Louisiana is home to the Mighty Hawks. In the small parish of 11,000, football is one of the main ways that the community comes together, and St. Helena is their only public high school. But, St. Helena's previous… [Read More]
Louisiana
Community FacilitiesEducationRecreation
Native American statue on IAIA Campus

Advancing Artistic Expression

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is located just a few miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Located on 140 acres in Santa Fe it is arguably one of the best locations in the state for an art school. To put it simply the place is inspiring. The campus is in a… [Read More]
New Mexico
Community FacilitiesEducationTribal
Metal sculpture with parking lot in back

Paving the Way for Tribal Education

Salish Kootenai College (SKC), in Pablo, Mont., was founded in 1977, became self-governing in 1981, and was later designated as a land-grant college. SKC serves 68 percent of first generation college students. With enrollment exceeding 700, and many students commuting to pursue… [Read More]
Montana
Community CollegesCommunity FacilitiesGrantsTribal
St. Luke's Carbon Hospital

Carbon County Gets a New Hospital

Carbon County Pennsylvania opened the doors to its newest hospital in 65 years on November 21, 2021. The trauma-4 facility is expected to treat about 50,000 emergency care patients a year, thanks to a $98.5 million Community Facilities direct USDA loan investment for the… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
Community FacilitiesHealth CareRural Development
CEO Margie Molitor standing in front of Hot Springs Health.

Locals Take the Initiative to Save and Improve Their Hospital

Aging infrastructure and technology were taking their toll on the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital, now known as Hot Springs Health, in Thermopolis, Wyoming. However, with local demand and tourists on their way to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, patient levels… [Read More]
Wyoming
Community Facilities
Marshal Larry Rose with one of the new police vehicles

Chasing Down Lawbreakers in the Bitterroot Valley

As Darby's Chief of Police since 1984, Marshal Larry Rose has been a fixture in this rural Montana community and, with the help of his Deputy, works tirelessly to maintain peace and order in the Bitterroot Valley. In 2021, his aging police vehicles were starting to show the… [Read More]
Montana
Community Facilities
Historical Society New Building

Helping to Preserve History One Piece at a Time

Knowing where you have been is vital to a rural community’s future. Having the knowledge and understanding of your history can help build the basis for a much greater appreciation of today. That sentiment was the foundation for the past four years of hard work done by the… [Read More]
Colorado
Community Facilities
Sandhills Medical Center Groundbreaking

USDA Investment Will Help Low-Income Patients Have Access to Quality Healthcare in Rural South Carolina

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on June 1, 2021 for the expansion of the Sandhills Medical Foundation Inc. (SMF) facility located in Lugoff, S.C.  Local leaders and members of the Foundation gathered at the site to celebrate the official ground-breaking for the nearly… [Read More]
South Carolina
Community Facilities
USDA Rural Development invested $248 thousand to assist with the expansion of their fire station. The 30 year old structure was not able to fit modern trucks and their equipment. The expansion will allow Calypso to fit the most up-to-date equipment to serve their community.

USDA RD Assists Expansion of Calypso Fire Department

The town of Calypso recently celebrated the expansion of two new bays to their fire station.As the Rural American town continues to grow so does their volunteer fire department of 32 people.Working with USDA Rural Development in North Carolina the town’s leaders secured a $248… [Read More]
North Carolina
Community Facilities
The Trenton Volunteer Fire Department's new firehouse was dedicated in October 2020. USDA Rural Development invested $1 million into the new facility.

USDA Rural Development and Trenton VFD Team for Continued Success

People driving through the town of Trenton, North Carolina, are seeing a new building right off the downtown area.With the assistance of $1 million in grants from USDA Rural Development the town’s new fire station was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October… [Read More]
North Carolina
Community Facilities

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