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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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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 7 Stories
Medical staff monitor patients through video.

Rural doesn’t mean less

According to a Bureau of Health Workforce analysis published in November 2024, the average age of registered nurses across the United States was over 43 years old, while the population of Americans over age 65 is expected to increase from 58 to 82 million by 2050.These changes,… [Read More]
South Dakota
Health CareRural DevelopmentTechnology
exterior photo of Teachwell Solutions in Sioux Falls

Finding solutions through Distance Learning Technology

Students at the Chamberlain School receive virtual speech therapy with a Teachwell Solutions therapist using distance learning technologies. Finding qualified teachers can be challenging for rural communities. Finding speech,… [Read More]
South Dakota
Distance LearningTechnologyTelecommunications
A woman stands in a farmers' market booth with a Precipice Coffee banner behind her and coffee displayed on the table in front of her. The tent is green and encloses the scene.

Little Roaster Avoids a Big Stink with Clean Technology

Precipice Coffee is roasted in the company's small Ellsworth location using a zero-emissions Bellwether Coffee roaster, pictured here.  Early in the process of establishing their new coffee business, Maggie Iannuzzi and her husband… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessElectricEntrepreneurREAPTechnology
Two patients exercise in the telehealth cardio rehab room at Benson Hospital.

Health Care Closer to Home – It’s Good for the Heart

In Arizona, Benson Hospital’s telehealth services cut a 100-mile round trip to metropolitan Tucson, allowing residents to focus on what matters most – their health. Before the pandemic, telehealth was nearly nonexistent in Graham and Cochise County, forcing rural Arizonans in… [Read More]
Arizona
Distance LearningGrantsHealth CareTechnology
Sprocket Paducah

West KY nonprofit looks to level tech jobs, entrepreneurship playing field

Spend time with anyone involved in economic development in rural Kentucky, and you’ll hear different ideas about what will bring meaningful prosperity to the region. Some hang their hat on recreation activities like motorsports and responsible use of natural resources (… [Read More]
Kentucky
BusinessEntrepreneurSmall BusinessTechnology
Burke County Sign

New Technology for Burke, South Dakota Businesses

Technology has become a very important aspect of everyday life. Families, schools, governments, and businesses all use some form of technology to reach people and disseminate information or services.   Rural communities like Burke, South Dakota, were among the many… [Read More]
South Dakota
GrantsSmall BusinessTechnology
Reel of Fiber in rural countryside.

ReConnecting Rural Residents to Reliable High-Speed Internet

High-speed internet used to be considered a luxury for many rural customers. When the pandemic hit, the need for reliable broadband service became a priority. Thanks to Rural Development’s ReConnect program, rural customers near Timber Lake now will have reliable internet… [Read More]
South Dakota
BroadbandInfrastructureTechnologyTelecommunicationsTribalUtilities

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