Before the Village of Honor improved its wastewater treatment system in 2022, the team that runs it dealt with frequent maintenance issues.

The system, which includes a series of treatment lagoons and other structures and components that lie at the northeastern edge of the village, functioned fairly well, but some equipment wasn’t up to modern standards. Mechanical arms agitated the lagoons to provide aeration, for example, and they were subject to a lot of problems.

People have been visiting the area surrounding the Village of L’Anse, which means “the cove” in French, to recreate, fish, camp and enjoy the water since long before the village’s founding in the 1870s.

The city of Glenville, West Virginia is a little safer now thanks to assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. Since 2018, Rural Development has provided a total of $72,950 in grant funding to Glenville State University (GSU) and the city of Glenville to purchase new police cruisers through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program.

For Monique DiGiorgio, co-owner of Table to Farm Compost in Durango, Colorado, there is a full circle order to things. What we put out into the world has the potential to directly impact what we receive back.

Tracie Holcomb, the owner of Catacombs Fitness Collective in Durango, Colorado, has continually sought ways to enhance her gym’s role as a community cornerstone.

“Our motto is fitness and community,” says Tracie. “We think if people have a safe space where their friends are, where it’s a fun place to come, then it sets them up to come here more consistently, create good social connections, as well as the physical benefits and mental health benefits of working out.”

When Celine Leavitt and her wife Allison Troxel visited McElmo Canyon near Cortez, Colorado, they felt an unmistakable connection to the land. After camping for a single night at the serene space called Ancient Echoes at Kelly Place, both agreed the “for sale by owner” sign was for them, and they packed up their home in Montana and relocated to southwest Colorado in 2021.

With a $32 million Community Facilities direct loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, DeSoto Regional Health, a 70-year-old hospital in Mansfield, LA, broke ground on renovations and expansions to add a 16-bed medical/surgical unit, a 9-bed emergency department, and a 30,000 sq. ft. medical office to include a rural health clinic, a 3-bed sleep lab, and administrative offices.