3 minute read
Sheri Booms Holm, West Central Initiative
from Innovation 2019
How do you ‘Live Wide Open’
Rick Schara wants to know your “Live Wide Open” story. In fact, he’s made it his job. As the marketing coordinator at West Central Initiative, he regularly visits the communities of west central SHERI Minnesota, BOOMS HOLM encouragWest ing people Central Initiative to share their stories of why they chose to make their home there.
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He’s met bookstore owners and boat builders, teachers and technicians, health care professionals and hair stylists, and so many more. Some grew up in west-central Minnesota, some vacationed or went to school there. Still others found their way there out of sheer happenstance. Each are happy to call their community home.
What’s “Live Wide Open?”
Maybe you’ve heard of Live Wide Open. It’s a regional marketing and workforce development campaign that encourages people to live, work and raise their families in west central Minnesota.
Back in 2015, a group of workforce development professionals were eager to launch such a campaign, and they thought West Central Initiative should be the organization to lead it.
SUBMITTED FINDING THE STORIES: Rick Schara, Live Wide Open coordinator, is often on the road, uncovering stories of people who chose to make west-central Minnesota their home.
As a regional community foundation and planning organization, West Central Initiative works to strengthen the economy of west central Minnesota so that families, businesses and communities thrive, now and for generations to come. Encouraging people to move to the area to fill jobs, buy homes, start businesses, send their kids to local schools and become active residents in their communities fits squarely within West Central Initiative’s work. As to the name “Live Wide Open,” that group of workforce development professionals—known as the Labor Force Development Council—coined it to describe the wide open spaces of rural Minnesota and having the breathing room to make a good life for oneself. It can also mean opening up people’s capacity to do what they love or what they’ve always dreamed of doing.
Why storytelling?
West Central Initiative staff are on the road a lot throughout the nine counties and 82 communities they serve, which includes Otter Tail County and Fergus Falls. Everywhere they go, they hear stories of the people who enjoy the quality of life found in west central Minnesota. Chances are good that one of these stories would resonate with people considering a change in lifestyle.
Rick has told many “Live Wide Open” stories of people living and working in the Fergus Falls area. You can read all his stories at livewideopen.com/stories.
A grassroots movement
From the very beginning, West Central Initiative and the Labor Force Development Council saw Live Wide Open as a grassroots movement. The idea is to help businesses and communities share what’s great about living and working in this re
SUBMITTED BACK TO HER HOMETOWN: Cedar and Chris Walters decided to put down roots where Cedar grew up. Cedar uses her environmental science and biology degrees as public information and education officer for Otter Tail County Solid Waste. Chris teaches English, film and literature at M State—Fergus Falls. Read their story at livewideopen.com/stories.
gion of Minnesota. Visit Live Wide Open’s website, livewideopen.com, and its social media feeds, #livewideopenmn, and you’ll read and see lots of stories about this beautiful area many have chosen to call home. But it takes many people, businesses and communities to share those stories, videos and information to make a movement. It takes people reminding family members and friends what is great about living in the area, to share job postings, and invite them to make west-central Minnesota their home, too. It takes residents coming together to create warm, welcoming communities where families want to live. Schara and the West Central Initiative staff invite you to be part of the movement by following our social media feeds, share stories and tell your Live Wide Open story too. Contact Schara at rick.schara@wcif.org or (218) 739-2239.
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