July 31, 2018 • Page 10 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com USDA Rural Development Invests $173,000 To Assist Two South Dakota Communities HURON, South Dakota, July 23, 2018 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $17.4 million in 41 projects that will provide essential services for rural communities in 22 states. “Rural America represents a wealth of opportunity– from farms to tourism, forestry, mining and manufacturing,” Hazlett said. “At USDA, our mission is to be a catalyst to bring those opportunities to life – whether building infrastructure, helping communities to attract jobs, accessing additional capital, or improving the quality of life in these towns.” USDA is making the investments through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. The funding helps rural areas purchase, construct or improve essential facilities. An essential community facility is one that provides a necessary service for the orderly development or operation of a rural community, such as schools, libraries, health care facilities, day care centers and infrastructure improvements. Two projects in South Dakota have been selected to receive $173,000 under this announcement: • Dupree Volunteer Fire Department in Dupree is receiving a $10,000 loan and a $50,000 grant to purchase a heavy duty pickup chassis, flatbed, motor, tank, and pump for the construction of a new wild land fire truck, as well as two new heaters for the fire station. The Dupree Volunteer Fire Department covers a large response area of rural country in Ziebach County, SD. The new truck will replace an aging model and improve the service area coverage for fire suppression activities. The two new heaters will replace old, inefficient heaters and allow the department to keep the equipment warm in the wintertime at a reduced cost. • Buffalo County Rural Fire Protection District #1 in Gann Valley is receiving a $70,400 loan and a $42,600 grant to finance a new brush truck. The District has provided high quality fire protection services for nearly 40 years to Buffalo County, the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, and surrounding communities and counties. The addition of the new brush truck will greatly aid in responding to prairie, equipment, and residential fires as well as controlled burns. In addition, the need for fire services has increased substantially due to the drought conditions that have plagued South Dakota for the last couple of years. A new brush truck will alleviate additional strain on the fire crew, reduce response time, and utilize the latest technology to provide the highest quality of fire protection services for the district. The projects that are being announced today will help improve the quality of life for more than 220,000 rural residents in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington. More than 100 types of projects are eligible for USDA Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally and state-recognized Native American tribes. Applicants and projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. Loan amounts have ranged from $10,000 to $165 million. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Omnibus spending bill increased the budget for the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program to $2.8 billion, up $200 million from FY 2017. In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB). USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www. rd.usda.gov. ********************************************* River City Domestic Violence Center River City Domestic Violence Center, once known as the “Yankton Women’s/ Children’s Center, is home base for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse—a safe haven from danger, a shoulder to lean on, a voice for those who have not yet found their voice. Every day at RCDVC is about providing an array of services and support systems to assist survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in finding hope, safety and change. River City’s system of care is founded on three basic principles: Advocate, Educate and Inspire. EDUCATE The most frequently asked question the RCDVC team receives is “Why don’t victims of domestic violence just leave?”. This question initiates an educational inspiration for those who are only a bystander of the abuse. Consider how difficult it may be for you: To leave your significant other, Become a single parent, Admit that someone you love has been hurting you, To lose financial security, Leave the place you have made a home, Move into a shelter, Testify in a court room… change everything about your entire life in a moment. A survivor’s pain and life endurances may impact the lives of the people who love them very deeply; however, the survivor knows things and carries a weight that those around them may not see or understand the depth of the complications. The survivor knows leaving is the most dangerous time for them and their children. The survivor knows that leaving the abuser will be an ultimate defiance of the structure and control the abuser has created for them. The survivor knows that if they defy the structure built for them, the abuser will stop at nothing to maintain that power. Domestic Violence is not about “anger management”, domestic violence is one person maintaining power and control over another human being. Ultimately, it’s not up to “us” when a survivor leaves. It is up to “us”, however, to provide them with support and care while they are developing the courage and the plan to leave… without judgment. River City provides this support by simply being an advocate for survivors. ADVOCATE Each individual who seeks assistance from the mission of RCDVC faces their own unique challenges and inimitable strengths. Survival and justice look different for every person we encounter; therefore, a victim centered approach is imperative in our delivery of services. Power: For those who are forced to bare the unmeasurable pain of living in fear each day, the RCDVC team take their hand and lead them through the journey to someday escape the power and control that has become their life. The unknown is terrifying for anyone—we begin the journey by shifting the power(of their own life) back to the survivor( this is a human necessity that was robbed from them by their abuser). In providing the survivor with control of their own life, we offer them options of pathways to rebuilding anew in their unique situation. Support: RCDVC team is on stand by 24 hours a day/ 365 day a year to provide support and help. Voice: RCDVC helps those who have been victimized find their voice—their voice to share with trusted sources their experiences, their voice in a court room, their voice to ask for help, their voice to express their needs. Significance: An abuser’s tactic of maintaining power and control over their significant other is demonstrated by eradicating that individual of self-esteem and human significance—the approach of breaking another person’s identity and confidence makes it increasingly difficult for the survivor to leave that situation. RCDVC’s first initiative when working with a survivor is giving them back their human significance, rebuilding their confidence—this is the starting tool needed to leave. INSPIRE ESTED IN THIS SPOT? For survivors of domestic violence, the journey doesn’t get easier, they get stronger. They get stronger through community support and advocacy but most importantly through their very own perseverance. In this journey, RCDVC advocates teach the survivors ‘what has been done to you, does not define you’. River City instills the culture of—victim, survivor, thriver. The inspire initiative of the River City Domestic Violence Center mission is to inspire victims of abuse to conquer the path from victim to thriver through advocacy services and to inspire social change amongst our community members through education and public awareness. Join the initiative of Survivor Support by participating in our Operation Innovation and Guardian Angel Project.To learn more about River City Domestic Violence Center “We Believe”, like us on facebook or visit our website at yanktondomesticviolencecenter.com. -5884 to place your ad here. 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