Lt. Gov. Crouch, OCRA announce four communities to participate in Rural Empowerment and Development program

INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 3, 2024) - Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouchand the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairstoday announced four communities were selected to participate in the Rural Empowerment and Development program.

The RED program is a comprehensive capacity-building and planning program created by OCRA and the Indiana Communities Instituteat Ball State University.

"Continued community development is key to improving the quality of life in Indiana's rural communities," said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. "The RED program will help launch these four communities to the next level of community development through collaboration and innovation."

The initiative is designed to help communities build capacity by expanding on previous community development efforts and incorporating innovative new approaches. It offers hands-on, relevant and productive experiences tailored for communities looking to elevate their economic development vision through local collaboration.

The participating communities include Cass County, Fulton County, Huntington County and Orange County.

"Congratulations to these four communities selected to participate in the pilot round of the RED program," said OCRA's Executive Director Duke Bennett, "Our Hoosier communities are special because of the people who turn ideas into action. I look forward to seeing how these counties turn their ideas into action through the RED program!"

Throughout the program, each participating community will identify and develop between five and 15 actionable projects. Expert guidance and coaching will be provided to each project team to assist with successful implementation.

Each participating local team will undergo a four- to six-month program tailored to their specific needs, with staggering start dates starting in January 2025.

The RED program will open again for applications in spring 2025. For more information on the program, visit in.gov/ocra/redor reach out to the regional OCRA community liaison, which can be found at in.gov/ocra/newsroom/community-liaisons.

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Under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch,who serves as Indiana's Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs' (OCRA) mission is to work with local, state and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to assist communities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development. For more information, visit ocra.in.gov.