Warden Development Council

The Warden Development Council (WDC) came together in the summer of 2006 as an informal group of citizens concerned about the lack of growth in the City of Warden and it’s viability as a thriving, growing community. The county and communities around Warden were growing at an unprecedented rate, but Warden remained a community in poverty and on a downslide. At the same time, the community was approached by WSU to be part of the Horizon’s Project. As in most small towns, even though these two organizations came about independently, many of the members of the WDC also were in the Horizon’s Leadership. In 2007, the ideas produced by these two groups merged with the WDC taking the lead in registering with the state as a not-for-profit 501 (c) (6). As the groups became more and more focused on the work of creating a community where families that earn a ‘living wage’ would like raise their children, it was obvious through the strategic planning process of the Horizon Project that the WDC become the vehicle for change.

Financing Your Education

Tony Garcia, Community Coach for WSU’s Horizons Program presented a workshop titled “Alternative Financing for Your Education” at the DSHS/Worksourse Annual Columbia Basin Job Fair, information on Displaced Worker funds, Tuition Assistance for Working Parents,
Scholarship opportunities, student employment, Workforce Training Program, Job Corps, Veteran’s assistance, and all the other possibilities. Other partners that served as a panel included:
• WIA funding (Skillsource)
• Opportunity Grant sources (Worksource Center, BBCC),
• Work-based Learning Tuition Assistance Program & Financial Aid (BBCC)

Grant Writing

The Horizons Program is sponsoring a Grant Writing Workshop for community members and community agency partners on April 4 & 5. The program was honored to have renowned grants trainer Susan Howlett. During the two-day training the following topics were covered:
• Where does money come from (types of sources and where to find them)
• How do you decide what’s a good match for you and your project.
• How do you prepare your organization to be grant-ready.
• Writing a compelling letter of inquiry
• What do grantmakers look for in a proposal.
• What are the standard questions and what are strong answers for each.
• Budgets and other support documents and the stories they tell.
• Cultivation, recognition and stewardship of grantors.
• How to corroborate need.
• How to articulate outcomes or measurable objectives.
• How to develop an evaluation plan.
• An exercise in reviewing real letter of inquiry.