Montezuma County
An outsider may expect little of rural Montezuma
County in the southwestern corner of Colorado, home to
just over 27,000 people, and would be surprised to find
this county home to one of the most vibrant, energetic,
passionate and talented groups of individuals and
agencies one may ever encounter. The people in this vast
and diverse community are capable of great achievements
with limited resources, building effective coalitions,
and taking actions that make a difference. While
geographic isolation and below average economics can
become a self fulfilling prophecy in some rural
communities, our community is truly special with a
unique ability to get things accomplished despite these
conditions.
The County itself is comprised of 2,037
square miles split in approximately thirds between
private property, public property, and Ute Mountain Ute
tribal property. The County is made up of snow capped
mountains, evergreen forests, upland plateaus, high
desert sage fields, dryland farms, and sandstone
canyons. Even before irrigation, the county was renowned
for its agricultural production. It is also a wilderness
lovers paradise, home to deer, elk, turkeys, bears,
grouse, and mountain lions. “Nature seems to have given
to this valley and the surrounding country everything
necessary for man’s subsistence and for his highest
prosperity (Colorado Consolidated Land and Water
Company, historic document).” This environment is a
great asset that must be cherished and leveraged at
every turn.
In addition to the diverse geography and
varied ecosystems in Montezuma County, the four corners
area is renowned for its prehistory. Home of Mesa Verde
National Park, Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep
National Monuments, and Crow Canyon Archaeological
Center, this community is archaeologically rich with the
Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) culture at its heart. Today,
the descendents of this ancient culture live further
south, but the Ute and Navajo people continue to live in
and around Montezuma County today. In the last quarter
of the nineteenth century, pioneers began to settle in
the county, raising crops and cattle to serve the mining
industry in the San Juan and La Plata Mountains that run
along the eastern border of the county.
Today, Montezuma County service
providers support a culturally and demographically
diverse population. Multigenerational ranching families
are a major sector of the community as are the working
poor, who work primarily in the service industry and
government. Along with these populations of struggling
families, the average household size is decreasing and
the average age increasing as retirees settle in the
community, seeking the quiet atmosphere of small towns
and country living. Building cross-cultural
understanding will be vital to enhancing the quality of
life for all Montezuma County residents. In order to
sustain Montezuma County as a community where youth and
families thrive, there are three primary areas in which
non-profits and service providers must build their
capacity: the Economy, Healthcare, and Education.
Economy
As the National economy shows mixed signals of
recovery, the crash is just beginning to hit in
Montezuma County. Data available from before the current
economic downturn showed the median income per household
at least 25% below the State level with 14% of the
population living in poverty including 27% of children
under 18 and 17% of adults 65 and over. Unemployment
was at just 4% when those figures were taken, but in the
end of 2009, 8.3% of Montezuma County’s labor force was
unemployed compared to a 7.5% unemployment rate
statewide. Requests for emergency financial assistance
nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009 and the community is
providing more nights of emergency shelter than ever
before. In Montezuma County, creating jobs is not just
about reducing the unemployment rate; it is about
improving quality of life; reducing substance abuse,
domestic violence, homelessness, and stranded-ness; and
supporting healthier youth and families.
Health Services
Though healthcare is a pressing issue
nationwide, Montezuma County has been designated
medically underserved by the U.S. Department Health and
Human Services. Negative health indicators such as
number of uninsured, smoking, and poverty exceed
national and state levels. A growing number of
providers and physicians are not accepting Medicare,
Child Health Insurance Program (CHP+) or Medicaid, as a
shortage of physicians forces economics to play a role.
Three Rural Health Clinics, a non-profit hospital, and a
Community Mental Health Center help provide services for
these patients, however, the basic health care needs of
the 20% of the population who are uninsured are not
being met. The community needs general support for
medical professionals to alleviate the consequences of a
shortage of physicians; in-patient mental health care;
and health services available to the uninsured and
underinsured. Education
Improved education on every level will boost economic
development, help recruit and retain physicians, and lead to an overall higher
quality of life today and tomorrow for the residents of Montezuma County.
Beginning in the home, support for programs that educate families is critical.
Continuing education, be it technical, professional, or for development of ones
character, must not be undervalued. Montezuma County is home to a campus of one
technical college that is drastically underutilized. Promoting adult education
is important, but before it can be effective, the community must address a high
school drop out rate of over 7.7% compared to 3.6% statewide. Funding programs
that: reform education; return music, arts, culture, and citizenship to the
curriculum; focus on prevention and early intervention for substance abuse; and
expand activities for school age children is paramount.
RPD an "Invaluable
Experience" for Mancos Nonprofit Serving Youth and
Families
Writes Lynne Howarth, Executive Director
of the Medicine Horse Center, "At the 2006 Southwest
Colorado Rural Philanthropy Days, Medicine Horse Center,
an equine assisted therapy center located in the rural
town of Mancos, had the pleasure of meeting with a
number of grantmakers. Our organization was particularly
compatible with AV Hunter Trust and, after a follow up
discussion with their Executive Director, we submitted a
grant request for the to support our youth and family
programming. That year, they granted us $5,000 toward
programming."
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"Throughout
the years following, we have continued to grow
our relationship with them and as a result, the
amounts we have been granted for programs has
also grown -- in 2009 we were awarded $15,000."
"Our participation in Rural Philanthropy Days was
an invaluable experience. To be able to sit and
visit with grantmakers from outside the
Southwest Colorado region really affords small
non-profits like Medicine Horse the opportunity
to showcase the good works that are being done.
We look forward to seeing everyone at this
year's event!"
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"Participating in RPD Ensured Our Success", Says
Dolores Library Leader
Writes Carole Arnold, Executive Director
of the Dolores Library, "We built relationships at the 2002 Rural Philanthropy Days event that helped us make our new library possible. I am delighted I had the chance to meet not only the representatives from the foundations but also people representing organizations from across the region. I’m also thankful for the commitment of the individuals, organizations, and foundations involved in making Philanthropy Days possible."
"At the time the Dolores Public Library received grants for our capital project, we were fortunate to have community support as well: a great combination. With the grants, land donated and community support our dream of having a place for the community to access resources and enjoy reading in a friendly, peaceful environment became a reality when we opened our doors to the new building in May 2004."
"As a result of RPD, the Dolores Public Library received grants from El Pomar Foundation, Ballantine Family Fund, Gates Family Foundation, the Adolph Coors Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, and the Department Of Local Affairs. Once we received the DOLA Grant and the land, we were able to have a successful
local election, raising $200,000 of taxpayer money. The grants awarded to us
through the relationships we built at RPD showed our
local community that our need was established and important."
"In 2009, the Dolores Public Library was
named a finalist for the El Pomar Foundation Award For Excellence. The Library was also named Library of the Year in 2004
by the Colorado Library Association, and received the Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence
in 2005, and in 2006 was named second in the "50 Best Smallest Libraries in United States" by
Library Journal."
"We are the little engine that could. Our reputation has spread. We serve as a model to other small towns, libraries and nonprofits around the state for what can be accomplished with perseverance, vision and community support. We are proof of what is possible when a community commits to making a project happen."
"Participating in RPD ensured our success
with this project. RPD united grantmakers and
grantseekers, giving us a chance to match the support to the need, speak of the vision of our organization, and be given the support to bring our project to fruition! It’s truly teamwork in action."
Nonprofits In Montezuma County
List coming soon!
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