Lessons in Getting Older Adults Online
- Details
- Published on May 15, 2012
- Written by Elizabeth Crocker
Skyping with Grandma
This morning, I had the privilege of sitting on a panel for the Broadband Breakfast Club on the topic of getting older adults online. It is a topic has become increasingly important to FRS and to our members because many rural areas of this country have such high populations of senior citizens and we all want to make sure that this fast-growing group has the resources it needs. It was also very timely for us since we just released our white paper, Aging in Place and the Role of Broadband, which discusses some amazing work that our telecommunications companies are doing with respect to remote monitoring and telemedicine. I was in distinguished company with representatives from NTIA, the FCC, TechNet, OATS, and Connected Nation and it sparked some interesting conversations about things we can realistically do as well as obstacles we still need to overcome. Most notably, I felt like everyone in the room was committed to providing the resources to get seniors online, wherever possible, and there were a wide variety of pilot programs that were mentioned by speakers.
Grant Program Success
- Details
- Published on May 11, 2012
- Written by Elizabeth Crocker
Phillipsburg Entrepreneurial Center
The best days I have at work are when someone in a rural community contacts me to tell what a difference FRS has made to them. This week, we got two great pieces of news. First, one of our $5000 Staurulakis Family Scholarship winners let us know that she was accepted in to Yale. She has an amazing story and we just couldn’t be more excited for her. It will be fun to follow up with her in a few years and find out what she is doing, because we have no doubt that she will be a huge success!
Today, we got an email from the folks at the Phillipsburg Entrepreneurial Center, who received a grant from us in 2011 for their Entrepreneurship Investigation (ESI) project. They recently had local small business owners come and speak to their class about their experiences as entrepreneurs and business owners. They told us that it was fantastic to see how the program captivated the students’ interest during that class period and it inspired the students to create their own products to sell. They worked with the students for a semester to create their products, work on their sales pitch and slogans, and come up pricing and advertising. The students went on the “Tad Poll” at the local radio station to discuss the products they were selling at a special Youth Showcase downtown. The Youth Showcase was a huge success and the kids sold out of their products within an hour and a half of being open! The program has received a lot of positive feedback from their community in Kansas and now they are looking at having a special entrepreneur camp this summer. ESI is the perfect embodiment of our new grant program and we look forward to funding more projects like this, in the coming years.
If you are interested in applying for an FRS Grant, we encourage you to check out the guidelines on our website at www.frs.org. We love to hear these success stories, so keep’em coming rural America!
Maybe Washington Isn’t So Bad?
- Details
- Published on May 11, 2012
- Written by Elizabeth Crocker
Chase Rocks the Red!
I had the opportunity to attend an awards ceremony for Refugees International with my husband, down in Washington D.C, last night. With as many fundraisers and events as I have done over the years, it was a real treat to be there simply as a guest and to enjoy the evening, without any responsibilities! However, it was a strange feeling for me to back in that world, since I left politics and government work 10 years ago to transition to the non-profit sector. I have always had a sort of love/hate relationship with DC, but maybe even more so now that my work is so focused on rural communities.
However, it never fails to amaze me just how many folks are here in this city working to make the country and the world better, often working long hours for little pay. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I have been frustrated by the egos, the politics, and the bureaucratic red tape over the years but events like last night’s remind me of just how much good there is in Washington, too. I had a “worlds colliding” moment when I ran in to my old boss, Senator Lieberman, and his wife during the cocktail hour. It was wonderful to see them and catch up with them for a few minutes, especially because I have always felt that no matter what your politics are, they are just kind and caring people. I also had the chance to talk to many of the staff of Refugees International about their work and it was inspiring to see how passionate they were about what they did every day. Washington can be tough and it can be ugly at times - the people in our industry know that better than anyone! – but it can also be a place where people from all different cultures and walks of life get together to solve a problem.
Besides, how bad can Washington really be when we’ve got the Capitals?? Before we all head home for the weekend, after this long and busy week, I have just have to put in my plug for Washington to go to the Stanley Cup finals – we will all be “rocking the red” and taking a little more pride in our city this weekend!
Gone Country
- Details
- Published on May 8, 2012
- Written by Elizabeth Crocker
This weekend, I had the chance to get away from Washington and head up to the mountains of western Maryland with my husband, our two children, and our 80lb lap dog, Sterling. Unfortunately, weekends away from the city have become less and less frequent this year, as we juggle work, parenthood, and the usual responsibilities at home. As we drove through the mountains, all I saw out the window was green and blue. Slowly, with each passing mile, I started to feel myself relax a little bit and smile a lot more.
Throughout the weekend, it was so nice to see my kids and my dog running and playing in the grass and getting dirty. Despite the fact that cows were pretty much every where we looked, my son Chase still got excited every time he saw one and started yelling “Mooo” – so much fun to see the world through the eyes of a two year old! Sitting outside the local coffee shop, every single person who walked by said hello to us, smiled at our kids, and petted our dog. As we drove home, I couldn’t help reflect on my job with the Foundation and the many rural communities that we serve.
There is something so special about living in a small town or rural area, where everybody looks out for each other and life isn’t always about moving fast. I can’t get out to the country or mountains nearly as much as I would like to, but at least I can do something every day during the week to make sure those communities survive and thrive…. and occasionally, I’m lucky enough to spend some time there, too!
Chase playing outside
The FRS & NTCA Family
- Details
- Published on May 7, 2012
- Written by Elizabeth Crocker
Annette, Amanda, and Elizabeth at the FRS Event in San Diego.
It has been a roller coaster couple of months for FRS and I just want to take a minute to talk about the NTCA Family. There is so much going on all the time in our lives and things can get so busy but somehow, around here, everyone makes time for each other and they understand what is really important. This week, as I was talking with another NTCA staff member who is going through a difficult personal situation, I realized something …. I am so very, very thankful for the NTCA and FRS family. I’ve never worked anywhere else where people genuinely cared so much about each other, both as a staff and as entire membership.
A few months ago, the NTCA staff pulled together to help some rural communities in need, after the horrible tornados devastated so many of our members’ service areas. It never fails to amaze me just how many of our members help each other in these kinds of situations, as well. You would be hard pressed to find a lot of industries where that is the norm. So many of our staff and our members send each other notes and emails of support when someone is having a tough time. Earlier this week, I got a call from a Director in Kansas who just called to check on me and say hi.
Every day that I work here, I’m inspired by the people around me and I’m uplifted by our members. I just want to make sure that every one of our members and the people in their rural communities know that we care about them, too, and that their struggles are our struggles. We are all part of this family together!
