Arlee CDC works to increase membership
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ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation welcomed the American Legion Post 113 as a new member to their organization July 12. American Legion Post 113 represents the Arlee area and is once again becoming active within the community. Back in April, board members Amy Lisk-Thomas and Ron Snyder stressed that membership was crucial for the survival and development of the CDC. For most of the meeting, members worked on case statements for the organization. Executive director Donna Mollica and administrative assistant Kelley Brown attended a Montana Non-Profit Association conference in April and worked on “case statements,” which are ways organizations can market themselves to the public and donors.
“The Arlee CDC is the best kept secret in the Jocko Valley only because we haven’t been able to tell our story,” Mollica said.
The group shared what they believe were the important contributions the CDC makes to the community and they also worked on their mission statement.
Some important contributions that the group believed they create are providing the community and its businesses a unified voice, creating after-school programs and fostering community awareness and pride.
“Our mission statement is three lines of jargon,” Mollica said. “We never stopped to reflect after eight or nine years,” she added to explain why the group is now taking time to think about the contributions the CDC has made to the community and why.
This exercise was used to facilitate a brainstorming session on how to expand and strengthen the CDC while incorporating and promoting local culture and programs.
The group plans to make brochures that will highlight the CDC’s history and past and current projects they are involved in. They also want to start advertising merchandise such as T-shirts with their logo on the front.
One of the group’s community development projects is the weekly farmers' market in downtown Arlee. Approximately 15 vendors participate consistently, every Wednesday. As of July 6, farmers' market vendors are able to accept EBT, credit and debit cards for payment.
The CDC is currently partnered with SKC’s HeartLines project and Npustin, an indigenous arts institute in the Jocko Valley, to host a two-week theater arts camp called “Core Stories” for young adults in the tribal community and a performance of Vic Charlo’s “Moon over Mission Dam” from Sept. 8-11. “Moon over Mission Dam,” led by Npustin’s Julie Cajune, is an opportunity for native people to tell their own stories. “Core Stories” will take place July 18-29 at the Arlee powwow grounds and will end with a community performance on July 29. See related story on page 16.
The CDC is working with the Jocko Valley Library to find a permanent home for this vital public resource. According to library director Jay Kirby, the current location of the library makes it hard to receive funding. Libraries must be easily accessible to the public in order to receive several grants. The library is currently located in the basement of the Brown Building, which also houses the Arlee Community Center, and was the original Arlee School building.
“It’s not a bad place,” Kirby said. “(But) because it is in the basement, the stairs make it hard for our elders to visit and sometimes kids are a bit afraid of its appearance being down below.”
Kirby is working with the CDC and the Arlee Fire Department to see if the library could find a home in the fire hall.
Finding room for the CDC and the food pantry within the fire hall is also being discussed.
Because Arlee schools are closed for the summer, the CDC held their monthly meeting at the Sacred Heart Church.
The CDC’s next meeting will use what they learned during this meeting’s case statement exercise to develop future directions.
