The Local Support and Community Action Team of the Governor's Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force has launched a series of virtual COVID-19 Recovery Visits to be held in each county across the state over the next several months.
A meeting for Windham County is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Action Team was convened in mid-April as part of the Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force and charged by Gov. Phil Scott with identifying and replicating regional and community recovery initiatives and uncovering gaps in recovery efforts to ensure equitable distribution of resources, especially in rural areas and underserved populations.
Virtual forums will assemble community members and business and organizational leaders from across the region. The group will discuss challenges, share ideas for community response and equitable economic recovery, and connect to others working to respond and recover.
The forums will encourage and support local and regional efforts, share promising practices and models between counties, promote equitable access to financial, social, and structural recovery, and aid communities in accessing the tools and resources to support their recovery work.
Participants will join a brief opening session and then break into discussions on topics that include telecommunications, business support and recovery, education and child care, housing, food access, and more.
Other topics could include building community unity, addressing racial inequities, and developing buy-local campaigns.
Teams of federal, state, regional, nonprofit, and business leaders and experts will attend each forum to share recovery strategies and ideas for resources and support.
The forums are coordinated and facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), in partnership with local and regional partners.