This Commentary is by Denise Smith, Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Vermont (VCRD). VCRD has been serving the needs of Vermont’s rural communities for over 30 years, facilitating community-led, place based conversations to help communities envision their collective future. Ask anyone how many towns there are in Vermont and you’ll hear a…
After two days in Reading in May and June 2025, the town and their love for their school captured the heart of VCRD’s Jessica Savage, Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives. So she wrote this love letter / opinion piece sharing her reflections. The Town of Reading Has My Heart: Small Schools, Big Questions…
The first cohort of the Village Trust initiative (VTI) has gotten off to an energetic start. Since launching in April 2024, the communities of Benson, Braintree, Greensboro Bend, Lunenburg-Gilman, Reading, West Fairlee, and Wolcott have been gathering community input through events, surveys, and facilitated conversations to lay the groundwork of an impactful community-driven project for…