Behind the Community-Building Mission of the Orton Family Foundation

The work of the Orton Family Foundation provides a leading example of community-driven revitalization at work in small towns all over the country, according to this feature in the Christian Science Monitor.

January 24, 2019, 6am PST | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

Cortez, Colorado.

Doug Kerr

Flickr

A feature by David Karas focuses on the work and ideals of the Orton Family Foundation.

The example of Biddeford, Maine, where the community partnered with the Orton Family Foundation to buy out a riverfront waste incinerator and "move forward with other plans that ultimately created a wave of development and revitalization" showcase the "Community Heart & Soul" model employed by the foundation.

The Community Heart & Soul model is guided by three principles, explains Karas: "involving everyone, focusing on what matters, and playing the long game."

David Leckey, executive director of the foundation, is featured throughout the article, to help explain how the foundation works with communities all over the country. According to Leckey, 66 towns in 14 states have completed or are currently engaged in implementation of the model.

Full Story:

One man's mission to revitalize small-town America

Published on Sunday, January 6, 2019 in The Christian Science Monitor