Episode #201: A Place in the Country

"A stunning video… Remarkable both in style and substance." -- Rob Fossi, Senior Director, National Housing and Community Development, Fannie Mae Foundation

Synopsis: Documents the diversity of rural America, the complexity and depth of the challenges facing it, and the hard and effective work rural community developers are doing to meet the challenges and provide opportunities.

Full Description: Fifty-six million people – roughly 20% of the population -- live in rural America. If rural America was a country, it would rank just behind Great Britain in size. Yet many Americans don’t understand the realities of life in the country. Despite declining poverty in much of the nation, 244 of the 250 poorest counties are rural, and rural poverty rates have exceeded those of metropolitan areas for decades. Hosted by Ray Suarez from the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, A Place in the Country documents the diversity of rural America, the complexity and depth of the challenges facing it, and the hard and effective work that rural community developers are doing to meet these challenges and provide opportunities. The program focuses on the variety of approaches undertaken by Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CA), Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (ME), Neighborhood Housing Services of Dimmit County (TX), Northeast South Dakota Community Action Program, Quitman County Development Organization (MS), Southern Mutual Help Association (LA), and Stop Abusive Family Environments (WV). U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Tom Daschle, U.S Representatives Jo Ann Emerson (R/MO) and Eva Clayton (D/NC), and former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin comment on the importance of sustaining rural communities.

A co-production of Appalshop with the Center for Rural Strategies and Rural LISC. Funding provided by Bank of America, Fannie Mae Foundation, FHLBanks, National City Bank, State Farm Bank, Wahington Mutual, Wachovia Foundation, and Fleet.

Producer --Dee Davis: From Hazard, KY, Dee was an early Appalshop student filmmaker, served as President of Appalshop in the late 70s, and as the Executive Producer of Appalshop’s film and television division from 1982 until 2001. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of the Independent Television Service (ITVS) from 1992-97. He produced and co-directed A Place in the Country with Joel Cohen. He is currently President of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg.

Screening Highlights ** Council on Foundations Film & Video Festival * Stand Up For Rural America Day, Ronald Reagan International Trade Center

Resources: Stand Up for Rural America (www.ruralamerica.org) includes many resources on rural issues and a companion publication to this program, also titled “A Place in the Country” (click on “A Place in the Country” for pdf )

The Center for Rural Strategies (www.ruralstrategies.org), co-producers of “A Place in the Country,” has information on the people and organizations featured in the program (www.ruralstrategies.org/projects/place.html), as well as the Rural Reality Campaign to stop CBS’s reality TV version of the “Beverly Hillbillies".

click on picture for larger print version

Coachella Valley Housing Coalition helped Julie Bond build a new house	Mary Dore and daughter in front of their affordable new home developed by Southern Mutual Help Association in New Iberia, LA	A manufacturing plant financed by Coastal Enterprises in Maine	Coastal Enterprises developed business plans for Spindleworks, an arts center for the mentally disabled
Students in a ‘right-to-read” center operated by Quitman County Development Organization in Marks, Mississippi	Main Lobsterman Proctor Wells

Photos for press and private use. All rights reserved. Photos by Adam Fernandez.