March has somehow come and gone in a flash. Miraculously, my NCAA bracket has
UConn and Michigan in the championship game. Madness indeed, since I do not
follow college basketball!
March was a busy month for PRWA, which explains how quickly it seemed to fly by.
We launched Grant Chat, our new monthly on-line grant help session for rural
communities that are working on grant applications and have questions or need a bit
of help to complete them. These sessions also cover grants that will soon be opening
an application window for towns that have interest in applying or want to find out
more about what’s required for a submission.
I am thrilled to announce that Chris McCord (formerly with the WA Department of
Commerce) and Sharon Miracle (Yakima Valley Community Foundation) have accepted
my invitation to co-chair our PRISTINE Water Initiative. Their combined experience
and knowledge will accelerate PRWA’s efforts to create private and philanthropic
funding solutions for regional rural water and wastewater projects. I am so appreciative
of their willingness to take over the leadership of this group and keep it moving forward.
Our first (and hopefully annual) Rural Exchange event is coming together, with this
year’s convening focusing on disaster preparedness and community cooperation for
rural communities with fewer than 1500 people. We’re finalizing speakers, panelists,
and sponsors for the event and will launch the registration site by the end of next
week. The Rural Exchange will be held at the Yakima Convention and Event Center
on August 27.
PRWA participated in the Federal Partners Coalition on March 26 in Pasco, staffing a
table and connecting with federal funders and county and community representatives
from across the state. Kudos to the Washington State USDA Rural Development Office
for pulling this event together and to Franklin County for hosting.
I was also invited to join a panel, Building Economic Resilience and Preparedness in
Washington’s Communities – The Malden Wildfire Recovery Story, at the WEDA 2026
Annual Conference in late February, joining Paul Kimmell (Avista) and Molly Sanchez
(Innovia). I continue to be impressed by all that Malden has achieved and overcome
since that devastating day in 2020, and PRWA is proud to have been involved in the
town’s recovery efforts.
As for which team I picked to win the championship, let’s just say that, both personally
and professionally, I tend to always root for the underdogs 😉
Take care,
Jody
