Darby, Montana looks to kick-start struggling economy through help from the Northwest Area Foundation

Darby http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darby,_Montana , whose fortunes have slipped with the timber industry’s decline, is looking to rejuvenate itself through a non-profit program for small Western communities.

Since October, volunteers have being meeting to discuss how to attract new jobs and restore community pride while retaining the town’s historic roots.

The meetings are organized through the Northwest Area Foundation http://www.nwaf.org/ based in St. Paul, Minn., whose Horizons program has provided nearly $20 million in financial, technical and leadership training assistance to 200 communities across the West since 2002.

The Horizons Program: http://www.nwaf.org/Programs.aspx?pg=Programs/Horizons.htm

by JOHN CRAMER – Ravalli Republic

Full Story: http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2008/12/16/news/news57.txt