Last Thursday night, the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities MIRC team received the Innovative Collaboration of the Year award from the Minnesota High Tech Association. Some of us celebrated at the glamorous event in downtown Minneapolis, but we knew that we were standing on the shoulders of partners across the state as, by definition, winning an award for collaboration is not something you do alone.

The MIRC project was launched  in May 2010 when Blandin Foundation  convened the many partners for the first time to get to know each other, to assess symbiotic needs and assets and to define success for the project.

The folks at NTIA who administered our grant as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) have been keenly interested in broadband subscription numbers and rates and in job creation.  Against these indicators we can report that we have “overfilled the plan.”  Jack Geller’s project assessment team at UofM Crookston has documented a total of 56,222 new broadband subscriptions attributable to MIRC work – comfortably ahead of the initial goal of 38,000.  Jack’s team further documented that the adoption rate is 29.8 percent faster in MIRC partner communities when compared to the rest of rural Minnesota. And, to top it off, the assessment suggests that Minnesota’s lead in rural adoption rates nationally is directly attributable to MIRC.

But over the long-run, perhaps the most important result of our work together will be the relationships we’ve forged.  So far these relationships have given rise to many many wonderful community impacts no one ever foresaw or even knew to hope for.  YOU have made it so.

Today I want to take time and space to recognize and thank our partners by sharing some of my favorite, fun stories of the difference this work is making. You can get a more complete list of projects – today I’m just sharing the tip of the iceberg!

Benton County Enables People with Disabilities to Get Online

Benton County has been successful with a number of programs that improve the standard of living for seniors – allowing them to connect with loved ones online either as they age in place or move to assisted living. Developing a program called BRAVE (Broadband, Resources and Vocational Education), the local assisted living center purchased computer equipment to create a computer center that includes assistive technology such as rubber, indestructible keyboards, large style keyboards and roller ball and joystick style mice for easier computer navigation.  It has been an opportunity to bypass barriers to getting online.

Cook County is Going Hollywood

Tourism is 70% of the local economy in Cook County with over 1,000,000 visitors annually. So it made sense to focus some of their programming on improving their online presence. Cook County improved mobile access to key tourism sites; they also made a big push to increase efforts to post local videos online with WTIP’s Videos from the Edge, which include great videos of the area, local events and local government activity.

Grand Rapids Website Wins Award

The Tekne wasn’t our only MIRC award. We were pleased to announce last February (2012) that Itasca Community Television earned the prestigious Pegasus Awards of Excellence for its website. The site features local video that helps keep citizens informed and engaged.

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Create Computer Literacy Program

Fun to see what’s happening  with Leech Lake on local news program.  Hats off to Janice Gale for her inspiring leadership of the Temporary Employment Program’s tremendous strides in integrating digital literacy into tribal employment services:

Public Computers for Vets in Stevens County

Sheldon Giesse, Mayor of Morris and veteran, talks about how computers and wifi in American Legion are bringing two generations of veterans closer.

Thief River Falls Partners with Providers to Make Access Affordable

One of the stated goals in National Broadband Plan and Minnesota Task Force recommendations has been to encourage public-private partnership. Thief River Falls is working with local broadband provider (Sjoberg Cable) to make broadband accessible to low income homes.

Computer Commuter tours Upper Minnesota Valley Region

Lac qui Parle is the home to the Computer Commuter, a souped up mobile computer lab. In the video below, patrons talk about why the visit the site when it rolls into their town.

What 8 Computers Can Mean to Somali Community in Willmar

We visited the Somali Women’s Center last year – amazing to hear the work being done to welcome to immigrants, including computer training and connecting back home thanks to the MIRC-sponsored computer lab.

Remote Interpreter Training in Windom

Windom has seen an influx of non-native English speaking residents. It has spurred some serendipitous business opportunities, which are currently in development through remote access to certified interpreter training made available through the University of Minnesota via teleconferencing equipment in the local Community Education location.

Digital Literacy Brings Cultures Together in Winona

Winona has become a hub for New Americans. Many are welcomed to the community by Project FINE. Folks from the Hispanic and Hmong communities take classes either separately in their native language or together in an English-language class. While Project FINE works extensively with these groups, the computer/internet classes have been the first ones with great interaction between the two communities. It’s been a great way for folks to connect with friends back home while they make new friends in their new home.

iPads in the Schools in Worthington

The Worthington schools acquired wireless access and 40 iPads. IPads are distributed across the various school buildings. The Alternative Learning Center is the leading user. There are not enough to go around! The new wireless access also provides great flexibility for students and teachers.

PCs for People

PCs for People refurbishes computers to distribute to low income households. Through the MIRC project they have been able to redistribute more than 1500 computers to rural MIRC communities. They have also been able to partner with some communities to set up franchise-type local PCs for People outlets.

eBusiness Training Gets More Local Businesses Online

The University of Minnesota Extension and MNREM  (Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace) presented business training to more than 1600 businesses. Extension focused on classroom training.

MNREM focused on local Social Media Breakfasts and Webinars. Below is an interesting video on what happens when demand outpaces supply – as happened at one MNREM event. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXpA2GkZIvg

Digital Literacy Training

We also reached around 1000 individuals with training Knowledge Training classes and online digital inclusion through DEED (Department of Employment and Economic Development) and Minnesota Learning Commons.

Finally we were fortune to work with 11 Regional Development Commissions across the state. They were instrumental in helping to spread the word about various local activities and built partnerships locally getting people connected with resources they needed.

This is a generous list, but I promise you it’s only a partial one.  And many seeds planted have yet to bear fruit.

So you can see that many many hands and hearts and spirits have contributed to the impressive impacts we were recognized for with the Tekne Award.    I love our team!  My hats off to each of you.