FAQs

WHAT IS CRAWFORD: 20/20 VISION?
Simply put, Crawford: 20/20 Vision is a project backed by private funders with one goal: to empower the people of Crawford County to build a better future for the community throughout the next decade. It’s not a politically-motivated campaign, and the intention is purely to address the most pressing issues facing the county, collaborate to build solutions, and establish a plan to implement that will bring positive change for the residents of Crawford County.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES CRAWFORD COUNTY IS FACING?
Our county is facing a multitude of significant issues, including (but not limited to): unemployment, lack of educational attainment beyond high school, workforce skill needs, decreasing population, a remaining aging population, duplication of services causing inefficiencies in government and social services agencies and a rising use and demand of public assistance.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SO FAR?
The Vision initiative is in full swing. We’ve already had eight general community meetings where residents of the county participated in open forum discussion and surveys to help us better understand the challenges that presently exist.

A Vision Committee has been established to lead the effort in cooperation with the community, and we’ve created an online communication strategy to make information about Crawford: 20/20 Vision as accessible as possible for all ages – especially young professionals who were not fully represented at our community meetings.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
We’ve already gathered quality facts, input and other statistics about the current state of our county via community meetings and online discussions –we’re now ready to move out of our problem identification stage.

The next step involves issue-specific meetings which will generate solutions for the most pressing issues that county residents have identified:
• Business success and job availability
• Education and workforce development
• Public safety and drug-related issues
• Quality of life

These meetings will involve community members who are deeply connected to the issues. Once potential solutions are gathered, we’ll reconvene as an entire community to review and discuss the actual plan as it’s developed. Meanwhile, we want to keep the community
engaged and involved through our Facebook, Twitter, blog, YouTube, e-newsletter, speakers’ bureau, news releases, feature stories and other local communication outlets online and in traditional media.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?
The effects of Crawford: 20/20 Vision are all beneficial – your tax dollars are not involved, and you are able to decide how much time and effort you are able and willing to invest. Your participation is the heart of this initiative, and any contribution – whether it is a simple comment on Facebook or active participation in strategy development and implementation – helps us work toward a brighter future for our county.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Participation is easy!
• Our main hub of information is our Website. Go there to learn detailed info about what we’re learning, where we’re going, what’s hot, weekly gift card winners and more.
• If you have an e-mail address, sign up to receive our e-newsletter, which includes: timely updates and news on the Vision project as it progresses, interactive and relevant videos, interesting information about our county and some of the shocking statistics we continue to learn, communication directly from leaders and others involved in the project and links to all of our social media. You can sign up for the e-newsletter on our home page or on our Welcome page on Facebook.
• Our Facebook is another great and easy way to get involved. We truly listen to your input and comments written on the "wall," which acts as an open forum for those who have quality opinions and ideas. From there, you can access and comment our blog, which provides detailed information on hot topics, fact sheets, news releases and other information.
• Twitter is another way you can receive our message – just follow @crawfordco2020. We also have Survey Monkey surveys available and will provide links to them on all of our Websites. By taking those surveys, you can make a huge difference!
All of our online entities are cohesive and are linked together for your convenience.

If you are passionate about participating in the issue-specific focus groups (business success and job availability, education and workforce development, public safety and drug-related issues and quality of life), please send an e-mail to crawford2020@crawford-co.org.

Be on the lookout in the fall for announcements about more community meetings when we reconvene to review the progress. Until then, look for more ways to stay engaged and offer input!

HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
Plan development, in terms of data collection, meetings and writing the plan, is slated to conclude this fall – at that point, implementation will begin. Action steps will be planned out over the next two, five and 10 years dependent upon the objective. The plan will guide Crawford County into year 2020 – hence, our vision is Crawford: 20/20.

The plan will be built for flexibility and longevity. The issues that are most pressing now may shift in the next decade. Ultimately, the vision remains the same though – a brighter future for Crawford County and its residents.

HOW CAN I CONTACT CRAWFORD: 20/20 VISION?
Any of our social media sites are great ways to connect with us. If you have questions or concerns about the process, please e-mail us at crawford2020@crawford-co.org. To reach us via telephone, dial 419-563-1809 or 419-562-8566. We want to hear what you have to say!