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By NANCY WRIGHT
Traveler Correspondent

The rally began when eastern Cowley County residents were jolted by a developer's proposed lake in their neck of the woods, that would flood much of the land that surrounds them.

Out of that, a community revitalization effort and economic development plan, called ABCDE- Better Together, has breathed new life and enthusiasm to communities that once could easily have been missed on a map as tourist stops.

"I've been so excited about the hope it's brought to the communities - people see people from each community supporting the other communities," said Donna Martin, a board member of the ABCDE project and one of the individuals who helped form the group.

"I wouldn't have dreamed that we could be such a great team and have this strong team spirit that is shown by our actions," Martin continued.

ABCDE stands for Atlanta, Burden, Cambridge, Dexter and Eastern Cowley County - Better Together. The group was brought together when individuals from the above communities, along with others from rural areas surrounding the communities, began to work together to save and improve the rural lifestyle they enjoyed and didn't want to lose.

They applied for and received a designation as one of three communities chosen to be a part of the Kansas Governor's Rural Life Pilot Project. The group members worked together on the application project and were notified that they were chosen last October.

There are five goals outlined for ABCDE, all of which lead to building sustainable life in eastern Cowley County. The group works with the Rural Life Task Force and the Governor's office to solve problems common to rural communities. The task forces acts as bridge for resources for the involved communities and provides training sessions to help meet the goals.

Success is already evident in meeting the goals which are to improve each community's image and pride; to support new and existing business development, including agri-tourism; to enhance communication between communities and residents; to encourage youth involvement to enhance youth retention in the communities and to grow community leaders.

Local community leaders attended a "Branding Your Downtown" training session in early April, which focused the steps necessary to creating a brand image for communities. The training was facilitated by the Kansas Downtown Development Association and ABCDE members' dues to join the association were donated by Southern Kansas Telephone Company.

Each community has been working to establish housing regulations and development, as well as working with residents on revitalizing their communities and homes. Eight dilapidated buildings have been demolished in the ABCDE area by Cowley County maintenance crews in the effort to improve community appearance.

In Dexter, a newly created Economic Development Association has grown out of the ABCDE project. Atlanta has also formed an economic development group and Burden's Chamber of Commerce and individuals have been working hard on their planned projects. Members from Cambridge are active too.

The group has held a Visioning Session, led by Jean Warta, of the Kansas Department of Commerce. Warta is also developing a marketing plan for the project area.

Monthly board meetings for ABCDE have been held in each community and address the issues of expanding old businesses and developing new ones, and have served to improve communication between the communities, as well as set goals.

Also born out of the ABCDE is a weekly online newsletter, the Monday Messenger, which highlights community activities and efforts. The newsletter can be found at www.cowleynet.com by clicking on ABCDE project link.

The Eastern Cowley County Advocate, a printed paper has also been established. It is full of local news and highlights activities being held in the area. It is published by Randy and Lynn Norris, of Burden, and sold at many locations throughout the county.

All of the above are fulfillments of goals set by the ABCDE board and committee members and have come together within the past few months.

And the project isn't just being recognized locally, either. A presentation about the group and it's progress, "Rural Life: What Makes it Thrive," was made by Shannon Thom, chairwoman of ABCDE, at the annual Community Economic Development Conference, held in Wamego on April 26. The conference was sponsored by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Center for Economic Development.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity. It is our chance to shape the future," said Thom, "We have been given many outside resources and opportunities for this project and it is exciting to see the improvements that have been made."