June 2004
“The Wabash Valley is a progressive community
of caring and diverse people who highly value education, prosper
through an energized economic center, whose leadership embraces
a unified vision, and where all people can live and participate
because of the exceptional quality of life.”
This vision of the Wabash Valley’s future was developed
through COMPASS II. COMPASS II was designed to allow the Wabash
Valley community to determine where it wanted to go and what
was needed to move toward its vision of an ideal future.
COMPASS II began in July of 2002 with the formation of the COMPASS
II Community Partnership, a diverse group of community leaders.
These volunteers provided leadership for this eight-county project
to assess the Wabash Valley’s social needs and identify
the assets available to address such needs. In COMPASS II, the
Wabash Valley was defined to include Clay, Parke, Sullivan,
Vermillion and Vigo counties in Indiana and Clark, Crawford
and Edgar counties in Illinois.
Extensive data was collected from area residents. Several hundred
surveys were administered via mail and telephone to determine
what the community believed were the most pressing needs. Individual
households were surveyed randomly. Over 600 Key Informants were
sent questionnaires. Populations not well represented in the
surveys were interviewed through several focus groups. This
report describes the methodology utilized, the outcomes of the
eight phases of COMPASS II, and shows county census information.
This report presents a compilation of the data and will assist
leaders throughout the Wabash Valley as they work to bring the
vision of the future to reality.
In addition to the data, this report focuses on the six issues
found to be most important to the people of the Wabash Valley.
For each issue, an Initiative Team, composed of community volunteers,
identified desired community outcomes and developed action plans
to reach each outcome. Implementation Teams, again composed
of volunteers from the community, were created to carry out
these action plans.
We thank all who were involved in the COMPASS II process. COMPASS
II represents the efforts of many volunteers who participated
on the Community Partnership, Task Forces, Initiative Teams
and Implementation Teams, the Visioning Session, and the data
collection process. These dedicated volunteers have created
a roadmap for the community-building process that points the
direction to enhancing and improving the lives of all people
living in the Wabash Valley!
Representing the COMPASS II Community Partnership and its sponsors,
Indiana State University, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation
and the United Way of the Wabash Valley, we are proud to present
this report to the residents, leaders and service providers
of the Wabash Valley. It is designed to be used by public officials,
the private sector and the nonprofit sector to enhance the services
provided in the Wabash Valley. We are confident that you will
find this COMPASS II report useful. You will see the COMPASS
II initiative continue with the implementation of the action
plans seen in this report. |
David Zaun
Co-Chair
COMPASS II
Community Partnership
Retired– Eli Lilly and I.S.U. |
Jeff Pittman, Ph.D.
Co-Chair
COMPASS II
Community Partnership
Ivy Tech State College |
|
Lloyd W. Benjamin III
President
Indiana State University
COMPASS II Sponsor |
Cynthia Z. Cox
Board President
Wabash Valley
Community Foundation
COMPASS II Sponsor
|
Richard Payonk
Board President
United Way of the Wabash Valley
COMPASS II Sponsor
|
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