-: Hello, I'm Pascaline Niyonshuti Arafura Entone working
with Nebraska Cooperative Development Center at UNL.
Nebraska Cooperative Development Center assists groups
and communities who are exploring
or have developed a cooperative business.
It was an amazing experience working
with community cooperatives
and Shalla my supervisor,
who provided great guidance and support.
With Cindy, I visited those community cooperatives
in Hay Springs, Stapleton and Edward.
I interviewed people who are
on the board as well as the cooperative members.
-: I'm Cindy Holden,
a Development Specialist working statewide
with the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center.
When Pascaline joined our NCDC team
as a Rural Futures Fellow this summer,
it was an exciting opportunity for us
to add another element to our work.
For me, it was the ability to have someone else with me
when I visited the cooperative grocery stores
we had worked with.
In June, we visited stores in Elwood,
Stapleton and Hay Springs, Nebraska.
Our visit to Hay Springs was particularly exciting,
as we were able to join the community
for the one year anniversary of the opening
of the Farm to Family cooperative grocery store.
Pascaline spent time connecting with board members,
residents and employees,
asking them what the co-op meant
to their community, why they were members,
and if appropriate, why they were not members.
The information gathered will be used
by the Farm to Family cooperative board
as they evaluate the current success of the store,
begin planning for their future success,
including increasing membership.
-: I enjoy listening
to how cooperative is benefiting the community,
including creating jobs in the community,
supporting local produce,
bringing people together and improving people's wellness
where they now have groceries in their community
and don't have to travel about 40 miles away to get
to the nearest supermarket for groceries.
I work case studies for those community cooperatives,
we're focusing on the motivation part.
So other communities can learn the benefit
of your cooperative on community development.
-: Hi, I am Charlotte Narjes,
a Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educator
and the Associate Director
of the Nebraska Co-op Development Center.
I work statewide.
Pascaline's work is important to NCDC.
Grocery stores are an anchor institution
in our rural communities.
As one store is shared, the grocery store is the heart
that keeps small rural communities like ours alive.
The case studies that Pascaline has written
capture a community's motivation
for selecting the cooperative model.
This will be very valuable in sharing
with other communities exploring how to form their store.
The case studies will also be available
on the NCDC website and shared nationally with our peers.
-: Also, I enjoy volunteering
with Buy Fresh Buy Local,
the east campus Discovery Days
and Farmer's Market with Margaret.
It was an amazing opportunity,
where we are doing a taste test
for the green garden harvest produced by Mikey
-: I'm Margaret Milligan, Program Coordinator
for Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska,
a program of the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center
that focuses on locally grown food.
And I was happy to have Pascaline volunteer
with Buy Fresh Buy Local at the farmer's market.
Events like these where we make meaningful connections
to the public are crucial to our program's mission
of expanding the market for locally grown products.
At the market we shared resources
and conducted a taste test as a part
of the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant.
Over 200 youth and adults sampled a recipe
that featured local produce.
They were then asked to rate how well they liked it
and received a recipe card.
Pascaline assisted with the setup of our booth,
preparation of taste test samples,
and engagement with the crowd.
By the end of the day, she had many conversations
and learned about market goers preferences
while assisting in our program's mission of outreach.
-: Throughout this experience,
I have developed communication, listening,
and interpersonal skills.
These are the skills that will enhance my next steps
into graduate school and my future career as well,
where I'll be connecting with people and definitely writing.
-: Pascaline worked remotely throughout the summer
and I appreciated her sense of responsibility
and desire to make a difference.
She was a self starter
and needed to research the cooperative model.
Our team quickly learned Pascaline's strengths
and she ours,
as together we worked through the team's cultural profile.
This is one of the tools used
by the Rural Fellows program to introduce team members.
We plan to continue using this tool.
-: Lastly, I was able to see other parts of Nebraska,
such as Sandhills during my trip to Hay Springs.
Thank you.