Promise Zone Summit participants are shown in a roundtable discussion in Durant on March 5. (Photo courtesy Choctaw Nation)
Key players from local, tribal and federal stakeholders gather for the event
Choctaw Nation hosted the first Promise Zone Summit on March 5 and 6, a two-day event which brought federal, tribal and local partners together for the common goal of improving the lives of rural Oklahomans.
“It’s encouraging to see everyone come together to improve the lives of not only tribal members, but all the people of southeast Oklahoma,” said Jesse Pacheco, Senior Executive Director of Tribal Operations for Choctaw Nation. “I look for good things to come from this meeting.”
Wintry weather put a dent in the first-day agenda at Choctaw Resort and Casino, but organizers adapted and the 75 people who attended were able to break into four focus groups.
The second day of the summit was a tour of Choctaw Nation facilities, properties and Promise Zone potential beneficiary sites in six counties. A dozen people representing the tribe and several federal agencies were able to experience the rural challenges and the economic potential of the Choctaw Nation.
President Barack Obama has identified the Choctaw Nation as the first tribal area among a group of nationwide “Promise Zones,” areas of economic hardship such as rural Kentucky and inner-city Philadelphia. Along with Promise Zone designation comes a variety of potential incentives for business development and job creation in economically depressed areas.
Tina Foshee-Thomas, mayor of Idabel, attended the summit to gather ideas and suggestions to improve the recent status McCurtain County has gained: The most unemployed county in Oklahoma.
“We’re right in the corner of the wood basket of Oklahoma,” she said, referring to the timber industry. “But we recently lost a potential industry because we don’t have the natural gas they needed. We have a hard time getting retail to locate there because of our size.”
Still, Foshee-Thomas can see a lot of potential in McCurtain County – and plenty of ways where the Promise Zone designation can step in to help things along. “Idabel is the gateway for one of the largest tourism areas in Oklahoma. (The summit) gave me some ideas, to offer incentive loans for small businesses to come in. It’s been very helpful.”
Ryan McMullen, State Director for USDA Rural Development, led one of the four round-table discussions about community development. “It was an outstanding conversation in putting pieces together in which communities can partner with Choctaw Nation,” he said.
Other discussions focused upon business, education and agricultural issues. Participants included Southeastern Oklahoma State University President Sean Burrage, Durant City Manager James Dunegan, as well as representatives from the US Public Health Service, FEMA, US Department of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
A day-long tour offered the opportunity for some of the Promise Zone partners to visit a wellness center and greenhouse in Atoka, Choctaw Nation Hospital in Talihina, the tribal museum at Tvshka Homma, Winding Stair scenic byway and small businesses in Clayton.
Are you in the Promise Zone? To see an interactive map of the Choctaw Nation Promise Zone, go online and visit here.