OTHELLO — Othello residents are invited for some ice cream and a wide-ranging discussion about increasing opportunities in town Saturday afternoon.

Organizers of the “Elevate Othello” project will host an ice cream social from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Othello City Hall, 500 E. Main St., to talk about what they’ve learned so far, and where residents want to go from here.

Marci Miller of the federal Rural Development Initiatives program said the people coming to the ice cream social will get the results of the surveys and meetings participants have held throughout 2023.

Spanish translation will be available.

“We have been listening, through surveys, through focus groups, through community meetings from January until now, what the community desires,” Miller said. “What are the issues, what are the opportunities?”

Othello was one of 14 towns in the nation chosen for the “Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge” last year, largely funded through the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office.

Elevate Othello participants have talked to teens and young adults, Miller said, business owners, farmworkers, local organizations, people involved in workforce development, city leaders and Othello residents.

Some clear priorities have emerged.

“What we really have heard — strongly 3 is entrepreneurship. For young people, (for) small business owners, (for) the Latino community,” Miller said.

The ice cream social is part of the process of taking the information and turning it into local initiatives.

“This is really coming together and saying, ‘This is what we’ve heard. This is what your community is asking for, this is where the priorities are.’ Now let’s put some wheels under it and get some ideas about what sort of projects the community would like to undertake to reach some of these goals they are setting for themselves,” Miller said.

People are asked to stay for the whole two hours, to talk over some of the ideas, evaluate them and set some priorities. Following that, what Miller called a “planning team” will be formed. That group will be doing some research into other towns in the Pacific Northwest that have worked on and had success with, projects similar to those envisioned in Othello.

A workshop will follow in November, Miller said.

“These groups that are forming will get together, and I will facilitate a way to get to action,” she said. “We want folks to identify projects that they want to see happen. Where do they need help and support? What sorts of funding resources do they need? And who’s going to do the work to get these things done?”

One idea already is being put into action. “Mentor Match Teen Entrepreneurship” will pair high school juniors and seniors interested in starting their own businesses with small business owners.

“It’s a six-month training program to learn how to run a business from the very starting point. Then we’ll bring in other community business owners to (tell students), ‘This is how I got started. This is what I do.’ And we’ll develop some mentoring relationships with these high schoolers,” Miller said.

The “Mentor Match” program has about 25 students enrolled, she said.

The RDI is working with a number of partners on the project, both local and regional. Partners include Othello city officials and the Adams County Development Council.

“The Washington Department of Commerce (has) been participating,” Miller said. “And McCain (Foods) is a newer partner in terms of providing volunteers. They’re attending some of our meetings.”

Once projects have been chosen, Elevate Othello will receive some monetary support from the Innovia Foundation and the Avista Foundation, she said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at [email protected].

Elevate Othello Ice Cream Social

3-5 p.m. Saturday

Othello City Hall

500 E. Main Street