HURON — An idea that grew from an urge by Huron Community Foundation (HCF) to expand its impact on the area is nearly ready to take the next step. Huron Rising is on the rise.
“We have received such incredible support from the Huron community,” said HCF president Steve Gohn. “Because of that support, the funds available for our grant process has grown significantly over the last couple of years. This allows the foundation to have more impact in the community.”
The Huron Community Foundation oversees funds donated for the betterment of the Huron community. Over the past two years the Craig Matthesen Fund, and the Entwisle Family Fund were added to the Wheeler Family Fund and the Huron Events Center Fund,  all under the umbrella of the Huron Community Foundation, which is invested with the South Dakota Community Foundation. The annual proceeds from the HCF account are presented in the way of grants each summer. This year, a total of $86,270 is available to the HCF board for granting.  The grant application process for the coming year opens on Feb. 15.
From the increased amount of endowment funds available, the HCF board wanted to expand its vision and decided to create Huron Rising. Last fall, HCF hosted a Town Hall meeting, where more than 75 community members got together to brainstorm ideas that would lead to projects that HCF could help fund.
“We asked everyone who participated to really ‘think outside the box,’” Gohn said. “Everything was on the table. We wanted to hear everything.”

From that town hall, a list of projects were identified that were (a) priorities and (b) requiring ownership and facilitation.
“We had so many great ideas,” Gohn said. “We narrowed that to our top 10 priorities and have begun working on taking steps to begin implementation.”
The 10 priorities chosen from the Huron Rising Town Hall, listed alphabetically, are Arts and Cultural, Community Perception, Downtown, Economic and Retail Development, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Nuisance Abatements, Recreation and Recycling.
Committees and task forces have been formed, to address subcategories that were identified within the Top-10, Gohn said. “We’ve gotten past the busy end of the year and are poised to move forward.”
Over the next few months, in the newspaper, on the radio and through the various social media outlets, ideas and plans to address issues are going to be shared with the public.
“We want to put this in front of as many people as possible,” Gohn said. “The object of Huron Rising is to identify areas where the Huron Community Foundation can impact the community. It is our intent that perhaps someone who hadn’t necessarily thought about HCF funds would realize that it is something that could help them.”
At the same time, the board is considering new ideas and viewpoints as well. “There really is no such thing as a bad idea,” Gohn said.
To view the Huron Rising summary or the list of priority projects that were identified, to to www.huroncommunityfoundation.com.
For more information about Huron Rising, how to apply for a grant or to inquire about making a contribution to the HCF, contact Gohn at 354-1118 or email hcr@huronsd.com.