This morning, my final email reminder went out for the Rural Leaders and Economies Survey. Mail reminders went out late last week. If you’d like to participate, click here.

I took a quick peek at the results-to-date. There were comments about struggle in our rural towns, but what stood out was that our rural leaders are truly INSPIRING people–people you want to meet, to know, to learn from and to emulate. Take a quick look at these comments, just a few gems among a treasure trove:

“I was fortunate to have community leaders that welcomed me and encourage growth on a professional level. The citizens were supportive and embraced me as a young leader in the community.”

“Started at a young age watching my father and grandfather serve the community…. Lots of great support from community leaders who guided me….”

“I first became really involved in the community…when I moved back home after being gone for seven years. I remember several leaders at that time and thoughout my time here, making me feel wanted, needed, and important. If you demonstrate your willingness to try and make a difference, good community leaders recognize that and help you be successful.”

Then the Western Rural Development Center’s Fall issue of Rural Connections had this story about a return migrant in Hardin County, New Mexico.