● Blaine County community leaders joined to create a long-term recovery team, the Blaine Recovery Committee, to develop a recovery plan and coordinate local resources in response to the COVID crisis
● To connect resources to community members, especially those most in need, the Blaine Recovery Committee prioritized creating an online multi-agency resource center (MARC)
● The virtual MARC is now available in both English and Spanish: www.blainerecovery.org
● The website will continue to be updated including with video interviews of representatives of the health, educational, nonprofit and business communities to help inform the recovery
Blaine County, Idaho — The Blaine Recovery Committee (BRC) announces the launch of www.blainerecovery.org, a multi-agency resource center (MARC), a bi-lingual, online resource, where individuals and organizations can find available assistance and support. The MARC is a priority project of the Blaine Recovery Committee, recently formed by Blaine County, Idaho community leaders to support effective and rapid recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee includes Blaine County-based representatives of government, non-profit, business, and faith-based, community-centric organizations, and identifies and prioritizes challenges facing the community’s recovery, and advances solutions to address those needs. The MARC will provide up to date, accurate, and reliable information to the community, helping the BRC reduce and eliminate key barriers to effective recovery. While the initial launch is online only, the MARC aims to have an in-person presence as soon as possible to ensure reach to all community members.
Recognizing the importance of outreach to the most impacted in our community, the website will include explanatory videos in English and Spanish regarding assistance, best practices for online education, health matters, and beyond. About the effort, Herbert Romero of PROJECT.O.O.L.S & PARTNERS said, “We are diversity-driven and building bridges of hope!”
“The Blaine Recovery Committee was fortunate to find a partner in our website creator, Luis Alberto Leconda, who not only created it in record time, but did so beautifully with maximum functionality and accessibility,” said Aimee Christensen, BRC Steering Committee and Executive Director of Sun Valley Institute, who is coordinating the effort.
Leconda offered, “The MARC website design was acutely sensitive to the cultural and linguistic variety found in our community. The delivery of the site would not have been possible without the commitment, dedication, and resources from the Committee and beyond. It is a clear testament of how our community unifies to help our neighbors throughout the entire spectrum of Blaine County’s geographic and demographic diversity.”
BRC Personal Recovery Subcommittee lead, Laurie Strand, said “This incredible resource is for community members across the lifespan. Personal Recovery resources allow individuals to access services like crisis support for mental health needs, as well up to date opportunities in our local online community to keep the whole mind, body, and spirit healthy and connected. This MARC website will be helpful to access now and will increase our resiliency when facing collective challenges in the future.”
BRC Steering Committee member, Mike Higgs, Executive Director of Blaine County Chaplaincy, said, “The journey up the river to recovery is one we must take together. The Blaine Recovery Committee will help get more oars in the water, pulling together, so we will get there more quickly without leaving some behind!”
The BRC Steering Committee includes Aimée Christensen of Sun Valley Institute, Scott Fortner of Visit Sun Valley, Sally Gillespie of Spur Community Foundation, Harry Griffith of Sun Valley Economic Development and Mike Higgs of Blaine County Chaplaincy. The full BRC participants list is available on www.blainerecovery.org/participants.
Contact: Mike Gordon Blaine Recovery Committee Coordination: 208-309-3049
About the Blaine Recovery Committee
Blaine County, Idaho community leaders have joined to create a long-term recovery committee, the Blaine Recovery Committee, to support effective and rapid recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee includes Blaine County-based representatives of government, non-profit, business, and faith-based, community-centric organizations. The Committee identifies and prioritizes challenges facing the community’s recovery, and advances solutions to address those needs. As a first action, the Committee is setting up a multi-agency resource center (MARC) to connect information resources (including economic, physical and mental health, spiritual/faith), to community organizations and individuals, especially those most in need. By providing up to date, accurate, and reliable information to the community, the LTRC will reduce and eliminate key barriers to effective recovery.
