The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Appreciation for Sponsors of April 1-2 Delta Event at Clinton Presidential Center

Posted on March 29, 2010 at 01:18 PM

We would like to thank the sponsors for making possible the April 1-2 Delta conference at the Clinton Presidential Center. We have Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Congressman John Boozman, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter–the three leading candidates in the hotly contested US Senate race–Governor Mike Beebe, Congressman Mike Ross, Dean James “Skip” Rutherford of the Clinton School of Public Service, and Dr. Aaron Shirley of the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation and James Miller of Oxford International Development Group to inform us of the innovative, internationally acclaimed “Health Houses” idea for promoting health care in the Delta.

The opening session is Thursday evening, April 1, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Clinton School of Public Service (there will be food and drinks there). We will have Congressman Mike Ross, Dean Rutherford of the Clinton School, either Congressman Vic Snyder or a representative, and then grassroots speakers, including Mayor Barrett Harrison of Blytheville, Arkansas and Steve Southard of Nucor Yamato Steel.

The main session is Friday, BEGINNING AT 8:30 A.M., April 2, at the Great Hall of the Clinton Library, and continuing with a very full schedule until about 4 p.m. We will begin with a panel on regional economic development, then have Gov. Beebe at 10 a.m., Rep. Boozman at 10:30 a.m., Lt. Gov. Halter at about 11:20 a.m., and Sen. Lincoln is the luncheon speaker.

Then we will have a health care panel featuring Dr. Aaron Shirley of the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation in Jackson, MS and James Miller of Oxford International Development Group and other health care experts. Finally we will have a panel featuring a case study of community development innovations based in the heartland Delta community of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas.

We wish to express our support for Congressman Vic Snyder for his courageous vote for the health care bill, for which action he received a death threat. Whatever your position on health care, we all agree that in America we resolve controversies through democratic debate, not threats of violence.

A detailed agenda will be sent out in the next 48 hours.

We would like to again extend our appreciation to the following sponsors:

LEAD SPONSORS

Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas, Blytheville, Arkansas

Southeast Missouri Delta Grassroots Partners Group

Southeast Arkansas Delta Grassroots Partners Group

MAJOR CO-SPONSORS

Heifer International

National Housing Assistance Council, Washington, DC

Great River Economic Development Foundation, Blytheville, Arkansas

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service

Mississippi County Economic Opportunity Commission, Blytheville, Arkansas

The City of Sikeston, Missouri

McGehee Industrial Foundation, McGehee,

G. A. Wildman of Alabama

SPONSORS

Macon Ridge Community Development Corp. northern Louisiana

McGehee Housing Authority, McGehee, Arkansas

Louisiana Housing and Community Development, Corp., New Orleans, Louisiana

Delta Citizens Alliance, based in Greenville, Mississippi, active across the Delta region

Municipal League of Arkansas

West Tennessee Delta Grassroots Partners Group

East Arkansas Enterprise Community

Desha County Judge Mark McElroy

Delta Local Support Initiatives Corp., (LISC)

Edgenics Corporation (working on broadband expansion and educational opportunities in the Delta)

Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center, East Prairie, Missouri

THANKS FOR DELTA GRASSROOTS CAUCUS PARTNERS We would also like to thank the hundreds of grassroots leaders throughout the eight-state Greater Delta Region for contributing contributions at the level of $50, $85, and $100. As a grassroots coalition our policy is to raise a large part of our budget from many modest contributions so as to have a broad base of financial support. We could not function without these many contributions. Thanks so much for supporting our efforts for a brighter economic future for the Delta.

We will try to accommodate late registrations by receiving checks at the front desk, but would much prefer to have them ahead of time to prevent logjams of many people paying in line when we are trying to move everybody into the meeting hall. The registration fees should have the checks made out to “Delta Grassroots Caucus,” with late registration for the entire conference being $100. Please mail the checks to:

Delta Grassroots Caucus

(Attention: Lee Powell)

311 Schoolwood Lane

Little Rock, Arkansas 72207

Thanks very much–Lee Powell, MDGC (202) 360-6347