Participate in the Good Citizen Coronavirus Challenge

Provide us with a bit of background on the Economic Mitigation & Recovery Task Force—who is involved and what are you trying to accomplish? Governor Phil Scott created the Economic Mitigation...

Before the coronavirus pandemic, a reliable connection to the internet was essential for many of us. Flash forward to now, a reliable connection to the internet means access to healthcare, education, employment, customers, grocery delivery—essential for basic needs and income. Still, in Vermont, about 70,000 households and businesses either do not have internet connection or inconsistent, dated dial-up access.

Last September, we announced five recovery initiatives that address key challenges magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and set the state on a pathway to more equity and greater community and economic resilience in the face of future disruption: Rural Entrepreneurship, Food System Resilience, Rural Connectivity, Learning in Transition, and Welcoming, Equitable, Anti-Racist Communities. Over the past few months, we have interviewed the team leaders for each recovery initiative to understand why the Community Foundation chose to focus on each as part of its pandemic recovery strategy.