LAVC LAUNCHES COMMUNITY INDICATORS WEBSITE

 

Representatives from the Leadership Alliance for a Vital Community (LAVC) introduced a new website and the results of its community indicators study today at a gathering of over 60 Oneida and Herkimer county organizations.

The website, www.hocindicators.org, provides a statistical snapshot of issues in the two-county region and creates county-level data benchmarks that the community can use to establish shared goals toward increasing the region’s economic viability and sustainability.  Indicators measured included the economy; education; health; public safety; housing; arts and culture; transportation; and technology.

 

LAVC is a partnership among The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc.; Mohawk Valley EDGE; and United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area.  Formed in 2009, its purpose was to undertake a community indicators study to obtain an overview of the area’s most pressing needs and opportunities for positive change.  Data was collected, processed, and analyzed after a six-month study by the Center for Governmental Research (CGR).  CGR, of Rochester, N.Y., also developed the website. 

 

CGR demonstrated to participants how they can use the website and data to further the missions of their organizations and practical applications for the data at this morning’s workshop.

 

Phil Hayne, United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area executive director, said: “We combined talent, time and resources to complete a study on the most critical areas for our community, and today we are unveiling the results of that study and our new community website that houses the data.”

 

Peggy O’Shea, Community Foundation president and CEO, added: “The collaboration among the three groups was extraordinary.  We worked together to meet a common need for accessible community information that would help move the Mohawk Valley forward.”

 

Steven J. DiMeo, Mohawk Valley EDGE president, also commented: “EDGE is glad to be a partner with the Community Foundation and the United Way.  This alliance provides an opportunity to share resources with other regional non-profit organizations who are working, like EDGE, to improve the Mohawk Valley.”

Click here to learn how to use www.hocindicators.org.