Wisconsin Rural Partners presented the Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2007 to initiatives from Mineral Point and Reedsburg at the joint international conference of the Community Development Society and National Rural Development Partnership on June 17, 2007.

Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. (WRP) awarded Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2006 at a ceremony in the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Appleton. The awards were presented by WRP president Dennis Deery, followed by a reception held in conjunction with the 4th Annual Wisconsin Community Leadership Summit, hosted in partnership with the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program and the University of Wisconsin - Extension.

The Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2005 were awarded in a public recognition ceremony on Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 5:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn Convention Center, downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The recognition ceremony was held at an evening reception in conjunction with the 3rd Annual Wisconsin Community Leadership Summit.

Wisconsin Rapids - Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. awarded the Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2004 on April 19 at a 5:30 p.m. recognition ceremony at The Mead Hotel. The awards were presented by Wisconsin Rural Partners president Kathy Schmitt at a reception held in conjunction with the second annual Wisconsin Community Leadership Summit, which WRP co-hosted with the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program and the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. today awarded the Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2003 at a 5:30 p.m. recognition ceremony at The Mead Hotel. The awards were presented by Wisconsin Rural Partners president Jim Kohlenberg at a reception held in conjunction with the first annual Wisconsin Community Leadership Summit, which WRP is co-hosting with the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program on Thursday and Friday. More than 200 community leaders from all over the Midwest are attending the summit.

Wisconsin's Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2001 were awarded in a public ceremony on November 28, 2001 at Stoney Creek Inn & Conference Center, Mosinee/Wausau, Wisconsin.

In 2001, Wisconsin Rural Partners and the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program sponsored a "Best Practices" mobile workshop where participants traveled to the sites of three Top Rural Development Initiatives and learned about the initiatives first-hand. WRP produced a digest of proceedings from that workshop. View the PDF document by clicking here.

In 2000, Wisconsin Rural Partners sponsored a "Best Practices" Task Group that conducted on-site visits and created in-depth profiles of ten of the Top Rural Development Initiatives. The Task Group produced a handbook entitled "Profiles in Rural Community Life." View the PDF document by clicking on the title.