Growing Rural

San Pierre

Revitalizing Rural America with Youth Volunteers.

CROPS transformed a dilapidated building into a thriving community center. Youth volunteers worked alongside adult mentors and learned important life skills — confidence, leadership, public speaking, and more. We trained youth to write winning grant proposals. Grant funding provided for health and wellness programs, vocational skills training, and new life for the community.

San Pierre Revitalization Project

Growing Rural

Developing Leaders for our Future.

CROPS youth-led rural development program is called Growing Rural. Like a good farmer working the land, Growing Rural yields a rich harvest. It is an innovative, educational, and entrepreneurial program that creates leaders. Starting with community needs, the step-by-step process improves lives with learning and youth development. Growing Rural can work in your community, too.

Growing Rural

Improving Lives

Inspiring Hope and Creating Opportunity.

Jon Egolf moved to San Pierre when he was five years old. Growing up, he witnessed the commercial decline in his town. The grocery shut its doors, then the bank failed, and even his elementary school closed. After joining the CROPS Board, Jon helped to change the town's fortunes, and gained valuable skills and experience. Through his CROPS involvement, he has become an unlikely town hero.

Jon Egolf's Story

Get Involved

Youth-led Rural Development Programs.

By joining the CROPS network, you can help combat the growing problem of poverty in rural America. We partner with rural governments, non-profit organizations, churches, schools, and citizens. Our services specifically target unmet needs in rural communities. Together, we are working to preserve and revitalize our rural treasures.

Get Involved

Stories

Addressing Unmet Needs in Rural America.

Watch our youth-produced videos, and experience the magic of rural transformation. We challenged our volunteers to capture Growing Rural with film and photos, and they amazed us. They learned how to script, shoot, edit and work with digital media technology. This hands-on involvement "plants the seeds" and prepares our youth for success in today's knowledge economy.