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Articles by Deb Brown
Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Deb L. Brown & From This Day Forward
Welcome to the Blog Tour for From This Day Forward by Deb L. Brown, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m honored to have Deb on the blog today to chat about her new book! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD by Deb L. Brown SERIES: Dearly Beloved #2 GENRE: Contemporary Women’s Fiction (Christian) PUBLISHER: Peshina Publishing RELEASE DATE: November 2, 2026 PAGES: 290 Can a woman rediscover herself after spending decades putting everyone else first?
Embracing the Local, the book for chamber leaders and volunteers
Book review of Embracing the Local by Glen Cantrell Review by Deb Brown, a former Chamber of Commerce Director This book should be required reading for every small town chamber director, board member and volunteer. You’ll laugh and cry as you read and see yourself reflected in his words. And you might even learn a few new tips to make your service more rewarding! Glen is the volunteer chamber director in Twain Harte, located in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills.
Deb Austin Brown: Balancing technology in the classroom (Opinion)
This time of year, I reminisce about my teaching days. It was a job I loved. I gave my energy and heart to each day of those 37 years. I think back to the students I had and the lessons I learned. And I can quite honestly say that the real classroom magic came from the relationships that I intentionally cultivated with each and every student. I worked hard at it so that each child would know that I truly cared.
Rural economic development, retail chains, local businesses
Erik Reader is a rural friend of ours, and much like us, out there everyday doing his best to make a difference and help somebody out. Erik is the president of Reader Area Development , and is a downtown revitalization professional with more than 15 years of hands-on experience working inside the realities of small towns. He shared this piece he wrote with us, and we think you might like it too.
Deb Austin Brown: Commerce, community and character work (Opinion)
As a child, I spent Saturday mornings at the St. Albans Public Library checking out the biographies of the world’s great leaders and thinkers. Oh, I did read my share of Trixie Belden mysteries, too. But I was always pulled in by the biographies of the greats. I wanted to know what made them different, what made them successful. As I read, I took notes. I jotted down their quotes and their strategies for success.
Let’s Talk Newspapers: Working Together Locally
Hometown newspapers are small businesses, just like the hardware store, the cafe, or the auto repair shop. They’re not just “media.” They’re employers, sponsors, storytellers, and neighbors, and their work ripples through every corner of the community. This year, collaboration is a focus of ours at SaveYour.Town, and I want to talk about how newspapers and local businesses can truly work together. Both sides bring value.
Flaskepost fra første verdenskrig funnet i Australia
En augustdag i 1916 skrev de to soldatene Malcom Neville (27) og William Harley (37) et brev som de la i en glassflaske og kastet på sjøen. Flasken drev trolig raskt mot land og ble begravet i sanden ved Wharton-stranden ved Esperance i Vest-Australia. Der var far og datter i familien Brown på søppelplukking i oktober i år – og fant flasken. – Vi driver mye med strandrydding, så vi hadde aldri gått forbi søppel. Denne lille flasken lå der og ventet på å bli plukket opp, sier Deb Brown.
- Kan ikke tro det
Tips oss! Har du opplevd noe liknende? Vil du dele din mening? Send til Dagbladet her eller ring oss tipstelefonen på 24 00 00 00. - Det er jo helt fantastisk og på sin plass at Johaug selv får bestemme om hun vil jobbe tett etter fødsel eller ikke. Slik burde det jo være i alle tilfeller, at kvinnen selv får bestemme. Det sier Ulrikke Brandstorp (30) til nyheten om at Therese Johaug (37) skal jobbe for NRK rett etter fødsel.
Australia Message in a Bottle
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10 Questions on the 10th Anniversary of the Survey of Rural Challenges
These 10 questions will provide information to many organizations and people on what is challenging for rural communities. Are you rural? This survey is for you. SmallBizSurvival.com and SaveYour.Town are conducting the 10th-anniversary edition of the Survey of Rural Challenges! Take the Survey of Rural Challenges. Could you help us spread the word on the Survey of Rural Challenges to as many people as possible?
GEW: Rural Entrepreneurship in small villages in Portugal - panel video
Part of our Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration Nov 13-19, 2023. I was invited to speak in Portugal by my friend and business associate Frederico Lucas. My first night in Lisbon I spoke at this event hosted at the coworking space NOW Beato and broadcast live on Facebook. Focused on rural entrepreneurship, the panel had a lively conversation about the possibilities for their rural areas. And meeting the challenges their depopulated communities have.
Pop Up in an Empty Lot
Part of our Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration Nov 13-19, 2023. On an Idea Friendly visit to Jackson County, Kentucky, I visited with a group of artists/entrepreneurs. This group had created a loose organization called the Jackson County KY Creative Community. They wanted to start businesses, but were not ready to get a building and go through the extensive process of starting a business. Some needed to see if their work had a market and value to the customer. They felt stuck.
Solve Rural Community Challenges the Idea Friendly Way - stories from IEDC
Becky McCray and I were excited to lead an interactive Idea Friendly workshop at the International Economic Development Council Conference in Dallas in September of 2023. The Idea Friendly Method is: You gather your crowd with a big idea. You turn that crowd into a capable network through building connections. You and the crowd accomplish the big idea through small steps.
Iowa Ideas 2023 | The Gazette
A review of the oversimplification when looking at urban, rural communities Moderator: Zack Kucharski Panelists: Dr. David Peters Does the framing of an urban-rural divide in Iowa hold true, or does this framing of issues make it more difficult to find policy solutions? We’ll look at whether there are frameworks and ideas that could benefit both Iowa’s urban and rural areas.
Advice to those working in small towns
Have conversations with as many rural people as possible, not just a few people in government or academia. Don’t be misled by outside media stories. Visit those areas you are responsible for, encourage open conversation and listen well. Do you know their demographic makeup? Rural communities are aging, but they are also seeing more families moving in. Do their wants and needs correspond with your offerings?
Jackson County and Grayson KY Stories and Volunteers
Guest post by Deb Brown I just returned from Jackson County, Kentucky and the small town of Grayson, Kentucky. There’s a natural beauty in those mountains and winding roads. The people were kind, helpful and want to see their towns thrive. They shared stories of their history, the people and their dreams with me. Some had stories of failure and are working on raising up out of that despair much like the phoenix did.
St. Albans building good character throughout city
St. Albans … good character lives here! St. Albans is a town on a mission — a mission to continue its comprehensive character education initiative started in 1998. The initiative, started by students, has come full circle with adults, businesses, and community members now joining the effort.
How to fill empty buildings: real world examples Deb Brown shared with Gowrie, Iowa
I attended the Chamber Dinner in Gowrie, Iowa and talked about small town ideas they could use. It was my pleasure to spend a couple of days there. This article talks about small town ideas for the community and by the community. Got empty buildings? Every small town has empty buildings and empty lots. Gowrie is no exception. During my walk around, I took these photos of empty buildings. An Empty Buildings Tour is a community event that showcases vacant or underutilized buildings.
Folklife in the South Conference - The Stories Matter
I attended the Folklife in the South Conference in Lake Guntersville, Alabama in June 2023. It was a gathering of community leaders, folklorists, traditional artists, educators, documentarians, and other cultural workers. We came together to hear the stories of work in the field, explore different avenues of folklife in the South and to meet and mingle with like minded people. The three days were full of opportunities, presentations, stunning views, and the arts.
Benches make St. Albans even more welcoming
On Nov. 4, 2022, the first bench was installed on Main Street in St. Albans. It was for my brother, Tom Austin. When I posted a message of thanks to the Chandler family on social media to thank them for letting me place the bench in front of their Main Street store, an explosion of kindness took place in St. Albans. The phone rang off the hook at the Chamber office where I work.
Guest Commentary: Let’s continue the drive to cleaner air - Bay to Bay News
By Deb Brown Deb Brown is the chief mission officer for the American Lung Association. We care about clean air and protecting Delawareans’ health. As a longtime Delaware advocate and chief mission officer for the American Lung Association, I understand how important it is to ensure clean air to build and sustain thriving communities.
Main Street USA: New Life in Saint Albans
By Deb Austin Brown Like many across America, West Virginia’s small towns have struggled in recent years. Main streets have often been filled with empty storefronts, peeling paint and only a sprinkling of shoppers. City administrators and chambers of commerce work hard to promote and support new business in towns across our state, yet main streets have seemingly stalled. Just what will turn things around? Saint Albans now knows. It is our youth.
Boost your rural retail business with this trick
By Deb Brown The old way of doing business is one building, one business. What if you could test an idea and have a business inside a business? Anyone of us either knows or can find someone who is making things from their home and selling it. What if you encouraged already existing home-based businesses to host a trial popup in your store? These small popups can be short term, over a season or if it works out a permanent addition. Perhaps you’ll let them try their idea out for free for a short time.
Deb Austin Brown: Give, for the common good (Opinion)
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
Save Your Town discussion set for June 21-24
Deb Brown, co-founder of SaveYour.Town will be in the Mark Twain Region for an Embedded Community Experience (ECE) on June 21-24. The focus of this project, made possible by the Mark Twain Regional Council of Governments, is to provide our communities with ways to move forward and continue to create a thriving town. “It’s not about me, it’s about your town. I don’t propose to know what you might need or want. I know every town is different and we do share some similarities.
Business plans are not worth the paper they’re written on
by Deb Brown At least, the old way of doing them Writing a business plan is an intense project that takes up a lot of your time. You spend weeks and weeks on it, and you’re not even sure everything in it is correct. Your financial projections are just wild guesses. You’re not even open and they want you to guess how much money you’ll make! You can find out the amount of traffic that goes by your proposed location.
World's Best Sweet Potato Pie
World's Best Sweet Potato Pie This sweet potato pie recipe with evaporated milk was passed down to me by my best friend's mother. She cooked the absolutely best sweet potato pies. After being asked many times, she finally wrote it down for me. Being from the South, we love our sweet potato pie. While many use different ingredients to make their sweet potato pie, this one stands out for its simplicity and goodness. Prepare yourself for the world's best sweet potato pie. Enjoy with whipped cream.
OTM: Advice from clients on staying motivated for long-term exercise
I’m always impressed with people who have been exercising for years and years. They reap numerous physical and emotional benefits and feel like something is amiss if they don’t exercise. Like all of us, they get injured and sick. They travel, they have busy work and family lives, and they have major life events happen that could easily distract them. Still, they continue to exercise. How do they do it? I recently polled several clients, and the response was both educational and intriguing.
Using events to promote service and industry businesses
Events that showcase your non-retail small business You want people to learn about your business. Events sometimes help with that. You’re just not sure how to create an event for non-retail businesses that people will come to. Who goes to the insurance agency if they don’t need insurance? Who goes to the packing plant unless they work there? When the chamber of commerce or other groups put on business events, they don’t usually feature non-retail businesses.
Opinion | Champlain Monument is 'offensive' and ripe for change
These are times of truth and reconciliation. This has been recognized not only by Canada, but by the world. I am glad Parks Canada decided not to reinstall the Champlain Monument the way it was. The images of Indigenous people kneeling at the feet of Champlain while they are given beads and religion is an image of arrogant and racist behaviour based on feelings of colonial superiority. It is highly offensive.
How do you start a microbrewery? With micro-steps
Guest Post by Deb Brown When I visited Decatur County, Iowa, several people said that wanted a brewery. They talked about the big barriers in their way: finding the right building, the right funding, the right people. The big idea seems really hard this way. Why not start smaller? Start by using the Idea Friendly Method: Gather Your Crowd, Build Connections, Take Small Steps. Here are some of the questions I suggested they ask themselves and each other to help them start small.
Life-Long Learners: Professional Development for Small Business
Staying at the top of your game is always a challenge. Creating a community of "life-long learners" is a key goal of our local school district. But actually committing yourself to constant study and improvement is a real challenge once you finish school. This is especially true for small business owners.
Winning traditions define 2017
OPRF pitcher Chardonnay Harris, now playing college softball at Auburn, graduated OPRF as one of the best athletes in school history. (File photo) OPRF state medalists Rachel Rowe and Destiny White led the Huskies at the track and field state meet. OPRF tied Whitney Young (17 points each) to place 15th in the team standings. (File photo) Trinity senior Lauren Lee, from River Forest, led the Blazers the wins over rivals OPRF and Fenwick this winter.
Looking for a last minute stocking-stuffer or elegant New Year's eve treat?
Since opening in 2010, small batch cooking has allowed Donna Fantetti-Slepicka. owner of River Forest Chocolates, to control the quality of her delicate confections. The definition of "small-batch," however, is a relative term when dealing with a passionate chocolate-especially around the holidays.
North Avenue News Since 11/3
I hope the following items are of interest. For more frequent updates, please Like and Follow us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NorthAvenueNeighborsAssociation/ And please join The North Avenue District's (T-NAD) Facebook group and the discussion of how to revitalize North Ave. (Austin to Harlem) https://www.facebook.com/groups/107435609823334/?fref=mentions BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REAL ESTATE (On North Ave.
D97 administrator resigns
A high-ranking administrator for Oak Park Elementary Schools District 97 has announced her resignation. During a meeting on Dec. 15, the D97 school board accepted the resignation of Dr. Alicia Evans, the district's assistant superintendent of finance and operations. Evans will take a position as assistant superintendent of business operations in a school district in the south suburbs. At Evans' request, D97 officials did not release the name of the south suburban district.
New ordinance may not allow Sugar Beet beekeeping
On June 13, two days after Sugar Beet installed beehives on the roof of their Schoolhouse, 349 Ashland Ave., the River Forest Village Board questioned the legality of keeping bees in the village. "Poof, all of a sudden, it was illegal out of absolutely nowhere," said Lissa Dysart, marketing director. Sugar Beet had ambitious plans for the hives.
Small town makerspace idea: Old Geezer Club
Deb Brown, co-founder of SaveYour.Town, joins us today to share a story about a group of guys she met in Akron, Iowa. I’ve been talking about the old boys at the coffee clubs for a long time, and usually as members of the Committee of Negativity. You know them – they meet for coffee and complain. It seems their town can’t do anything right, and they are the guys to point it out. I visited Akron, Iowa and spent 3 days there as part of an Embedded Community Experience.
Have the healthiest school year ever
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How we got a filmmaking crew to tell our small town’s story
Guest post by Deb Brown We had filmmakers from San Francisco in our town this month making a movie about us. They are telling the story of Webster City, Iowa, and how we’ve bounced back from the loss of a major manufacturer and the hundreds of jobs they took with them. It’s a big deal (I mean the filming, not the loss), and the town came out and helped in every way they could. How did we get the film crew here? Write this down: WE TOLD THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR TOWN.
River Forest Brothers Adopt 170-Pound Green Sea Turtle with Contest Winnings
Montel, a green sea turtle, was dealt a bad deck of cards. First, he got tangled up in fishing line, severing his front left flipper. Then, a shark devoured half of his front right flipper, leaving a visible outline of its bite. Finally, while floating on the surface of the water, a boat struck Montel, damaging his right eye permanently. Any of these things individually would be devastating to a turtle.
Big Week May 3-10
Saturday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., One Stop Comics in Oak Park: On Free Comic Book Day, over two million comic books will be given away by participating stores, introducing as many people as possible to the wonders of comic books. Contact: Rick Manzella at onestopcomics@sbcglobal.net or call 708-524-2287. 111 S. Ridgeland. Sunday, May 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the small meeting room of the Oak Park Public Library: The second event in their Humanist Speaker Series.
Great Turnout at the Social Justice Conference
Great Turnout at the Social Justice ConferenceWednesday, May 3rd, 2017 12:30 PMShare on FacebookShare on TwitterEmailPrintBy Community EditorThe Oak Park Public Library would like to thank their panel members and workshop leaders who lent their energy, passion and considerable talents to make Saturday's April 29, Social Justice Conference at the Oak Park Public Library an amazing experience. More than 50 people attended the 2 panel discussions and 10 workshops throughout the day!
Heartbroken Friars fall to Morgan Park in riveting Class 3A final
Fenwick players Damari Nixon (#4), Mike O'Laughlin (#33), Jacob Keller (#1) and DJ Steward (#21) played key roles in the Friars' 30-5 record this season. Fenwick, which lost 69-67 in overtime against Morgan Park in the Class 3A finals March 18, returns all these players except Keller. (Photo by Marie Lillig) Fenwick coach Rick Malnati said the Friars' prized freshman DJ Steward passed first-year varsity status a long time ago during the regular season.
Go visit your customers
Guest post by Deb Brown How well do you know your clients? Here at the Chamber our clients are our members. This year I’ve made a concentrated effort to spend some time visiting with our members. Not just when I run into them, or when we need something (although we do visit then), but in a scheduled appointment where we can take an hour and visit.
Christmas starts early. Get ready now.
Guest post by Deb Brown, Building Possibility You might be thinking “It’s too early to think about Christmas!” You’d be wrong. This is the perfect time to be thinking about Christmas. Let’s apply the Idea Friendly template over the holiday season. Remember the three tenets: Gather Your Crowd Build Connections Take Small Steps Now is a great time to begin gathering your crowd. Are you a retail store?
Serendipity and maker spaces
My friend Deb Brown has a serendipity story for us. She is the director of the chamber of commerce in Webster City, Iowa. She’s going to tell you how she makes serendipity happen. –Becky By Deb Brown Last Tuesday I was in Kansas City and talking to a fellow about maker spaces. Maker spaces are where people can come together and take ideas and create things. Follow along – I’m going somewhere here.
Huskes stay hot with win over Lyons Township
OPRF guard Dashon Enoch looks like a future star for the Huskies. In the meantime, he's enjoying his role as an impact freshman. He scored 10 points in a 50-43 win over Lyons Township on Friday, Jan. 5. (File photo) Oak Park and River Forest High School head basketball coach Matt Maloney's favorite new vacation spot might be Rockton, Ill.
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