MOUNT CARMEL - All members of the public are invited to a civic forum to kick-off the Stronger Economies Together (SET) program for the Greater Wabash region.

The forum will be held Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. at the Red Café on the campus of Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel. Refreshments will be served and an RSVP is requested by Sept. 25.

Organizers said, as a key part of developing a new regional economic plan, the program needs elected officials, business leaders, business owners, private citizens, not-for profits, education professionals, and community leaders to participate in the civic forum.

The Greater Wabash region counties - Crawford, Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne and White - have been selected to participate in a USDA Rural Development program that provides training and technical assistance to counties engaged in economic development planning.

The SET program is provided through a partnership between USDA Rural Development, the nation's four Regional Rural Development Centers, and University of Illinois Extension.

"Stronger Economies Together (SET) could almost be considered a subtitle to our USDA Rural Development mission statement, "Committed to the Future of Rural Communities," said Colleen Callahan, Illinois Rural Development director. "Working together, collaboratively, and cooperatively, is essential to spur economic development, create wealth, and build regional economic strength. That's the purpose of "SET."

The SET program is designed to strengthen the capacity of rural communities and counties to work together in developing and implementing an economic development blueprint that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of the region.

"Essentially, we are focusing on working with neighboring counties to capitalize on available assets and work together to decrease economic obstacles," Callahan added.

Staff from USDA Rural Development and University of Illinois Extension will work with the seven counties and stakeholders over the next year on the development of a regional economic development plan that will be utilized to secure further funding and technical assistance for implementation.