Rugby First

“The organization e-mails a copy of form 990 to all board members prior to filing the form each year.”

“No documents available to the public”

“Rugby first's economic development activities will be indirect, provided to the town and region by the operation of a community multi-use space. Employers and residents of rugby and the surrounding area have expressed frustration with the lack of amenities, after school programs, and multipurpose space available in the community. It is hard to recruit people to live and work in the area when they must leave the rural community for basic services and events. Childcare is also so limited that it affects the employment opportunities that parents can take because they cannot find appropriate care for their children. This planned multi-purpose space will allow schools, non-profits, and community organizations to use the space to expand and grow their missions. Currently, rugby is host to a variety of community organizations and non-profits, but very few of these groups have their own physical location, meeting rooms, or space for their programming and events. Separately, none of these groups has the resources to build, buy or support a space like this into the long-term future. We believe that rugby first can build and maintain this building for the community and it can become a place where all people and groups are welcome and it can provide some of the amenities and services that our rural community needs. Creative partnerships can be forged with other groups in the region to continue to provide and grow things like music academy for kids, art classes and camps for kids and adults, extra space for our churches to provide vacation bible school and other workshops and activities for their congregation. The municipal recreation department could expand their offerings into the winter in a year-round space, currently they are limited to only summer activities. The local museum and historical society hosts arts and culture events for all ages as well as kids camps for traditional crafts, often supported by state and federal arts grants, but they are limited to the summer as they do not have a year-round space. Rugby currently does not have an after-school program of any kind. Employers and workers have all identified the need for program like this and the need for childcare after 6pm, which is currently unavailable in the area. Workers find it hard to maintain a job when they have to be off the clock and to their childcare facility by 6:00pm. Creating the space and forging the partnership with a community organization that can provide quality child care and afterschool programming would be extremely beneficial in the area not only for the children, but for the parents and employers who would benefit from the increased care hours. Rugby, north dakota is a small town of about 2800 people. Pierce county's total population is about 4000. The area is primarily agricultural in nature with a population spread across the countryside with small towns approximately 30 miles apart. With such small communities and a population spread across the region it is hard to have the necessary amenities in each town. Rugby has been the county seat since the early 1900s and has been the largest town in the region for decades, making it the most obvious choice to host a community center building. According to the 2010 census the average wage per capita in pierce county was only 26,619 and per household 45,996. We believe that an umbrella organization like rugby first could provide the space and organization needed to help other non-profits and community groups meet their missions.”

“Rugby first plans to fundraise and build a multipurpose community center. The management and maintenance of the community center would be rugby first's long-term operation. There are two landowners in the area that have pledged to make a charitable donation of their land so that the community center can be located in town on the edge of a new housing development, connected to the existing system of walking paths the encircle the town of rugby. By being placed adjacent to the existing housing development the area has room to grow if the community center proves successful and can grow as rugby grows. Overall the location is ideal for rugby first and for the town of rugby. Rugby first would not discriminate against any group or cause in the use of its building. Rugby first plans to partner with local and regional non-profits and municipalities to make use of the space. Residents could also rent and use the space when available for community events as needed.”