The Center partnered with Northeast Kingdom Welcome Wagon to welcome 13 families to Vermont to learn about relocating to the region and to connect with existing Vermonters.

In the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) of Vermont, the challenges of building healthy and thriving local economies are neither singular nor simple, but one critical component is having a population of residents with the skills to help small businesses and large institutions thrive.

As part of the Northern Forest Center’s commitment to helping to build prosperous communities in the NEK, the Center teamed up with the NEK Welcome Wagon, a chapter of the Vermont Welcome Wagon Project, to host a three-day community immersion event called “Keys to the Kingdom”.

The Keys to the Kingdom event invited prospective Vermonters to Newport, Vermont, for three days of regional exploration and networking with NEK residents and community leaders. The Center supported this innovative approach to resident recruitment by securing grants and managing external marketing consultant’s services to fund and promote the event.

“In my personal opinion, the Keys to the Kingdom is a must,” said one participant. “This is easily the best way to be introduced to Newport and build connections that can make the move feasible. I appreciated that there were a lot of locals, some of whom didn’t grow up in Vermont, who shared their experience with moving” to Vermont.

Using funding from the Think Vermont Grants for Relocation Outreach Work (Think VT GROW) secured by the Northern Forest Center, the NEK Welcome Wagon treated 13 families to a series of networking events in early August. Events included a kick-off reception at Le Belvedere restaurant, a sunset cruise on Lake Memphremagog on The Northern Star, and a brunch at the Eastside Restaurant.