1) A community storytelling event was held in Starksboro, VT to bring together residents of all ages and backgrounds to share stories and discuss the town's future. 2) Over 200 people attended the event, making it one of the most attended community events in recent memory for the town. 3) Middlebury College students who had interviewed and documented residents presented their findings in various formats including video, audio, photographs and a published book that was given to each family.

1. A community storytelling celebration in conjunction with the Art & Soul Civic Engagement Initiative Robinson Elementary School Starksboro, VT December 4, 2008 © 2008 www.orton.org

7. © 2008 www.orton.org Art Clifford awaits the presentation of “Farming Conversations,” a digital story featuring him and his wife Suzie and another farming family, the Shepards.

9. © 2008 www.orton.org “ If you don’t plan for your future, someone else will,” said Lyman Orton, founder and President of the Board of the Orton Family Foundation. Orton reminded the crowd that the storytelling celebration is the first step in the larger Art & Soul Civic Engagement initiative, which will also include art, community discussions, and taking action.

12. © 2008 www.orton.org Middlebury College Professor John Elder, who was recently named Vermont Professor of the Year, spoke about the motivation behind the course and thanked residents for welcoming his students into their lives and community.

13. © 2008 www.orton.org Residents flipped through their copies of Starksboro Stories throughout the evening – a publication designed by Middlebury College students and given to each family in attendance.

14. © 2008 www.orton.org The Starksboro Stories project culminated the first phase of the Art & Soul Civic Engagement initiative – a partnership of the Orton Family Foundation, the Vermont Land Trust, and the Town of Starksboro. Middlebury College students in a course entitled “Portrait of a Vermont Town,” led by Professor John Elder, spent the fall documenting the stories of Starksboro residents. They presented those stories back to the residents at the community dinner and storytelling celebration documented here. Visit www.orton.org to learn more and view Starksboro’s stories.