Partnerships That Make a Difference Ronald C. Jester, P.E. University of Delaware Delaware-Maryland AgrAbility Project (DMAP)

Presentation Outline  DMAP overview  Types of partners  Strategies for successful partnerships  Challenges of partnerships  Future plans  Conclusions

Delaware-Maryland Agrability Project (DMAP)  Agriculture is a leading industry - 15,000 farms, 10,000 watermen, 2,000 loggers, and 2600 poultry growers  Agriculture is the most hazardous industry in the U.S.  15.6% of the farm population have one or more disabilities

Establishing the Needs  Arthritis – 40%  Back injuries – 28%  Hearing impairment – 28%  Diabetes – 16%  Visual impairment – 14%  Orthopedic – 12%  Respiratory – 8%

Goals  Educate farmers, families and farm workers  Network with organ- izations and individuals who can help  Direct assistance

Methodology  Form partnerships with organizations that will support the objectives of DMAP

Definition: Partnership  The state of being a partner or a legal relation existing between two or more persons contractually associated as joint principals in a business  A public agreement among a group of people to work together for a common interest.

DMAP Partnerships (Primary)  University of Delaware  University of Maryland  Easter Seals  Centers for Independent Living  Delaware State University  University of Maryland, Eastern Shore  Delaware Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)  Division of Rehabilitative Services (DORS)

DMAP Partnerships (Associate)  Area Health Education Center (AHEC)  Maryland Arthritis Foundation  Mental Health Association  Delmarva Migrant Education Association  4-H  FFA  Maryland Small Farm Institute  ASHA – Maryland Chapter  Delaware/Maryland Physical Therapy Association  Delaware and Maryland TAP  Delaware/Maryland Farm Bureau  Other health and service provider organizations, farm organizations, agricultural industries, and others

Advantages of Partnerships  Enable organizations to cope with challenges of diminishing budgets  Address limited resources such as staff, expertise, facilities, etc.  Provide an edge to reach mutual goals  Higher performance  other

Results of Viable Partnerships  Increase capacity  Do more with less  Added expertise  Create sustainability  Mutually beneficial  Other

Strategies for Successful Partnerships  Involve all players  Have visionary leaders  Shared vision  Promote trust and collaboration  Build ownership at all levels  Establish a communication and decision-making process

Strategies (cont)  Build community support  Provide for fund development  Build evaluation into the partnership  Nourish the partnership  Other

Challenges of Partnerships  They are time consuming  They are dynamic and may not follow a predictable path  Members must be flexible and willing to compromise  They are as strong as individuals

Conclusions  Viable partnerships are the key to a successful projects  Mentors with a track record enhance the credibility of the effort  Sustainability will occur as commodity groups take leadership roles in the alliance

Future Plans  Continue to nurture existing partnership  Explore national as well as local partners who can help us better reach goals  Continue to evaluate the dynamics of the partnership and improve performance  Other

Questions and Answers