Media Releases

Read our latest media releases featuring Foundation news, events and developments in our Project Towns.

Media Releases

September 25, 2008

For millenia, art has uplifted, healed and provoked. But can it bring together college students and dairy farmers, conservationists and developers, transplants from the city and long-time residents? Can it spark them to think about land use? Can it help a town protect its heart and soul?

August 19, 2008

The Orton Family Foundation announced the appointment of two new trustees and a senior associate, all of whom will help the Foundation strengthen its Heart & Soul Community Planning initiative and reach out to new communities.

July 25, 2008

The Orton Family Foundation has committed $10 million in cash and staff over the next five years in a major new initiative to stem the tide of “Anywhere, USA” development and help communities strengthen their unique spirit of place as they face growth and change.

June 17, 2008

The Shifting Ground radio series returned to air Tuesday on NPR's All Things Considered; the fourth story describes a family's struggle with property rights and severe coastal erosion in Texas.

June 10, 2008

The Orton Family Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in early May, seeking one Addison County town for a two-year pilot project that will use storytelling, art and community dialogue to help define and protect the community’s Heart & Soul, including its unique rural character.

May 29, 2008

The Orton Family Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust announced today that they seek to partner with an Addison County, Vermont, town eager and able to collaborate on an exciting new approach to community engagement.

May 29, 2008

Melinda Moulton, CEO of Main Street Landing Company of Burlington, VT, has been named the 7th annual winner of the prestigious Terry Ehrich Award, given by the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR).

May 29, 2008

The Orton Family Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust announced today that they seek to partner with an Addison County, Vermont, town eager and able to collaborate on an exciting new approach to community engagement.

May 4, 2008

The Orton Family Foundation announced another key staff appointment to strengthen its “Heart & Soul” community planning efforts. Ariana McBride was appointed Senior Associate, Northeast Projects, and works at the Foundation’s Middlebury, VT headquarters.

April 15, 2008

What do Exeter, RI and Killingly, CT, have in common? These two towns in neighboring states may be surprised to learn the answer to this question and others as they embark on in-depth “Heart and Soul” visioning as part of the ongoing Borderlands Village Innovation Pilot Project.