Learn how the Regional Visioning Scorecard was created and what it means for the future of the ICR region.
United Way of East Central Iowa (UWECI) works tirelessly towards solutions that make the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids (ICR) region the kind of community people want to live, work, and play in. Now, a new scorecard is helping the region better understand their progress and goals for the future.
The Regional Visioning Scorecard was created in collaboration with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG). Along with UWECI, the following key stakeholders were included in the development process:
- Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
- Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
- Iowa City Area Development Group
- ICR Iowa
- Kirkwood Community College
- University of Iowa
- United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties
The scorecard is a regional development strategy that includes all the counties UWECI serves: Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones, and Linn, as well as Johnson and Washington counties. With a vision to achieve sustainable and fair prosperity in Iowa, the scorecard looks at three categories—business, workforce, and community—to measure the region’s progress in comparison to peer cities across the country.
“The Regional Visioning process has allowed us to look at the indicators and compare where we are now and where we want to be in the future,” said Leslie Wright, Senior Vice President of Community Building at UWECI.
With a focus on community development, UWECI will work toward bridging gaps in the community. Some of the actions being taken include creating a greater network of engaged employees and eliminating barriers to workforce participation. These items are focused on populations that are underrepresented and face barriers to financial stability, one of the focus areas that UWECI works to improve.
Thanks to the combination of skills and resources from each organization, the ICR region has a better understanding of where it stands in terms of progress. Wright, past leader of the Regional Vision organizing team, is confident that skill sharing will help the group continue to work towards the overall vision and goal.
“We're looking forward to working collectively to build on our strengths and focus efforts on areas of improvement,” Wright added
Those interested in reviewing the scorecard can find it—along with additional program details—on the Regional Vision website.
