Organization
Bethel Rural Community Organization formed from the merger of two previous organizations: Bethel Community Organization (1991) and Pigeon Valley Citizens for Rural Preservation (2000). BRCO began operation in 2001. March 23, 2006 is the date of incorporation. May 30, 2008 is the inception date for the organization's incorporation as a 501(c) 3 non-profit.
Mission
BRCO's mission is to coordinate local and regional resources to perform programs and projects that enhance the quality of rural life in Bethel Community.
Vision
Preserving yesterday - Helping Today - Planning for Tomorrow
Meetings
BRCO Meetings are held the second Tuesday of every other month, beginning in January, at the BRCO community center located at 664 Sonoma Road.
A pot-luck dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by a speaker at 7 p.m. and a brief business meeting. All visitors are welcome.
Board Members
Brent McKee - Chair
Will Thompson- Vice Chair
Carol Adams
Frances Adamson
Carol Litchfield
Officers
Carol Litchfield, President
Greg Christopher, Vice President
Roxie Billings, Secretary
Mike McLean, Treasurer
Bethel Rural Community Organization
About the Organization
Bethel Rural Community Organization is a non-profit group whose focus has allowed members to create benevolent initiatives: dental and vision needs for children, support for children in housing transition, Christmas funds for children in need – including the Haywood County Sheriff's Office's “Shop with the Cops” program, utilities support for indigent citizens, money for the two local fire departments, support for lighting for a local walking trail, funding for flood victims and families who have lost everything to house fires, and backing for families who have suffered the loss of family members.
A bi-monthly food pantry ensures food security for local citizens on an ongoing basis. A coupon program supports local farms and encourages pantry participants to enjoy fresh produce.
BRCO's educational outreach includes an annual scholarship, recognition of elementary students who excel in English and STEM classes, and presentation of a “Best Citizen” award to a middle school student. The organization presents six programs yearly that serve to enlighten citizens concerning topics of importance. We host school groups who learn about Bethel's historical and preservation initiatives. The organization donates annually to the Buy Haywood initiative that supports local farms, Haywood Waterways Association and its stream and river support programs, Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society with its local historic preservation projects, Museum of NC Handicrafts at Shelton House and its preservation of a local historic landmark, and Preservation NC programs that encourage conservation of historic properties.
Our historic preservation efforts have resulted in the production of three DVDs and two CDs, thirty-one historic art prints, and nine books. We also recognize a citizen each year who has contributed to the preservation of local history, and we arrange upkeep for a local historic site.
BRCO's rural preservation innovative efforts are recognized throughout the state. To date, we have placed 543 acres of land into permanent conservation easement along with 5,048 feet of river frontage and 15,436 feet of other stream footage. Two DVDs, one of which was distributed statewide, describe our rural conservation projects.
This organization has received six state history awards from the NC Society of Historians (including the prestigious Lighthouse Award), two National Register of Historic Places designations for local properties, Western Carolina University's Mountain Heritage Award, Haywood Waterway's Pigeon River Award, and the top award in the region from WNC Communities for over a decade. BRCO received WNC Communities' first Impact Award for an outstanding project. BRCO also earned recognition as a historic site on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area's Heritage Trail as well as a site on the Haywood County Quilt Trail.
Organizational History
A November 1990 meeting initiated by Steve West, Haywood County Extension Agent, and Marilyn Coleman, WNC Communities representative, began the initial efforts to form a community club in Bethel.
Bethel Community Development Organization held its first official meeting on January 22, 1991, in the Bethel Middle School library. At that meeting attendees passed a temporary constitution. The group elected officers and focused the organization's efforts on preserving the rural nature of Bethel. Thirty-two people attended. The group agreed to meet on the second Tuesday of each month.
During the years of existence, this original organization presided over Bethel Community Day during the 1990s and, in 1993, started the Bethel Half Marathon Race that evolved into the longest continuing half marathon event in the state.
The organization came to be known as Bethel Community Organization and continued in some capacity until approximately 2000.
By 2000, rumblings from the County Commissioners indicated a desire by Haywood County to extend water and sewer services into Bethel. That announcement raised concerns among community residents that water and sewer extension would promote accelerated growth that would decimate rural landscapes with resulting degradation in water quality. A loosely organized group of approximately 30 citizens formed “Pigeon Valley Citizens for Rural Preservation” to counter the county's sewer extension efforts. By early 2006, members of Bethel Rural Community Organization, many of whom belonged to the concerned citizens group, encouraged Haywood County commissioners to allow Mars Hill College to conduct a telephone survey regarding the wishes of Bethel citizens. That survey revealed that a vast majority of Bethel citizens desired to retain the rural nature of the community, protect farmland and waterways, and emphasize the agricultural focus of the area. The survey ended the county's push to extend water and sewer services into Bethel.
Bethel Community Organization, during this transition period, blended interests of the original community organization with concerns of the Pigeon Valley Citizens for Rural Preservation group, and the two concepts melded into Bethel Rural Community Organization. The first available recorded minutes were from a meeting held on April 24, 2001, though the group met several months prior. The record of regular meeting minutes began on July 17, 2001.
Bethel Rural Community Organization was incorporated on March 23, 2006, and became a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization on May 30, 2006.
Our Facility
Housed in the historic (1885) Bethel Presbyterian Church, the community organization provides a welcoming rental space for church congregations, families, and community groups. In keeping with BRCO's Vision of "Preserving Yesterday - Helping Today - Planning for Tomorrow" and its Mission "to coordinate local and regional resources to implement programs and projects that enhance the quality of rural life in Bethel Community," BRCO is pleased to maintain and make available this facility for the benefit of Bethel Community.