The project has been met with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm and sponsorship support Shirley Keenan, PACES Program Director, said she is supporting Town Craft's effort to involve youth in neighborhood planning because, "This project is a way of helping the youth feel significant and involved in their community, a way for them to be heard. It also helps them see the important relationship between what they do in school and the real world".

Butch Niebuhr, Perry City Manager and Wendy Goodale, Director Chamber of Commerce are also supporting the project and looking forward to the scheduled community and city council presentations. Butch stated, "We have found in the past that young minds see things differently than what we see them as we walk by every day. Fresh minds and fresh ideas from a generation that we don't usually hear from would be an interesting exercise for our city to experience." Goodale, stated, "Getting the youth involved at this stage of their lives in Perry is extremely important both to the community and to them. They are our future residents and if they can remain involved and see their ideas come to fruition, it would be awesome. Projects like this could keep them interested and hopefully, encourage them to stay in Perry or bring them back after college".

Students will host an opening reception for the public and meet with civic leaders, including the Mayor, City Council members and the Mayor, in July to discuss ideas and present their final product. Final dates for presentations will be posted to the Town Craft Website at http://www.design.iastate.edu/TownCraft/ and on the Iowa State University Extension Calendar at - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/community/.