Delta Bridge Project
The Delta Bridge Project was initiated in 2003 by Southern Bancorp to revitalize Phillips County, Arkansas, a community that ranks last in virtually every indicator of economic and social well-being in the state. Southern Bancorp, a community development financial institution (CDFI) holding company with a subsidiary bank in Phillips County, is committed to helping transform rural economies through innovative investments in people, jobs, businesses and property.
Since January 2005, the Delta Bridge Project has leveraged more than $37.7 million in development investments in Phillips County, Arkansas, funding programs such as a sweet potato distribution facility that enables farmers like Floyd Morrow to get their crops to market.
The innovative Delta Bridge Project, formed in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, is a targeted geographic approach that integrates Southern's comprehensive rural economic development strategy with local, state, regional and national programs and includes the real and substantial involvement of residents of the rural communities of Phillips County. Over a 13-month period, 300 county residents participated in a number of meetings to develop the Phillips County Strategic Community Plan (PCSCP), a unified vision and blueprint for community economic development in the county. Endorsed by local businesses, academic institutions, non-profits, and public, civic and faith-based organizations — as well as by two U.S. Representatives, two U.S. Senators and the Governor of Arkansas — the PCSCP has become the official development plan for the county and a model for revitalizing other communities in the Delta.
Since January 2005, the Delta Bridge Project has leveraged more than $37.7 million in development investments in Phillips County. These investments are funding programs that include a biodiesel feasibility study, a health and wellness center, a sweet potato distribution facility and a Boys & Girls Club — and igniting a renewed sense of optimism and civic engagement among county residents.
