Sheyenne GRIT is a non-profit organization with the purpose of encouraging the growth anddevelopment of the city of Sheyenne and the surrounding area. We combat community deterioration by utilizing grant opportunities and hard-working volunteers. GRIT stands for Growth, Renewal, Imagination, Teamwork. Board focuses include community events, brand marketing, housing, business investing, and childcare.The three main projects I have spearheaded for my community include affordable housing, the farmers' market, and the community garden and orchard. In 2015, I cataloged abandoned houses and buildings in my hometown of less than two hundred people and reported my findings to the city council. With the help of determined community members, we were able to fundraise enough to tear down a city-owned building on Main Street. Support has grown every year since, with small grants available through the Main Street Initiative. In 2022, Sheyenne GRIT was awarded a $150,000 grant to buy and remodel abandoned houses. Using this momentum, we officially incorporated as a non-profit and elected a board.Small towns like mine have always been resourceful, but it is challenging to ensure sustainability when the grocery store is ten miles away and there is no public transportation. Therefore, my sister and I, along with other gardeners, started the Sheyenne Farmers’ Market in 2009. For the past ten years, Sheyenne has become a hub for fresh-picked vegetables and homemade baked goods. The Prairie Dawn Community Garden and Orchard was planted in 2010 and has been growing more and more beautiful every year, providing free fruit and vegetables to community members. It is maintained completely by volunteers.My future projects include composting toilets at Warsing Dam Recreation Area and an intert waste city landfill.