LEAD has an effective model for strategic progressive change in rural America, and they're ready to expand. It was Wednesday, November 9, 2016, and Donald Trump had just won the election. Susan Kroger, Carmen Toft and Carrie Johnson gathered to commiserate over the election and a political landscape in South Dakota that didn’t support their values. The group knew that the political moment was an opportunity to recruit new volunteers, motivated by the results of the 2016 election, into on-going advocacy efforts in their state with little or no progressive infrastructure.

In 2019, Family Farm Action and their allies rallied farmers, ranchers, and rural communities against corporate power and their monopolization of the farm and food industry. 

IAO offers services to low income families, youth, and seniors through various programs based on needs identified through community engagement. IAO also advocates for Appalachian Ohioans to elected officials, and equips citizens with information about issues and voting records with the goal of establishing a well-informed electorate for building progressive communities.