With today’s economy the way it is now, finding jobs or saving money for the future are two things that aren’t easily done, but one organization is looking at Russellville to be a test community for new jobs that could help the area move past the economy slump and lead the way for other communities to make a similar change.

The Last Responders is an organization dedicated to helping communities recover during hard times, especially those communities who are trying to rebuild after natural disasters.

After the deadly and destructive tornado outbreak in Alabama in April, The Last Responders started doing research into which Alabama communities could use some help to get residents back on their feet and were also looking for communities where people were already interested in giving back to others.

During the research process, Ron Clark, a representative with The Last Responders, came across information about the free summer concert given by two local young artists, Blaze Bishop and Brooklyn Hall, this past Labor Day.

Clark said he knew Russellville was close to some of the hardest hit areas of the tornado outbreak and he discovered there was a definite need for jobs, so he contacted Blaze Bishop’s father, Frank Bishop, to see if Russellville would be a good place to implement some of The Last Responders’ ideas for recovery.

Over the past two months, Clark has been in the area meeting with local officials about the possibility of Russellville becoming a “model town” for the organization’s program that propels communities forward with new jobs in the area of energy production and the possibility of Russellville’s participation in a book, film, traveling play and TV pilot that would help show other communities how easy it could be to create jobs.

“Mr. Clark contacted me and began telling me about the movie and the book and how he wanted to help our area create jobs, and to be honest, I was a little skeptical,” Bishop said. “All the information was confusing at first, but after several meetings, it all started to make more sense.”

Bishop said Clark explained that The Last Responders focused on creating jobs in the areas of energy, entertainment, education, senior care, transportation and tourism, but they planned to focus on energy production for the Russellville area.

“Mr. Clark said they want to introduce a crop that can be grown to produce food pellets for cattle and biofuel,” Bishop said. “Local residents could make money growing the crop or by renting their land to people who would grow the product.”

In turn, if the ideas for job creation are implemented in the area, Bishop said this is where the film, traveling play and TV pilot would come in.

“These different avenues of entertainment would showcase the ‘model towns’ that have been selected and how they’re creating jobs and working together for a common goal,” Bishop said. “The film, the play and the TV show would all sort of be used as an educational tool to let other communities know they can use the same techniques to create jobs in their area, too.”

Bishop said recently, several local young artists who are part of the group Entourage, went to FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals to record voice spots and several songs to see who might be qualified to participate in the film or traveling play.

“Mr. Clark’s ideas seem like they could really help the area,” Bishop said, “we just need the community to get involved for it to work.”

Anyone interested in knowing more about The Last Responders, their mission to create jobs in the area or how to be involved can call Bishop at 256-332-7222.