The founding meeting of the Seinäjoki Region Development Association Liiveri ry was held on 8 January 1997. From the beginning, the association's mission has been to encourage the residents of the Seinäjoki region to develop their own home region. The board, which consists of ten full members, ten deputy members and the chairman, meets monthly to decide on projects to be financed. One of the board members is a native of Seinäjoki who started in 2015. Timo MyllariHe is satisfied that project funds are used to implement big and small things in the villages.
Timo Mylläri, a resident of Peräseinäjoki, who joined the board of directors of Liiver in 2015, considers project funding to be of paramount importance in the development of villages. The man, who works as an office worker during the day, enjoys volunteering at the Sovintola Youth Club. He serves as the chairman of the Viitalan Youth Club in his home village.
"It's great to be in a vantage point and see what kind of projects need funding. Being on the board has broadened my view of the possibilities in our region," says Mylläri. He thinks the board has made good decisions. However, he says that he started out by getting to know the board's work, but fortunately he's gaining more experience all the time.
Mylläri particularly considers theme projects to be a good thing. They enable, among other things, small investments in village gathering and sports venues that could not be implemented as stand-alone projects.
– However, the electronic application system has been severely disrupted and has made it difficult for project applicants to operate.
In Mylläri's experience, there is a lot of work to be done in making business support known. In his opinion, one of the most effective communication channels is Facebook. He is eager to share updates related to projects and business support, and in this way, he tries to communicate about Liiver's funding opportunities.
– It's great that the Kalajärvi area has been developed with projects, says Mylläri, using an example from his own homestead. The tourist area is important for the vitality of the entire Peräseinäjoki. The latest project financed by Liiveri is the expansion of the Näätämaja Lodge owned by the Peräseinäjoki Hunting Association.
Timo Mylläri lives with his family in Viitalankylä, where the local sports route and youth club have been improved over the years with projects. As the chairman of the youth club, he proudly presents the renovated Sovintola youth club. The renovation carried out last year renovated the kitchen, toilets and hallway and installed a modern air conditioning system. The renovation cost 290,000 euros, of which 75 % was provided by the public benefit investment support granted by the ELY Centre. No less than 2,000 hours of volunteer work were accumulated.
The volunteer group at the Sovintola Youth Center gathered in the gleaming new kitchen. From left: Raija Ahtiainen, Karoliina Ahtiainen, Sinikka Knaapila, Tuija Hautakorpi, Karri Laitila, Vesa Hautakorpi, Sirpa Rantala, Virpi Latvala, Timo Mylläri and Airi Järvinen.