Vision

What would it be like to see a fragmented community working together towards a common cause?  What would it look like if a community of such diversity began to understand one another - with each of our backgrounds, hopes, dreams, pains, and circumstances? What would it look like for residents to gain a sense of ownership for their city – to practice what it is to be a good neighbor? What would it look like for future leaders to be empowered and equipped with the tools, confidence, and values that could change the world?  What would it look like for the next generation or two or three?

We see the culture and climate of our city reinvented – where individuals find it easier to connect with social and volunteer opportunities, community groups naturally collaborate on projects of shared interest, and citizens and organizations share resources freely. We see leaders with a sense of camaraderie and residents with a sense of genuine care for one another. We see local businesses actively supporting local projects that contribute to a healthy and vibrant city. We see a community of catalysts – change agents that, when inspired, empowered, and resourced, develop innovative solutions to global and local problems.

Vision Statement

We see cities experiencing a greater sense of community, collaboration, and citizenship through meaningful relationships.  

• COMMUNITY – the tangible experience of relationships within connected people.
• COLLABORATION – the cooperative partnerships of individuals and organizations around a common interest or purpose.
• CITIZENSHIP – the expression of hospitality towards our neighbors and the participation of residents in shaping our community.

Building relationships is core to our community development efforts – from both the bottom and the top – through the “underground” with the people-structures (social networks and local organizations) and “above the ground” with the power-structures (city government and established institutions). A common cause may bring people together, but it’s relationships that keep people together. We catalyze meaningful relationships that build trust in each other to produce connectivity. It is a slower, patient yet sustainable and long-lasting approach to more effectively bridging our community together so that we can work together.