During travel out of state over the weekend, I was finally able to listen to the audiobook of Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Through the Heart of America, by Deb and Jim Fallows. You can find an article that summarizes the book (10 1/2 Signs of Civic Success) at the link HERE or the Fallows maintain a website for the project at the link HERE.
Our Towns describes communities of all sizes, in all corners of our great country, and at all stages of growth, decline, and rebirth. One of the signs of success is that communities have big plans. You can add three of the other signs: presence of civic patriots, use of public-private partnerships, and a recognizable civic story, to describe communities in which residents honor their past, are clear-eyed about the present, and are actively working to create a better future. As the Fallows emphasize, local communities are the laboratories of democracy where people work together to make things happen.
The Small Cities, Big Futures project we undertook last year identified recommendations consistent with those found in Our Towns. We have a solid foundation on which to build our community’s future. Yet, will we allow that future to happen to us, led by outside forces, or will the future of our community happen with us actively actively contributing? To that end, we have a special opportunity to participate in a series of Hometown Chats to share our dreams for the future of Kosciusko County. Please take time to attend one of the sessions and encourage friends, family, and colleagues to do so, as well.
7/11 @ 6pm in Warsaw
7/18 @ 6pm in Syracuse
7/23 @ 6pm in N Webster
7/24 @ 12pm in Winona Lake
7/30 @ 6pm in Silver Lake
8/8 @ 6pm in Milford
Find more details and registration information at the link HERE. Thank you to our friends at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for presenting these opportunities to plan for our future in Kosciusko County.
– Alan Tio
