State of the Re:Union happily shares the story of a little town in Wisconsin promoting and perpetuating true holiday spirit with a tradition that aims to bring the community closer. (Click here to watch a short clip or read the article in its entirety.)

Source: http://wtm.irose.com -- The Winterdaze Parade in Menomonie, WI

The town of Menomonie, Wisconsin, is doing its best to ensure that holiday cheer will bring their town closer together and help out community businesses through its WinterDaze Parade. This event transforms downtown into a winter wonderland. It also encourages shopping, eating and enjoyment at local shops and restaurants, keeping businesses involved and in touch with the community. These businesses are all too happy to help put on the parade and bring the city a little closer for the holidays, and as a result, its downtown is thriving.

For eight years now, the WinterDaze Parade has been giving the community a reason to come together in celebration. According to Weau.com, before the parade starts, area businesses are filled with people and families getting warm, eating, and perusing and purchasing items to pass the time until the floats start “rolling down the road to welcome in the holiday season.” This year the parade touted the likes of Rudolph and Santa to gather residents and help all get into the holiday spirit.

Source: flickr.com -- WinterDaze holiday parade and fireworks in Menomonie, WI

The year-long planning of this fantastic event is labor intensive, but a labor of love, and it shows. Twenty-five downtown businesses helped sponsor the festivities, and according to Michaela Spencer with the Cedar Corporation, they adorn their windows with decorations and displays “to help keep it fun and interesting to shop downtown.”

Men, women and children come together to line the festive streets once the parade begins. Residents gathering for the event all echo the same sentiment – “I love that it’s a good sense of community,” states one. Another says, “It’s nice to see the community join together and come downtown.” And yet another agrees that “The community feel around Menomonie is great, we love it.” But the general consensus is given by one woman as she says, “It’s very fun – everyone’s happy for the holidays.”

Traditions change from region to region, but celebration remains a common thread. Commonalities also exist whether you partake in Hanukkah, Christmas, or any other holiday – these core principals are among them all: community, family and celebration. What are some things happening in your community this season serving as a focal point of togetherness and celebration? Use the box below to bestow unto us some holiday cheer.

[Recently] I was in Las Vegas where I discovered a community – once on top of the world – fighting to come back in the wake of the Great Recession. What people in Las Vegas are doing offers a vision of what it will take for communities across the country to rebound from this tough economic and social time. It’s not a mere roll of the dice that’s bringing Vegas back, but intentional actions to create real change and community.

Source: socialtimes.com

The Harwood Institute worked in Las Vegas earlier this decade with the support of the Omidyar Network. In 2004 we produced a report entitled, On the American Frontier. It captured the incredible “can-do spirit, confidence, proven track record of growth, and innate sense of vibrancy” of Southern Nevada. For many people, Vegas was the best, last chance to pursue a customized version of the American Dream. But even then people were starting to wonder if they had too much of a good thing.

Today things are different in Vegas. For starters, the area ranks near the top in the nation in home foreclosures, school dropouts, unemployment and lost jobs, while philanthropic dollars have dried up. And yet, something genuinely hopeful is happening there, something worth paying attention to.

Political and civic leaders, including heads of major organizations, funders, the state senate majority leader, and public broadcasters gathered to hear my speech. In 2004, it might have been hard to gather such leaders for a similar event, and especially one where they so openly engaged one another. But now, despite the Great Recession – or maybe because of it – folks are creating new groups and relationships to get things done.

Many people came up to me during my time there to say that our work some five to 10 years ago had helped to seed the growth of new groups and strengthen existing ones. They told me we had helped them to see why it is so critical to turn outward and to think about change differently. One person even asked how I felt being back in town given that so much current activity can be traced back to our work. What I told her is that the real credit goes to people in Vegas – those individuals and groups that chose to step forward and use our work to innovate, experiment, and are now connecting their efforts to others. And it is an amazing collection of groups, which includes:

• Three Square
• Community We Will
• Southern Regional Nevada Planning Coalition
• KNPR and Vegas PBS
• Nevada Gives

Source: brainleadersandlearners.com

What’s so promising in Vegas is that public innovators are creating a new civic foundation. Each group has its own promising story, and together they represent a major shift in the community. Now, all this movement is still just emerging, but the trajectory is clear.

These groups are boundary spanners, network builders, engagers of the community, and most importantly action oriented. It is this very foundation that is essential for a community to move forward. We all know the Vegas line, “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.” Well, I want to add a new line today: “What Happens in Vegas, Spreads beyond Vegas.”

More towns across the nation are heeding a similar community call as that of Las Vegas. Bettering the public through our actions now will carve out a path of change that helps guide representatives down the right path for your community. Isn’t it beyond time that a chance is taken on changing community through our own actions?

Does this sound like something already happening your in community? If so, we would love to hear some key concepts you think makes it work. Change only happens when action is taken, so write your thoughts in the box below and keep the momentum going.

Interested in learning more about what happens in Las Vegas? Click here to check out the SOTRU Las Vegas episode to find out about what’s going on.

A dynamic public speaker, Rich Harwood is a frequent keynote for foundations and national organizations. He is an expert contributor on national and syndicated media outlets including MSNBC, NPR, The Christian Science Monitor, CNN’s Inside Politics, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Special Report with Brit Hume, C-SPAN, and many others. He is also the author of Hope Unraveled: The people\’92s retreat and our way back (2005), Make Hope Real: How we can accelerate change for the public good (2008) and numerous studies, articles and essays chronicling vital issues of our time. His most recent written work, Why We\’92re Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward, is being published and distributed in Spring 2011. You can follow him on twitter @RichHarwood and facebook.com/richharwood.

You can read Rich’s posts every Tuesday on State of the Re:Union’s website.

A Youth-Inspired School Project

State of the Re:Union  would like to call attention to some commendable youths and their exemplary actions. These Detroit students were not satisfied with the way their community was being portrayed in both national and local media. It was not necessarily a bad reflection upon their city, however, they didn’t feel that it was entirely accurate. So, with the help and encouragement of their teachers, they decided to do something about it.

Source: http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/2754

According to the excerpt found on The National Writing Project – Digital Is Website, “We Want Our City Back” is a photojournalism project that grew out of students’ chagrin prompted by the media’s “biased” coverage. They felt that the heroes chosen by a highly-recognized magazine to represent Detroit was not enough. (You can read the original excerpt by clicking here.) So, taking this into consideration, these youths were asked to create a catalog of what they thought their community needed. After the list was compiled, focus groups were assigned photojournalism projects in the following topics, representing students’ concerns:

….

• Raise Your Voice - Group attempted to combat negative “images” of the city via the media in print, photographs, discussions.
  
• Crime Fighters – Group looked at violence and other issues that students viewed as a crime, such as having a lack of health care, not having access to grocery stores within their neighborhood, or when faced with an emergency – having no emergency responders or a delayed response.
• Power in the City – Students presented both scandal and abuses of power, authority and trust, as well as ways that they thought power in the city could be redistributed.
• Building Bridges - Students looked at segregation in the city based upon race, class, gender, religion, age, socioeconomic status.

Source: http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/2754

After the assigned photojournalism task was finished, they created project boards displaying the photos they took depicting their thoughts and ideas. Resource binders created by these students further expounding upon their concern with the intent of educating others about the issue targeted by the project. With display boards and resource binders in hand, the student participants then went to a summit “where they interacted with invited speakers around the issues at hand.”

This project might not have yielded earth-shattering results, stopping the country in its tracks with all eyes on the Detroit community, but change rarely works that quickly. The most important thing that could have come from this project, did: Helping students develop critical thinking necessary to make a change within their own community. It also cultivated in them some solid reasoning skills, helped them learn what they want their city to represent, and made them aware that they can find solutions to issues. They now know – through experience – that inaction solves nothing, but critical thinking can help others understand what concerns are important to them. These photojournalism projects are an effectual way to disseminate concerns to others in their community and getting their voices heard.

There are so many ways for people to get their message out, but how is it done effectively? What are some other tactics used in your community to get people to actually listen and learn about important concerns? Use the comment section below – we would be indubitably delighted to know.

State of the Re:Union would like to share valuable knowledge (literally) on how to make your community a better place to live. In the article, 7 Holiday Events that Better Your Community, Houselogic.com provides some helpful hints on how to bring your community together and add value to your home, all by celebrating the holidays.

Source: news-shark.com

According to a study done by Director Dennis Rosenbaum of the Center for Research in Law and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the actions of organizing holiday events, gatherings and festivities can “help to foster higher property values, strong schools, and lower crime rates in your neighborhood.” Here are seven different ideas to inspire a neighborhood gathering this upcoming season:

1.) Sing Songs – One neighborhood near Brooklyn, New York, has been enjoying caroling since 1967 and speak highly of the camaraderie it has established and has this advice to offer: “Identify neighborhood streets heavy with holiday decorations. Festive residents will likely be most receptive to carolers. Ask volunteers to print song lyric sheets, post flyers announcing the event in advance, and bring a thermos or two of hot cocoa.”

2.) Holiday Parties with a Purpose – In New Orleans, Louisiana, one organization honors and awards its emergency first responders who’ve made a difference with an annual Christmas party. They say this event is a way of thanking these heroes and building neighborhood spirit.

3.) Swap Holiday Food - Organizing a neighborhood holiday cookie or dessert exchange promotes good feelings that are lasting.

4.) Organize a Search Party – In Maineville, Ohio, some families participate in neighborhood-wide holiday scavenger hunt. They have half of an hour to secure festive items listed, such as candy canes and tinsel. At the end, the family with the most items wins a $50 gift card. But the real prize is the fun.

5.) Share Holiday Giving – In Logan, Utah, in lieu of exchanging gifts and items with each other, some 50 to 60 neighbors use that money (an average $30 per family) and opt to pool money together to provide items to four families in need through a local organization. They get together at a neighborhood party to wrap these gifts they’ve purchased.

Source: Parise

6.) Feed Your Friendly Neighbors – Some 100 residents in Wilmington, North Carolina, enjoy mingling at three neighbors’ homes via progressive dinners. Of course, this number can be scaled down. Hosts can decide to foot the cost themselves or make it a potluck, but the point is to get to know the families around you.

7.) Light Up the Holiday – A designated night during the holidays can be set aside for each family to line their home with 10-12 containers (as simple as altered milk jugs or water bottles) filled with votive candles. This is a great way to come together as a neighborhood and line the streets with warmth and cheer.

These are just a few simple ideas that can amount to huge investments in your neighborhood. Having a friend as a neighbor truly creates a bond, making a safer environment for all who live on your street. Friends, or just friendly people, take a vested interest in caring for one another. If something happens to a stranger, curiosity tends to be the cause of slower reaction time. However, if someone happens to a friend, the urgency to aid them becomes overwhelming. Which neighbor do you want living next to you? Is there something special that your neighborhood does for the holidays that brings good cheer and promotes friendships? Ideas, comments and thoughts are always welcomed at SOTRU, and we would love to hear more ideas advocating community, trust and friendship.

Source: acelebrationofwomen.org

Although Thanksgiving is widely acclaimed as a day of feasts, family, friends, fun and football (the five F’s of Thanksgiving, but that is another post), it is important to remember that the first Thanksgiving was truly all about community. In SOTRU fashion, we would like to honor some organizations and communities embracing and perpetuating the spirit of the oldest American holiday tradition.

• Some folks at The Giving Heart organization in Richmond, Virginia, will celebrate Thanksgiving with The Giving Heart Community Thanksgiving Feast. Everyone in the greater Richmond area is invited, but a special invitation is sent “to the less fortunate, the elderly and those who would otherwise spend Thanksgiving alone.” At the end of this holiday feast, guests will be given a floral arrangement commemorating their celebration and have the opportunity to pick up a few necessities for staying warm, including a Giving Bag, consisting of “toiletries and other essential items that are created by many” in their community.

• Equinox Inc., a community service organization out of Albany, New York, will be hosting its 42nd Annual Equinox Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner. This long-standing tradition originally started in 1969, feeding 200 college students who were without family. Whether it is at a designated community location, or delivered straight to their door, today, more than 8,000 individuals who are lonely, homebound or homeless neighbors are served. This is truly a community-led effort, enlisting the help of around 3,000 community volunteers who make this day possible. “The Equinox Thanksgiving Community Dinner is funded entirely by generous donations from local businesses, civic groups, and private citizens. Cash, food, trucks, tables and chairs, cell phones, serving dishes, linens, aprons, soap, towels, and advertising are matched by the valuable help of our volunteers. Equinox is the coordinating and sponsoring agency. All surplus donations are used to assist needy families throughout the year.”

• And in Santa Monica, California, the Westside Thanksgiving Community Dinner and Celebration hosts a day filled with surprises, giving families and community members a lot of reasons to be thankful. “The Celebration is open to everyone. No reservations are necessary… just come to the 
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Thanksgiving day.  Dinner from 11am – 3pm.” But it doesn’t stop at dinner. All can participate in a day of free services that include: Thanksgiving Dinner, Children’s Entertainment, Basic Medical Consultation, Clothing Distribution, Haircuts, and Basic Eye Exams.

Source: www2.timesdispatch.com

Kudos to these communities who practice the foundations of what Thanksgiving was first based upon: friendship, caring, sharing and being good stewards of humankind. During these times that are so often overwhelming and harrowing, communities such as these have become a mecca to American tradition. Thank you for your sacrifices, kindness, and caring. Thank you for your shining example of subservience, strength and leadership. And most of all, thank you for restoring a bit of  faith that some individuals have been working hard to chip away at. For this, we should all give thanks.

Today, we’re sharing an excerpt from a post by Peter Block of Abundant Community. He tells how one community keeps growing the list of things to be thankful for: each other. To read the original excerpt in its entirety, click here.

Seeing the Abundance in the Neighborhood

Source: pointloma.edu

The [following] story has the elements of what we can call a competent neighborhood. Creating competence starts with making visible the gifts of everyone in the neighborhood—the families, the young people, the old people, the vulnerable people, the troublesome people. Everyone. We do this not out of altruism, but to create the elements of a satisfying life. Here is a perfect example of how it works:

Last summer, when Theron looked through the open door of the metalworking shop Mr. Thompson had set up in his garage, the old man invited him in. Something clicked. Theron began to stop by every day, and he started bringing home metal pieces he’d learned to make.

Naomi could see Theron change. He was proud of what he made—Mr. Thompson even paid him to make a few things. Naomi said she’d finally stopped worrying about what Theron was doing after school. Jackie admitted that her son Alvin was in trouble, and she asked Naomi if there might be someone in the neighborhood whose skills would interest Alvin.

They knew that Gerald Lilly was into fishing, and that Sam Wheatley was a saxophonist, but that was about it. They decided to ask all the men in the neighborhood about their interests and skills. Mr. Thompson agreed to go with them. It took three weeks to visit all the men on the block. When they were done, they were amazed at what they had found: men who knew juggling, barbecuing, bookkeeping, hunting, haircutting, bowling, investigating crimes, writing poems, fixing cars, weightlifting, choral singing, teaching dogs tricks, mathematics, praying, and how to play trumpet, drums, and sax.

Source: tlc.howstuffworks.com

They found enough talent for all the kids in the neighborhood to tap into. Three of the men they met—Charles Wilt, Mark Sutter, and Sonny Reed—joined Naomi, Jackie, and Mr. Thompson in finding out what the kids on the block were interested in learning.

When they got together after interviewing the kids, Mark talked about a boy he met who knew about computers. Why not ask all the kids what they knew about? Then they could match adults to the kids, just as they planned to match up the kids with the grown-ups. When they were done, they found they had 22 things the young people knew that might interest some adults on the block.

The six neighbors named themselves the Matchmakers and, as they got more experience, they began to connect neighbors who shared the same interests.

The members of this community share this sentiment, “All the lines are broken; we’re all connected.  We’re a real community now.”

[These stories are what] thicken the social fabric. It makes the community’s gifts more widely available in support of the family. If we do it, even in small way, we find that much of what we once purchased is at hand: carpentry, Internet knowledge, listening, driving a truck, math, auto repair, organizing ability, gardening, haircutting, wallpapering, making videos, babysitting, house painting, accounting, soccer coaching, artistic abilities, cooking, fitness knowledge, sitting with the old or the ill, health remedies, sewing. And some of those things will come from the elderly, the young, the isolated, and the unemployed.

These local connections can give the modern family what the extended family once provided: A place with a strong culture of kin, friends, and neighbors. Together we raise our children, manage health, support local enterprise, and care for those on the margin.

SOTRU gives a tip of the hat to neighbors who create a self-reliant community, and more importantly, become a family through caring and sharing. This is an essential element of true community. This is what makes a great Thanksgiving story. Do you have a special tone running through your community that rings out songs of thankfulness? We would love for you to share them with us. It would give SOTRU one more thing to be thankful for.

Peter Block co-authored the book “The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods.” He is a partner in Designed Learning, a training company that offers workshops to build the skills outlined in his books. He is the author of Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, and Community. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the Organization Development Network’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.