Sunday, April 11th, 2021
In times of trouble, I always think of Mr. Rogers’ reflection of his own mother’s offering of comfort when he saw scary things in the news, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people helping.”
Certainly over this past year, we have seen so many acts of service, neighborly goodwill, kindness, and volunteerism. It is inspiring and hopeful to see so many people supporting their neighbors and working towards the improvement of their communities in the most challenging of times. The revitalization of our communities is vital to the overall quality of life here in the Hudson Valley, and more critical than ever. This pandemic has forced us all to reprioritize, while shining a light on so many disparities. The time has come to rebuild and for us to look to those ReBuilders.
Next week, the Pattern for Progress Community ReBuilders 2021 program begins. On Monday, April 12th – 10 inspiring teams will begin the bootcamp style twelve-week program to focus and refine their community development projects – clearly defining their project scopes, learning how to support their projects using data, exploring the financial dimensions of their projects, and learning from experienced project managers about how to address project challenges.
There were more applicants than there were spots for this year’s class, a testament to the many people working on community development projects across the Hudson Valley region. The decisions about which projects should be participants in this year’s cohort were incredibly difficult. We’re hopeful that those who are not able to participate in this year’s program will be back to apply for the next iteration, and we will certainly support them however we can as they move their projects forward.
This year’s class brings together teams from across the Hudson Valley region. The projects are focused on the adaptive reuse of historic buildings in desperate need of repair; on reinvigorating downtowns to once again become vibrant community spaces; on creative housing solutions to address the housing crisis we’re facing; and on addressing unemployment through job training, skills development, and by removing barriers to employment in collaboration with area businesses.
There are a LOT of helpers here.
These changemakers, these Community ReBuilders, are going to make a difference.
Most are volunteers working around their careers. They’re dedicating countless hours to these projects. They’re building consensus in their communities, finding collaborators, and hungry to learn more. They have vision, passion, drive, and grit – a powerful, world-changing kind of determination – and we are here for it.
We hope you’ll keep an eye on these helpers – follow along with their journeys over the next twelve weeks. You’ll definitely be hearing more about them and from them. Please plug in where you can and cheer them along as they work to make our world here in the Hudson Valley a better place.
