Sprouting Hope

Those who know me have heard me say that a significant part of my job is cheer-leading.  Not the rah-rah-sis-boom-bah type but sharing real stories of positive opportunities in our community.  Opportunities derived from organizations that are down in the trenches trying to alleviate distress for our friends and neighbors who are suffering.  Opportunities that are emerging from the numerous entrepreneurial businesses popping up all over our area.  Opportunities from the many generous people who continue to invest in our community despite the fact that the recession is impacting their own bottom line.  My theory is very simple – people will only engage and be part of the solution when they feel hopeful.  And there are many reasons for hope even in this difficult economy.

In our continuing efforts to find new, better and more effective ways to communicate with our community, the Community Foundation has debuted a new eNewsletter called appropriately, Sprouting Hope.   The monthly newsletter is free and features positive stories about people and organizations that are making a real difference in Lorain County.  We will regularly highlight local nonprofits and include wishlists of ways people can directly assist their efforts as well as an events calendar.  Additionally, we will include videos from people you may know, and some you may not, talking about their visions for our community and what gives them hope.  You can sign up online through our website.

I invite you to join us in spreading hope in Lorain County.

Sparking (or maybe Spotlighting) Government Efficiency

For the past six years the Community Foundation of Lorain County has been a proud founding member of the Fund for Our Economic Future, a 100+ collaborative of organized philanthropy in NE Ohio.  Beyond the unprecedented accomplishment of getting more than one hundred foundations, colleges, universities and such to agree on a data driven, unified approach to regional economic developement; the Fund has had a part in remarkable impact including more than a billion dollars of venture investment transforming the region into an entrepreneurial hot spot. 

But what has captured my excitement today is not the millions in dollars awarded to our grantees, or our mayors, city managers, and councils who are pushing regional land use planning and revenue sharing through the Regional Prosperity Initiative – it is a small initiative that has leverage not just changes in attitude but changes in behavior.

EfficientGovNowis intended to encourage, spotlight and reward real government collaboration. More than 60 applications were received for projects involving two or more public collaborators.  A committee reviewed public input on the applications and selected nine finalists, three of which will receive up to $100,000 from the Fund.  During the month of July, 2009 residents of Northeast Ohio will vote to determine which of the projects receive funding. 

The nine competing projects are:

1. Mahoning River Corridor Interactive Web site: “Rollin’ on the River”
2. “Sustain a Greener Ohio,” A Collaboration to Map the Storm Water Conveyance System in Stark County
3. Combined Dispatch to Use New Technology to Save Lives and Money (Ashland County)
4. Westshore Regional Fire District Project (Cuyahoga County)
5. Mahoning/Youngstown Regional Information System (MYRIS)
6. City/Township/School District Fleet Management Collaboration Project (Oberlin, New Russia)
7. Creating Efficiencies and Cost-Savings through Consolidation of Public Health Services in Summit County
8. Rittman and Orrville Schools Administrative Compact
9. Master Plan for the Western Reserve Joint Economic Development Zone of the Cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson and Stow

We know that some of the projects had been under discussion prior to the initiative, but we also know that several of the projects were crafted specifically for the application.  Regardless of their genesis, what inspires me is the desire by so many public leaders to shed the confines of our traditional boxes and to explore new and better ways of working together.  It may be the realities of the current economy that triggers change, or it may be the grant dollars from the Fund, but whatever the cause – I’m glad to see it happening.