In 2014 and 2015, United Way invited 32 different groups to come together for community conversations. An open invitation was extended to anyone in the community who wanted to gather or be part of a group. Participants included residents from Cass County towns including Onward, Twelve Mile, Walton, Galveston, Royal Center and Young America, as well as Logansport. Groups included senior citizens, business leaders, educators, students, farmers, ministers, veterans and immigrants.
Participants were asked questions including, what are your dreams and aspirations for our community? What are your biggest concerns? What's keeping us from making progress? What actions should we take? Who do you trust to take action?
When all of the information was compiled and analyzed, the following aspirations surfaced:
A progressive and united community
• An educated community with good schools where young people can come back to work
• A safe community
A drug-free community
• A unified and interactive community where everyone has a voice and there is a mutual understanding between cultures
In late 2015, CCRN formed teams around these aspirations and took steps towards making them a reality. Each team identified outcomes and created work plans, to be completed by the end of 2016. They meet monthly at CCRN meetings, held the 3rd Thursday of each month, 11:30-12:30 at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Logansport. They also work outside of these meetings to maximize efforts.
At this month’s meeting, Thursday, May 19th, 11:30-12:30 at Calvary, each team will report progress on their work plans to date. United Way will provide lunch for the group in appreciation and a celebration of their hard work.
Chris Armstrong, Interim Executive Director of the United Way, hopes that those who participated in the conversations know how much their input is valued, “I was familiar with CCRN before joining the UW staff, but a lot has changed since I was involved several years ago. I think the organization is more focused and I’m impressed by the commitment and the hard work of the teams. We want the Cass County residents who participated in the community conversations to know we listened and are acting on their aspirations for our community.”
CCRN is open to the community and welcomes new members. For more information about CCRN, please contact Tami McMahan at United Way of Cass County, 574-753-3533 or readingrr@unitedwayofcasscounty.org.
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The United Way of Cass County is proud to be a leading organization in Cass County, known for directing resources and addressing root causes of key issues in the community. United Way of Cass County focuses its work in three key areas – Education, Income, and Health – which are considered the building blocks for a good quality of life. Learn more at www.unitedwayofcasscounty.org
