In honor of our 125th Anniversary, we will be using our newsletter to highlight 125 projects or initiatives that use civic capital to solve problems and build equitable, thriving communities. These cities have been recognized for engaging community members in collaborative efforts to improve education, health care, economic prosperity and the general quality of life. Today, examples 41-50:
- Beaverton, OR. Beaverton Organizing and Leadership Development (BOLD) is a unique and dedicated space for immigrants, refugees and other people of color to discover their common goals and struggles, build leadership capacity, gain community organizing and advocacy skills, and strengthen cross-cultural understanding.
- San Diego, CA. The Southeastern San Diego Cardiac Disparities Project is improving the cardiovascular health of African Americans in South San Diego by changing two fundamental systems that can influence their health: faith organizations and healthcare providers. This work is spearheaded by the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – National Civic League Health Equity Award winners – Elizabeth Bustos of Be There San Diego and Reverend Gerald Brown.
- Providence, RI. Ongoing engagement helped reshape one Providence neighborhood, creating affordable housing, access to fresh food and bringing the vibrance of immigrant’s culture to a local marketplace.
- Salinas, CA. With 3,000 certified or affiliated gang members in Salinas, improving safety by reducing gang violence is a top priority for the city. In January of 2009, Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP) emerged from two like-minded organizations: the City of Salinas’ Community Safety Alliance and the Violence Prevention Subcommittee of the Monterey County Children’s Council.
- Hampton, VA. Hampton, Virginia found that community-wide engagement which allowed people to discuss what they valued and the details of the budget – brought greater consensus than anyone expected. And it created a sense of trust that ultimately led residents to decide to protect key programs rather than cut them.
- Columbia Heights, MN. Columbia Heights, Minnesota worked to make community policing more than just a nice project. They made engaging the community part of the culture of the police department. And the results are incredible.
- Worchester, MA. During the implementation of a Community Health Improvement Plan, one resident championed several different initiatives that impacted health inequities. One such initiative was a joint use agreement that opened all school playgrounds to the public during non-school hours.
- Eau Claire, WI. Eau Claire’s Clear Vision planning effort brought together the full diversity of the community and engaged residents in setting priorities for the future. Together, they achieved many of those goals.
- Los Angeles, CA. Recognizing the importance of creating a culture of health amongst a vulnerable population that often avoids seeking care because of fear of disclosure to providers, the Los Angeles County Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health Collaborative (LBWHC) was founded in 2009.
- Marshalltown, IA. Marshalltown had been facing an identity crisis and needed a vision to move forward. This project brought a community of 26,000 together to discuss the future of the place they call home. It encouraged residents to share their ideas and resulted in more than 1,000 people providing over 3,000 ideas for the vision of their community.
*Examples 1-10
*Examples 11-20
*Examples 21-30
*Examples 31-40
