30 Aug Together for the Good
This morning, August 30, at the Together Community Center, 29 members of the community attended the Together Initiative Network Quarterly Reporting Meeting. It is INCREDIBLE to hear the story of community collaboration and growth from multiple community members and institutions. From churches, townships, school districts, social services, resource partnerships, health providers, funders, and businesses, we hear a consistent theme, “Together for the common good.”
Together for the common good, Grace Point Church has provided a Pre-K Liaison staff to Pequea Valley School District. The results of the relationship of mutual respect between a local church and public school district are an unheard sector partnership. Through this collaborative partnership, we are offering more and better resources to families in our community with kids (age 0-Kindergarten.)
Together for the common good, Paradise Township is leveraging the relationships of mutual respect at The Factory Ministries Youth Center to address vandalism in a healthy way. “We are pleased that vandalism has gone down these last couple of years due to fostering healthy relationships with the teens and The Factory is a big part of that.” says Chuck Holt, President/CEO of The Factory Ministries. In one incident of vandalism in the last year, the township leveraged the relationships developed at the Youth Center to address the vandalism and offer the teens an opportunity to help with the clean up. 15 teens immediately offered to work on the clean up crew. The township also asked the teens how they could make the park better, and gave the teens a voice in the community. The healthy relationships developed at the Factory Youth Center allow a common ground for conversation to take place. “It speaks to the asset the Factory is to us,” says Marlin Groff, Paradise Township Supervisor.
Together for the common good, seven direct service providers: (The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, Tabor Community Services, Inc., PA CareerLink of Lancaster County, Community Services Group, Head Start, Lancaster General Health, Family Medicine County Line,) are available in workshops or one-on-one services locally at the Together Community Center. Individuals are gaining access to resources that have not before been available in Eastern Lancaster County. People are developing tools and knowledge through literacy classes, GED classes, budgeting, career development skills, behavioral care, referrals to medical care, nutritional planning and education, and high quality early education services to under-resourced residents of Eastern Lancaster County, PA. We define poverty as a lacking of not just financial resources, but relational, physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual resources. We ALL need to intentionally developing these resources in our lives. These workshops (workshop calendar coming soon!) are available to everyone in the community. United Way of Lancaster County, PA
Together for the common good, churches, community members, The Factory Ministries, and Intercourse Bike Works continue partnering for community holiday events like Intercourse Bikeworks & Biketours’s Cranksgiving, Thanksgiving Meals, and the Christmas Gift Program. Together we are celebrating generosity and the collaboration of resources to spread hope and joy over the holidays.
Because everyone’s journey matters. Because every story matters. Because every learner counts.
We are working together for the the community’s common good. How is this possible? Through genuine relationships of mutual respect. Chuck Holt says, “When we don’t build relationships of mutual respect, we invariably build relationships of judgment. And if that happens, everyone in the community loses. Don’t be driven by fear. The potential is greater than the risk. We are willing to walk in blurry areas because what can come out of it is too great to miss.”
“When the different sectors of the community work together, the fear is that the separate missions of each sector will be diminished. But the missions isn’t diminished, the mission is magnified.” – Tim Rogers
Do you want to be a part of what is happening in our community? Join the team today by supporting our #togethertoSTLOUIS bikers! From September 22-24, 17 riders will ride in relay format from Lancaster, PA to the aha! Process National Conference in St. Louis, MO to raise awareness on how to address issues of poverty in our communities and to raise funds for the Together Initiative Network.
We want the nation to see what collaboration looks like as it addresses issues of poverty in systemic and sustainable ways.
Click here to support a rider!
