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Public Service: Ordinary Americans Changing Communities for the Better
Caitlin Huey-Burns
Making Public Service Work From Home
Sometimes you don't have to venture much farther than your front porch to make a difference. Just ask
So Wood-Lewis created an online neighborhood newsletter. He spread the word by passing out fliers that encouraged residents to write in about topics of concern or interest to the 400-household neighborhood. Then in 2006, encouraged by the success of the interactive newsletter, and seeking a way for other neighborhoods to participate, he launched
Wood-Lewis, who has an MBA, has since turned his idea into a for-profit business, serving 40 Vermont towns. While developing his site, he worked full time as an executive director of a trade organization. You don't need to be Web-savvy to create a service like his, he says. He started by using free online tools, similar to a
"We were looking for a service that would draw people out of their digital, hurried lives and get them interested in what was going on in their street," Wood-Lewis says of turning his idea into a viable service. He was determined to keep the community website free and accessible, a safe place where people could introduce themselves to their neighbors and at the same time were encouraged to meet face-to-face. On
Wood-Lewis hasn't exactly started a revolution, but experts say he has become part of a movement of people finding custom ways to build a community. "We've come out of a period of pretty steep declines in the traditional forms of engagement, and we are also in a period of a lot of experimentation and innovation," says
Wood-Lewis's own experiment appears to be working. He applied for the 2010 Knight News Challenge grant, which rewards "innovative ideas that develop platforms, tools and services to inform and transform community news, conversations and information distribution and visualization." Wood-Lewis got
Of course, some forms of civic engagement might require you to roll up your sleeves and get your hands off the keyboard and into the dirt. Linda D'Avirro and other members of her
"It all started with the old phone call and E-mail route," she says. D'Avirro and a group of neighbors contacted the
Wood-Lewis and D'Avirro took different approaches to civic needs, but the method was the same. They identified a lack in the community and came up with an answer. Researchers and public servants alike agree that making a real change requires true collaboration: brainstorming sessions with neighbors, evaluating resources, and devising an action plan to maintain the desired service. Still, even a committed, enthusiastic group may need some extra help.
"There needs to be some kind of institutional partner to ensure some longevity," says
Tveit suggests teaming up with a nonprofit organization like hers. "It's difficult if it's only a group of parents or neighbors," she says. "We have the capacity to do grant writing, and organizations can provide some stability."
Brick by brick. City parks and recreation departments can help you find funding or design a custom service project, like installing benches and basketball hoops or creating a memorial garden. D'Avirro and her group teamed up with
Inspired by the playground success, D'Avirro took a look at the five long concrete benches around it and said, "Man, I wish those were pretty." So she and friends
Applying for and receiving grants can be tricky. In D'Avirro's case, the team had to demonstrate that the mural project would provide a significant service to the community and that the benches would bring more people to the park. The group pledged to work with the local
They succeeded. After eight months of neighbors working together on weekends,
Levine says there tends to be more grant money available for groups providing a "concrete service," like starting a program to serve hot lunches at local schools, with which your PTA chapter can help, or to provide transportation services. In
Together, they designed a plan for the West Side Circulator.
Making a difference on your street, in your school, or even in your local government doesn't mean you have to quit your day job. D'Avirro and many of the parents involved with
But after people see the impact a group of ordinary citizens can have, others begin to extend their hands. Back in
As the neighborhood Web forum caught on, users began to wonder about the people behind the postings. "Instead of living among familiar strangers, people are seeing these posts and now you know somebody," says Wood-Lewis. "It's a fundamental, grass-roots, meaningful change."
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Public Service: Ordinary Americans Changing Communities for the Better
(c) 2010 U.S. News & World Report