Foundation in Focus: New Albany thrives because residents are engaged
Recently, a person who helps lead another community foundation met with me to learn more about New Albany’s success.
In particular, he was interested in the collaborative approach and the culture of giving and volunteering.
I shared with him that a big part of New Albany’s “special sauce” is the ease with which residents in the community can get involved and help shape the community.
Examples are all around us.
Consider Healthy New Albany, which established the New Albany Walking Classic, New Albany’s farmers market and community garden, to name a few.
All of those wonderful initiatives were started by people in the community who were wanting everyone to benefit from health-and-wellness opportunities. To this day, those programs continue to be managed by volunteers.
School and community leaders partnered with the New Albany Co. years ago to create the 60-acre nature preserve and wetlands on the school campus. The nature preserve serves as an environmental science lab for students.
New Albany’s Safety Town program was launched after a group of parents approached the New Albany Community Foundation with the suggestion. The foundation collaborated with the New Albany Police Department and Plain Township Fire Department to design the program, and the New Albany Women’s Network helped sponsor the first session.
To this day, a New Albany resident helps coordinate the program.
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The New Albany Symphony Orchestra, two community theater groups and the community choir were the result of residents’ vision, hard work and leadership.
To their credit, the city of New Albany, Plain Township, the New Albany-Plain Local Schools and the foundation routinely offer support to individuals who work to create enriching opportunities for the community.
None of this is to suggest that other communities don’t have people who volunteer. I suspect, however, that few other communities can point to so many successful programs and initiatives that have resulted from dedicated residents who make them happen.
New Albany is fortunate to have engaged citizens. It’s fortunate to have people who want to give back by sharing their time, talent and treasure.
The fact that so many wonderful initiatives have emerged organically through the passion and ingenuity of residents reflects the strength of our community.
It is my hope that long into the future, residents continue to believe they can make a difference by “stacking hands” for the betterment of the community.
Craig Mohre is president of the New Albany Community Foundation.
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Foundation in Focus: Community thrives because New Albany residents engaged
