Happy Autumn

Happy Autumn.  It’s such a beautiful time of year – the morning air will be crisp, the apples are ripe, and pumpkins are everywhere – even in your coffee!  What a great time to be living in Lorain County.  At your Community Foundation we are excited about both the season and the launch of a process to plan our future.  

Here in Lorain County we are blessed to be part of a giving community, and a community that has shown it is most successful when it is working together.  At the Community Foundation we are shaping our strategic planning process around the concept of ONE Lorain County.  Our planning process seeks to engage all stakeholders by working together, neighbors helping neighbors, community by community.

As we begin this effort, we are pleased to note how many Lorain County people have shown interest in participating, and how many other organizations are also working on some form of strategic planning.  We are eager to connect with you and with these other organizations in an effort to align our work and vision.  How powerful it will be for this community of generous, thoughtful individuals and groups collectively coming together in support of local and community wide non-profits.

We are gathering and listening with our community partners.  This strategic plan will be our beacon, guiding our future while reflecting the successes and history on which we have been built.  We will have a series of conversations over the next six months.  We hope that you are willing to join us as we start on November 1 with our Women’s Fund and our African American Community Fund hosting the Leadercast event.  Another opportunity will be in December when we join with Lorain County Community College to host the Two Tomorrows Community.  More opportunities will follow those for you to engage where you would like.  We really want to hear from you.  With your help we can be an extraordinary community in Lorain County.

We hope you will join us.  We are committed – as Margaret Mead noted so wisely –

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.