“At its very core, I believe our Community Foundation is a place of connection.”
When I think of our Community Foundation, I think of a big dinner table.
I think of a place where people gather to nourish and share. A place where they learn about each other and themselves. A place where manners matter, where how we talk to each other and how we listen to each other, are as important as what we say.
It’s an ever-expanding table where there’s a place for everyone in the community. It’s a place of laughter, compassion, and yes, sometimes deep frustration.
But at its very core, I believe our Community Foundation is a place of connection. Author and social researcher Brené Brown, famous for her work on vulnerability and courage, writes:
“Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”
We live in a time where connection is often about one electronic device speaking to another. But, I think we all desperately need places where we can really see each other. Where people from all experiences and backgrounds can discuss issues that matter to our community in a way that isn’t about one side prevailing or “winning,” but in a way that looks for understanding and a best way forward for our community as a whole.
We may not all agree as we come around the table, but by respectfully making room for different points of view and different approaches, we learn how to build the connection that we all seek. We saw this connection and community in action during our most recent Listening Tours, where we brought hundreds of people together in the county to ask what matters to them. We got some helpful insight from that exercise on community trends and the work we do. But even more, we got people thanking us for bringing them together. It felt good to be really connecting.
I don’t serve as a volunteer for the Community Foundation because I have a particular agenda for the community. I don’t have a specific problem I want solved or a solution I want to see adopted. I joined the Board of Trustees and now serve as Chair because I want to see this institution – this invaluable community table – thrive in the place where I live.
Does serving as a place of connection mean that the foundation will take on every idea? No, it doesn’t. In fact, as we head into our strategic planning process, we know that what we don’t do is as important as what we will do. Our resources are limited, and we want to ensure that the foundation’s impact is exponential, not scattered.
But it is my sincere hope that the foundation remains a place where a conversation can start, where a spark of an idea is born from discussion, where people can convene around an issue and take action in their own way to create a future that will benefit us all in Boulder County.
That’s the organization I want to thrive in our community, and I hope you do, too.
