The Richness of Community
January 26, 2012 Leave a comment
Wayne Squires-Partners In Neighborhood Transformation, a ministry of The Other Way
Story by Kurt Reppart, Director of Family Development at The Other Way
Some of our most satisfying work at The Other Way happens around food and tables. Throughout the year on Monday evenings, 8-10 families get together in the Family Center to share a meal. Each family brings a dish to pass, and we literally get to taste the variety of cultures represented. The experience is rich. The goal of these gatherings is to build a community of trust and support. We do this by listening to each other, sharing our stories, playing games, and reflecting on God’s Word together.
After the meal is finished, the children are dismissed for enrichment activities so that the adults can have some focused conversation. This fall these adult conversations centered on the topic of “passing on our values to our children”. We broke up into 3 groups, and the atmosphere was full of joy and discovery as our discussion narrowed to how to foster responsibility in our children. Represented in the room were a wide range of values, ideas, and practical wisdom. The variety of experiences was rich. Several important things happened as we shared: we learned from one another, our love for our children was affirmed, and we all left with new insights and new ideas to try. The conversation will continue, but this particular conversation provided solid ground to build upon; to build community and to build hope.
These are difficult days in our West side of Grand Rapids community. Housing values have cratered. Long-term neighborhood businesses are closing. Unemployment has soared, particularly for our community members of color. And so, it is particularly delightful when hard work and opportunity come together for those who care enough about their neighborhood to stay involved in the work of community development.
AMERICORPS’ FIRST COMMUNITY LEADER IS MR. MATT BATTEN. MATT HAS LIVED ON THE WEST SIDE OF GRAND RAPIDS SINCE 2009. HE ALSO WORKS AT THE FULTON PARTY STORE WHERE HE IS A VALUED EMPLOYEE. MATT WAS MY FIRST VOLUNTEER FOR THE VERY FIRST AMERICORPS PROJECT: THE WEST SIDE RAKE PROJECT, IN NOVEMBER OF 2010. THIS PROJECT WAS A RESULT OF SURVEYS BEING HANDED OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND RETURNED TO REFLECT WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTED, A CLEANER NEIGHBORHOOD. MATT ASSISTED IN RAKING SOME ELDERLY AND DISABLED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY’S YARDS WHILE CONNECTING WITH NEIGHBORS AND FAMILIES, WHO SHARED SOME OF THE SAME GOALS IN WORKING TOGETHER. MATT HAS ALSO VOLUNTEERED FOR THE WEST SIDE MOVING PROJECT, WHERE HE HELPED A GROUP OF THREE VOLUNTEERS, HELP A WOMEN, WHO WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT TO MOVE HER FAMILY’S BELONGINGS INTO STORAGE UNTIL HER NEW HOME WAS READY TO MOVE IN.
This past fall, we (Volunteers In Service – CFA West Michigan) were pleased to place an 
