Community Conversations on Reducing Poverty

VISIONS was successful in organizing four Community Conversations on Reducing Poverty, all full, with one so large it had to be split into 2 or 3 smaller groups. The weather was our biggest obstacle, setting us back in beginning 3 of the conversations until mid-February.

The winner of the "weather dodging" award goes to our Lancaster conversation. Facilitated by Torrence Harman with some help from Lorraine Justice of Bay Aging, they managed to start right away and got in 6 meetings and still finished before everyone else! Trinity Episcopal Church on Mary Ball Road in Lancaster hosted.

The largest group was our White Stone contingent. They had to break up into 3 groups to have their discussions. They met on Saturday evenings and shared a meal. This was a younger group who needed childcare for the 12 children of the participants. Lance Barton organized and oversaw this circle, which met at the White Stone Church of the Nazarene.

The Heathsville group, led by Jessica Jordan and Kathleen Watson, had some lively conversations from the sounds of things. This is the only circle we were able to organize in Northumberland County, so we hope to expand in this area in the future. Our thanks to Pastors Rioland of Macedonia Baptist Church for hosting this conversation.

The Kilmarnock circle met at the Lancaster Community Library on Wednesday nights. Dave Alberts and Marilyn Warren facilitated this conversation. I look forward to hearing about their thoughts and ideas, as this group experienced the most fluctuation in membership and attendance.

All of these groups will come together this Saturday, March 27th, at 10:30 a.m. for the Action Forum. We will be meeting at the Upper Lancaster Ruritan Center on Route 201 near Lively. The Action Forum will provide all of our Community Conversation groups a chance to share their experience and their ideas with the larger group as a whole. Lunch will be provided and participants will have an opportunity to complete an evaluation form with their thoughts and feedback on the dialogue-to-action process.

The Action Forum is open to the public. Please let me know if you plan to attend at 577-8421 or visions.lcl@gmail.com