Category Archives: Intentional Communities

Administrative leave for federal employees to vote was previously only granted on election day.

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has given federal employees the right to take leave to vote in federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial elections.

Agency workers may take up to four hours of administrative leave to vote. According to a release published by OPM, this time can be combined with other leave for employees wishing to work as non-partisan poll workers and election observers.

Until now, OPM has only granted administrative leave to federal workers to vote on election day, and poll work has had to be arranged through excused absences.

The move follows an executive order signed by president Joe Biden in March 2021 on promoting access to voting. OPM said Biden had directed it to create more flexible conditions for federal employees to vote, as well as to boost early voting.

New guidance released today recognises that voting has evolved beyond a single election day and reduces barriers to voting by directing agencies to provide time off for employees to vote at any time the polls are open, either on election day or during an early voting period, it said.

The functioning of our democracy and protecting the right to vote are core American ideals, said Kiran Ahuja, director of OPM.

Todays guidance advances fundamental goals of the Biden-Harris Administration: to promote democracy, reduce barriers to voting for federal employees, and further position the federal government as a model employer for other employers to follow.

Read more: Top teleworking tips: Performance management advice for hybrid-working US federal government

Bidens goal of turning the federal government into a model employer that prioritises employee engagement has spurred OPM to issue several guidance memos to agency heads in recent months. In one of these, OPM shared performance management advice for hybrid-working, in which it emphasised giving staff intentional breaks from work.

This came as part of what Robert Shriver, associate director of employee services at OPM, described as the agencys renewed focus on employee engagement, learning, development, health, and wellbeing.

In its statement, OPM acknowledged that the federal governments aspiration to become a model employer made granting employees voting leave a valuable opportunity. It also acknowledged that many employees in the private sector already enjoyed such benefits.

For democracies to shore up civic participation, OPM said, voting would need to be made easier for Americans who traditionally encounter obstacles to taking the necessary time off.

In a report by Government Executive (GovExec), Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federationof Government Employees (AFGE) said the move would not only directly help more Americans play a part in our democracy[but will] ensure no working American ever has to choose between a paycheck and their right to vote.

One of the most effective ways to strengthen our democracy is by ensuring more Americans have the opportunity to participate and make their voice heard, he added.

To counter the range of barriers to voting experienced by Americans, the White House also recently published a report by the Interagency Steering Group on Native American Voting Rights, created through the March 2021 order.

The report outlines the barriers native communities in America face to voting, such as language barriers, a lack of accessibility for voters with disabilities, cultural disrespect and outright hostility, geographically remote residences, and persistent poverty.

It added that such difficulties have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report included recommendations for congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Read more: Bidens management agenda prioritises federal employee engagement

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OPM grants US federal officials paid leave to vote in elections - Global Government Forum

So far, March 2022 has brought about a series of stomach-churning, rollercoaster-esque moments. Geopolitical happenings aside, locally it has felt as if were collectively moving slowly, as if not to make sudden moves that would bring on the wrath of 2022. To be honest, this has not been the easiest start to any decade.

That said, it is encouraging to see a two-year-old global pandemic finally trending in a better direction. My concern, of course, is in how we transition. The brunt of the last two years has disproportionately fallen on folks who have been historically excluded and marginalized from power to begin with. This really came to mind with the recent discord between Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association over changes in mask use prior to spring break, which may bring an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

In ideal conditions, this would make sense. However, it does seem that to return to a pre-pandemic reality, there is little emphasis on intentionally addressing structural impediments to meeting the material needs of folks who struggled before the pandemic started. In truth, folks may fare worse after the pandemic if this central question continues to go unaddressed.

In sticking with the educational theme, I was reminded of a policy brief that was recently published out of University of Washington (UW) in mid-March. The short research summary, part of the UW Latino Center for Healths COVID-19 Policy Brief Series, presented results from the Understanding Washington Latinos Experiences Around COVID-19 survey, which surveyed Latinos from throughout the state. Initial findings note that for families with new childcare and teaching responsibilities, 77 percent reported reduced income, 52 percent reported reduced hours and 83 percent reported not being able to work from home. Likewise, although an estimated 86 percent of respondents reported having internet, only 44 percent reported having access to high-speed internet and only 58 percent reported owning a computer or tablet. The majority an estimated 76 percent accessed internet via cellphones.

In sum, the report illustrates challenges with having equitable access to educational resources, on top of also having to make do with fewer monetary resources. As such, the effect of the pandemic will have an impact that will reverberate long after COVID-19 restrictions lapse. This is notable given that 1 in 5 children in Washington state are of Latinx ancestry. It is safe to assume that this dynamic will also impact other communities that encounter similar economic and technological challenges.

We must be intentional about collectively addressing this byproduct of the pandemic. This also goes beyond the educational arena. Housing and food insecurity will also have a deleterious impact on our communities. Lets ensure that all are provided immediate material relief.

Oscar Rosales grew up in the Yakima Valley and works and resides in Seattle.

Read more of the Mar. 23-29, 2022 issue.

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Opportunity gaps and pandemic recovery | Mar. 23-29, 2022 - Real Change News

A Fort Collins report released a year ago confirmed what many people already knew: People of different ethnicitiesdont experience life in this city the same way.

As a non-white person in Fort Collins, youre more likely to live in poverty, to be cost-burdened for housingand to be arrested or subjected to police force. Youre less likely to go to college, own a home, have internet access and air conditioning, or trust your local government.

The disparities are clear in the citys Equity Indicators Report, a collaboration between city staff and the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance. The report examined 114 aspects of life in Fort Collins, stratified mostly by race and ethnicity, and found disparities in almost all of them. White residents fared about the same as or better than the general population in every outcome, from income to academic achievement. The researchers also found disparities by gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and disability status.

More: Cultural center opens to help Black students in Fort Collins build confidence, learn history

Some selected findings from the report:

The reports findings were no surprise to the grassroots leaders who are steeped in this work.

Weve pulled the veil back, and we're seeing exactly what we expected to see behind it, said Jamal Skinner, founder and executive director of the Cultural Enrichment Center. The center provides Black children sort of a GPSfor how to navigate existing in a town like this and helps them build self-confidence and self-advocacy, he said.

Skinner and other community leaders interviewed for this story are more interested in what the citys going to do next. The Equity Indicators Project is the first public-facing endeavor of Fort Collins new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, created by City Council in the shadow of George Floyds murder and nationwide unrest over racial injustice. Differing views on the next steps for the project and the DEI Offices work as a whole display the tension between the urgency of racial inequity and the methodical approach of local government.

The Coloradoan spoke extensively with city staff, council members and local advocates to understand where the city hasmade progress with equity and where there's room for growth. The next section of this story describes the city's historic approach to equity work and advocates' perspectives on that history.The final sectiondetails advocates' suggestions for continued work.

The story continues after the graph.

DEI Officer Claudia Menndez and her team are working to condense the 175-page Equity Indicators Report into an online dashboard that shows disparities in the city and tracks how they change over time, creating a tool to gauge if equity-focused reform is working. A first draft of that dashboard is online now.

The next step is a root-cause analysis assessing what's driving the disparities, so the city can see where local policy could have the biggest impact. Council hasnt yet funded this work, but it could be part of the 2023-24 budget.

Menndez said she sees the Equity Indicators Project as a spotlight on inequities and the dashboard as the door to transparency and accountability as the city works to change them.

The next steps for the project come as the DEI Office marks its seven-month anniversary. Menndez spent much of those first months ascending the learning curve, getting to know the complexities of the citys myriad departments and having in-depth conversations with staff about how equity intersects with their service to the community.

Now shes moving to more public-facing work.On April 28, the city will hold an equity-focused community forum on criminal justice, housing and economic opportunity the three outcome areas posted so far on the Equity Indicators dashboard. For the upcoming 2023-24 budget, Menndez and other staff developed three equity-related questions for each departments budget requests.

The questions are related to how the department can use the budget cycle to diversify public engagement and participation in city programs, with a focus on data-informed methods. The questions specifically reference communities of color andunderrepresented social identities.Each department will need to address at least one of themin their funding requests.

The goal is to infuse the citys existing processes with an equity mindset rather than looking at equity as an additional task, said Menndez and interim City Manager Kelly DiMartino.The latter said shes seen the city take an increasing focus on equity during her nearly 25 years with the organization, particularly in departments where employees have shown passion for the work.

The challenge has been organizing disparate projects into an intentional and consistent citywide strategy, DiMartino said. Until Menndez joined the organization, the city had been without a dedicated point-person on equity since the now-defunct human rights officer position was cut in the 2000s.

There's a lot of interest in this, but how do we get more strategic, and how do we focus the work a little bit more? DiMartino said. I think that we are still on that journey."

More: Claudia Menndez picked for city of Fort Collins' new DEI job

Several local advocates said they want to see changes in the city's approach to equity work. Theyre urging the city to avoid "analysis paralysis" and focus on concrete actions to make Fort Collins a more equitable placewhere a persons race, ethnicity and other identities dont shape their experiences.

Its good theres data, said Cori Wong, an equity advocate who gives talks, leads workshops and offers coaching on DEI issues through her consulting company, Positive Philosophy Consulting. But if we get too focused on always looking for more data instead of really assessing these inequitable conditions and realities we should already be aware of, then its like were looking at the finger rather than looking at the moon its pointing to.

Wong is referencing a proverb commonly attributed to Confucius.When a wise man points at the moon, the imbecile examines the finger.

Wongs point relates to another theme in community criticism of Fort Collins history of equity work: That city leaders have focused more on data and public engagement than meaningful action, perpetuating a cycle of seeking insight from people of color, putting the findings in a report or dashboard, and letting the effort gather dust as other priorities take center stage.

This is the MO of the city of Fort Collins, said Johanna Ulloa Girn,co-founder of The BIPOC Alliance whos been attuned to local government for about 12 years. They create dashboards about everything, and then they do a lot of community engagements which, if you talk with a lot of people who are from marginalized communities, they continue to have conversations with the same agencies, the same community members, and nothing happens. This has happened year after year after year after year after year.

Betty Aragon-Mitotes, a longtime advocate for the Latino community, said the issue has gotten to the point where a lot of her friends have stopped attending city events.

Theyve said, Im tired of going to meetings, Aragon-Mitotes said. It seems like all we do is talk, and they say theyre listening, and then nothing happens. If were really being asked to come to the table and I fought to be at the table then I want my voice to be heard.

City leaders and staff acknowledged the criticism, but said equity is a bigger part of their internal conversations, plans and budget requests than people might think.

That might be a perceived cycle, because I have seen the city move and act, Mayor Jeni Arndt said. Still, she added, "people are right to be concerned that action should follow the words and the data.

Much of the city's equity work goes on behind the scenes, staff said. They added it will take time to see the influence of public engagement and institutional changes spread out into the community.

Often, even when there's community engagement done and feedback given for a particular project, the actual project will not be seen for several years, Menndez said. And although internally we may recognize that timeline, the timeline isn't always made public."

Menndez said she wants to reshape the citys public engagement soit feels more like a reciprocal conversation. The city has shifted the timing and format of many public forums to accommodate more people, but engagement events can still feel one-sided.

It needs to be a two-way street, she said. The community is informing us of their needs, but theyre also leaving informed and understanding some of our processes and what were doing to advance equity for all.

The citys equity work has taken many forms over the last several years.

Since 2015, the city has incorporated first diversity and then equity into its strategic plan, which influences the city's budget and policies. Fort Collins City Council adopted a priority for 2018-21 to promote equity and inclusion. The priority didnt return for 2021-23.

Over the last two years, council has worked on several equity-focused projects, including:

Some other highlights of the citys equity progress include a focus on housing equity in its Housing Strategic Plan, the addition of Spanish interpretation at some council meetings and city events, a Historic Preservation project delving into the citys history of intersectional civil rights movements, and the creation of employee resource groups to support city employees of color and those who arepart of the LGBTQ+ community.

More: It takes an army of community groups to get vaccines to Larimer County's nonwhite communities

Council member Susan Gutowsky, who is Hispanic,said she understands the community concern that the city has been more talk than action in terms of equity work. Gutowskysaid thats one of the reasons she and two other council members on the ad hoc Community Impact Committee proposed the new DEI Office in 2021. Council formed the committeein response to calls to examine police funding, but ultimately, the members didnt recommend any major changes to police funding or practices.

It was really bumpy and really difficult, Gutowsky said, describing the initial meetings as a lot of hand-wringing about what to do.

We came to the conclusion that we support our police; we're not going to defund them, she said. But how else can we help the community? And then we came up with the (DEI Office), because we felt that would be our vehicle for getting stuff done.

Skinner sees a focus on board creation, dialogues and data collectionas signs that an organization doesnt know how to go about addressing inequity. The shock of seeing cellphone footage of police murdering a man in 2020 seemed to drive a wave of momentum for racial justice, Skinner said, but hes felt that momentum wane over time.

It sort of has deflated into roundtable discussions about the same things that people arent admitting were talked about 14 years prior to George Floyd, he said. For those of us whove been doing the work, it feels like GroundhogDay. Were at a point, probably for the last eight months, of saying, Well, weve had this conversation for well over a year. What are we doing to move forward?

The coming months could be pivotal for Fort Collins newborn DEI Office. Progress depends not only on building trust between the city government and communities of color but also on the political and moral will, as Wong put it, of those who wield decision-making power to acknowledge inequities and allocate attention and resources accordingly.

It also depends on a strategy thats both unified and tailored to the city'svarious departments. Nina Rubin, a leader of Fort Collins' Jewish community, said she's observed that challenge as an executive committee member ofOur Commitment to Self and Society. The group's purpose is to encourage and celebrate businesses and organizations making meaningful progress with equity. The city is one its three main partners.

There is no question that city leadership is supportive of moving forward with DEI, Rubin said. But it is a most unusual conglomerate of departments, and there isnt going to be a one-size-fits-all solution for moving all of that forward. So I commend their commitment to doing this, and I also understand that their commitment will be a challenging one.

Aragon-Mitotes has a lot of reasons to feel discouraged about equity in Fort Collins and one big reason to feel optimistic.

She feels discouraged because she said Fort Collins has taken 10 steps back in terms of racism in the last seven years, since she and filmmaker Shari Due released the documentary Fort Collins, The Choice City ... for Whom?Former President Donald Trumpseemed to beckon in a tide of blatant discrimination, she said, and many of Fort Collins Latino residents are struggling with deteriorating mental health and the threat of evictionbecause of fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gentrification in the Tres Colonias neighborhoods, a key source of inspiration for the film, has worsened, Aragon-Mitotes said. She said there are few Latino homeowners left in the historically Latino north Fort Collins neighborhoods.

Aragon-Mitotes said shes watched as the Buckingham, Andersonville and Alta Vista neighborhoods have shifted in the public consciousness from across the tracks to an "up-and-coming area.

Aragon-Mitotes said shes watched as an influx of government attention accompanied the influx of white residents. Lincoln Avenue was renovated. The dirt field where Latino kids used to play baseball became a manicured field for soccer games. The Vine Drive and Lemay Avenue railroad overpass came to fruition after years of resident complaints about traffic backups.

Its hard to swallow, because its like, why didnt they do that for us? she said. We had dirt streets. Plumbing didnt come in until the '70s. Its like we got left behind.

Still, Aragon-Mitotes said she feels over the moon about Menndez and her new office.

I think its really important that Claudia is in this position, but I really hope that they give her the leeway to do her job and find out how to move forward and fix those disparities, Aragon-Mitotes said.

The Coloradoan asked Aragon-Mitotes and several other sources about their ideas for specific actions the city could take to make Fort Collins more equitable. Everyone had different ideas, but several themes emerged.

The city should look inward and hold itself accountable.

Ulloa Girn, Wong and others suggested that city leaders focus on the place where city policies can have the most significant impacts: Within the organization itself.

As a community member and a person of color who lives in Fort Collins, the No. 1 thing that I want to know is what the city of Fort Collins is doing themselves to attain equity, Ulloa Girn said.

She said she wishes the Equity Indicators Report had measured things like whether people of color feel welcome in city buildings, how many staffers speak languages other than English, what kind of diversity or implicit bias trainings the city is providing to staff, how much money the city has spent settling lawsuits alleging police discrimination, and the level of city funding for equity initiatives. Instead, she said it mostly consisted of things she couldve Googled.

I already know the system is racist, Ulloa Girn said. What I want to know is, what are they doing to change the system? That will indicate to me that they actually are doing something different instead of just keeping track of these outcomes.

Wong agreed, adding that the city should focus on its sphere of influence.

We have a better chance of making change if we all recognize where we have the opportunities to intervene and make more equitable changes, she said.

Aragon-Mitotes said its imperative that the city work to increase diversity on its staff and city council.Council currently has six white members and one Latino member, Gutowsky. Ray Martinez, a previous council member and former mayor, is also Latino. Otherwise, the city has had very few people of color on City Council.

We cannot have people that dont understand our reality making policy decisions that affect us, Aragon-Mitotessaid. They look at life through a different lens because of their environment, their income, their background. They dont know the struggles of so many people of color.

The lack of diversity sets the city up for the carousel ride of continually seeking policy input from people of color, Wong said.

It needs to be acknowledged that people in these positions of privilege and power often do not know enough about the actual concrete challenges and what it takes to navigate them, she said. So we need to completely rework our whole system of leadership in that sense, and not in a way that just tries to take from people with lived experience who navigate systems of inequity, or from community leaders who have greater perspective, when it doesn't benefit them at all.

One potential way to diversify council, in terms of ethnicity as well as income, would be to pay council members a living wage for their work. Council members earn $853 permonth, and the mayor earns $1,280. Because of the low pay, most council members are retired or have some other form of financial support. Just two of councils seven membershave full-time jobs in addition to being on council, and both have been upfront about the challenges of balancing work with their council duties. Since people of color on average have significantly lower income than white residents of Fort Collins, the income barrier effectively reduces the likelihood of non-white people running for council.

Council could act on the pay issue by referring it to voters. A 2019 ballot measure that wouldve increased council pay lost with 41% of the vote.

Diversity on council is important, but so is diversity on staff, said Eric Ishiwata, an associate professor of ethnic studies at Colorado State University. He suggested the city focus on professional development for people of color to increase diversity at all levels, including middle and upper-level management.

When underserved or historically marginalized residents start to see people who look like them in positions of leadership, then all of the sudden, those offices or agencies seem to be more welcoming, Ishiwata said.

The city introduced an employee resource group in 2019 to retain employees of color by giving them a safe space to connect with each other. Staff have also created a talent recruitment guide with an equity lens, expanded recruitment outreach, experimented with blind hiring where all identity information is redacted from applications, and added language to job postings acknowledging that research shows women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs if they dont meet every aspect of the job description. The addition notes that the city is interested in finding the best candidate, even if they come from a different background.

Another area where the city lacks diversity is on the boards and commissions that influence council decisions. As of 2017, about 94% of the volunteers were white, compared to a population that is 80% white, and 69% earned more than $75,000 a year, compared to a population where 39% of people meet that income threshold.

Council prioritized reimagining boards and commissions for 2019-21. Term lengths and meeting format are now more flexible, but council members said boards have yet to become significantly more diverse.

More: Fort Collins leaders look to diversify city boards

The city should focus on action rather than words.

Some advocates interviewed for this story said the citys equity work can sometimes seem performative. An example is the citys planned land acknowledgment statement, which got funding in the 2022 budget, and the proposed Indigenous Peoples Day resolution.

Those are such empty words, said Christinia Eala, a Lakota activist and co-founder of Tiyospaye Winyan Maka, an organization promoting alternative housing, education, energy and food sovereignty for Indigenous families. Tell me, how many treaties have been honored? We were massacred and wiped out and pushed off our homeland, our rights for hunting were taken away, and we were corralled into concentration camps. … In a city that was built on the blood of the Arapaho, the Shoshone, the Lakota, the Apache and the Ute people, thats empty.

Eala, who emphasized she was only speaking for herself, said a more meaningful way to build trust between the city and the Indigenous community would be to give land back and not interfere with any Indigenous peoples activities on the former Hughes Stadium site. City workers removed a ceremonial sweat lodge from the land last fall because they didnt realize the cultural significance of the structure. Indigenous community members are planning another event at the site this summer.

Giving land back could be in the cards for Fort Collins. The city plans to hire a facilitator to carry out an extensive public engagement process related to the future of the Hughes land, which is now zoned as open lands after a successful citizen initiative. Returning some or all the land to the Indigenous community is among the options for the land.

Ishiwata also suggested that the city take action by creating community initiatives and events designed to bring together people of different cultural backgrounds. The city is culturally and ethnically siloed, he said, evidenced by the fact that an estimated 38% of the Latino population lives in mobile home parks. The Equity Indicators Report also found that most of the citys census tracts werent representative of the communitys diversity.

There are certain risks that come with having a stratified community where poor folks of color are exclusively in this one network, and that network has very few intersections with other resident groups, he said. The way to try to mitigate those risks is to intentionally work to build bridges across those boundaries.

Those kinds of cultural events and outreach are on Menndezs mind. She agreed that the city needs to get the word out about resources like Spanish interpretation, and she said the city ismakingheadway on cultural events and collaborations. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day march, hosted by CSU with supportfrom the city, took a different route this year to pass by homes once owned by historic Black families. She said those kinds of events are important for the visibility ofFort Collins communities of color, who make up about 21% of the population.

It might depend on where youre going or whether you choose to see it or not, but Fort Collins is a more colorful place than sometimes we think, she said. So how do we highlight that and bring those efforts together?

'Not a day off': Hundreds gather in Fort Collins to honor legacy of MLK, Little Rock Nine

The story continues after the graph.

The city should demystify the budget process and seek out feedback in a way that feels less like checking a box.

Several of those interviewed lamented the highly technical nature of the city budget and esoteric city processes that raise barriers to involvement in local government. After all, they said, its hard to advocate for change if you dont know how local government works or you lack the time or know-how to dissect hundreds of pages of budget documents.

The BIPOC Alliance assigned a 12-person team to comb over the 2021 budget, Ulloa Girn said, but it was still difficult to make sense of how much money the city was spending on equity initiatives. Their feedback about the budgets contents at public hearings didnt result in any significant changes to funding.

The criticism prompted changes to the 2022 budget process. Staff released a budget in brief summary in both Spanish and English going over the higher-level points of the budget and the citys process. But boiling down a 9-or-10-figure budget into a more digestible format that allows residents to compare the citys stated goals to its actual spending? That remains an unsolved problem.

A related issue is the lack of public engagement around the budgeting process. The city hosts several events and public hearings for each budget, but theyre often sparsely attended.

Poor attendance at the budget engagement events left Francis, the mayor pro-tem, feeling unsettled. Shes wondered if Fort Collins needs to invest in more education about participation in local government and more alluring engagement events. The city could follow in the footsteps ofDenver-based Warm Cookies of the Revolution, which uses things like bingo, obstacle courses and dance parties to get laypeople civically engaged.

Ulloa Girn said the city needs to stop talking about how to bring more people to the table and just leave the table altogether.

Put people on the streets; hire people to go home to home and distribute information; go to meetings at (local organizations) go everywhere, she said.

And when you get feedback, she added, you need to either take it or really explain why you arent taking it.

Advocates also said the city is missing part of the picture on things like Spanish interpretation. Providing interpretation is a good start, Ishiwata said, but the city also needs to make sure Spanish-speakers feel welcomed at those events and that their input makes a mark in the decision-making process.

If we really are going to recognize that our economy and our health and the wellbeing of the entire community depends upon all of our residents being heard and included, Ishiwata said, then there needs to be not just a space but also a political voice and decision-making power for all residents as well.

More: CSU has been working on inclusion for decades.Mary Ontiveros built her legacy around it.

The city should invest resources into parts of the community that have been underserved.

Wong came back to this point often: The best way to address inequity is to make it easier for people to get what they need.

If we have resources we can reallocate, redistribute and reinvest, then invest in the leadership among the people who have firsthand experience of the issues and make it easier for them to do and get what they need, to apply their knowledge and their expertise, she said.

Originally posted here:

A Fort Collins report 'pulled the veil back' on the community's inequities. Now what? - Coloradoan

DEKALB COUNTY, GA Nonprofit organizations in DeKalb County can apply for grant assistance of up to $5,000, according to a news release.

The Forever Pink Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization in DeKalb County, is requesting letters of interest from local nonprofit organizations to be considered for grants assistance this year. Letters of interest will be accepted until midnight April 15.

The Foundation aims to support organizations that work to support and uplift underserved communities in DeKalb County and Metro Atlanta, according to the release. Grant requests that focus on education, family, economics, health, social and environmental issues are of special interest. The maximum grant award per project is $5,000.

"Partnerships are essential to making the good deeds of nonprofits possible," said Shemia F. Washington, Esq., president of the Foundation in the release. "We must be intentional in our support of organizations whose missions are aligned with ours, and collaboration is the key to ensure impact in our communities."

Nonprofits interested in learning more about Foundation and applying for 2022 grants can learn more online visit and then email their letter of inquiry to fpfgrants@gmail.com.

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The Forever Pink Foundation Offering Grant Assistance Up To $5K - Patch

Between the rise of the creator economy and the utopian (if fragile) promise of decentralization hailed in by web3, fandom is on the brink of a new era. This South by Southwest panel, presented by Plus Company, drills deep into this evolving relationship.

FEATURING:-Yves Bhar, founder, fuseproject, a Plus Company; world renowned designer and author of Designing Ideas-Dani Calogera, VP of brand and digital marketing, Showtime-Shawn Francis, head of creative, We Are Social US, a Plus Company-Brett Marchand, CEO, Plus Company-Lore Oxford, global head of cultural insights, We Are Social, a Plus Company

-Moderator: Steve Madden, GM, Haymarket Media Business Media Group

A product truly only has ultimate meaning if others [fans] talk about how good it is, observes Brett Marchand, CEO of Plus Company, at the outset of this special SXSW gathering, entitled The New Fandom Economy.

Everyone's launching products these days, he continues, so how do you differentiate them in an incredibly complex world where there are so many choices?

Marchands words take on extra resonance inasmuch as the organization he leads has just undergone a rebranding in which a main goal is to achieve the differentiation of which he speaks.

Enter world renowned designer Yves Bhar. The design and integration firm he founded, fuseproject, spearheaded efforts to create a new identity and name for Marchands organization a holding company created to be a new model of intra-agency teamwork that would resonate with key audiences.

The notion of plus means that every member of the team, every agency, every acquisition we make is additive, explains Bhar. Its another discipline, another perspective, another level of diversity and thinking that contributes to make the work better.

For him, the rebrand was a manifestation of intent, the lens through which he views all design. I see design not as something aesthetic or functional, but as something intentional, he shares. Its what you want to accomplish, how you want to show up in the world.

Calling out that point of difference gives Plus Company its meaning.

You know the saying Advertising is the price you pay for being unoriginal? When a product doesn't have meaning in people's lives, people are not advertising it on their own. Today everybody's a fan and thats the best PR, offers Bhar.

Harnessing the power of a fan base is a critical component of any marketers strategy. As the panel commenced, the first area of focus was the manner in which the explosion and evolution of digital platforms and intense channel segmentation have affected what it means to be a fan.

Fandom is freedom, explains Shawn Francis, head of creative at We Are Social US. A brand used to drive the journey. Now fans can be a passenger on that journey or start driving the car themselves. Instead of just buying a teams cap, a fan can start making merch that plays on something that happened during a game. The incident goes viral and one fan decides to monetize the moment. Suddenly theyve got a business.

Francis cites Arsenals LGBTQ fan base as an example of how a niche community can create a new conversation.

They've created this entire community within a community, Gay Gooners," he notes. "There are 1,000 different places you can talk about Arsenal online or offline. Fans can get together and communicate and collaborate in a way they couldnt before and create a world that coexists within the larger scene of what they are into. That applies to music, sports or any brand.

New media has enabled creativity to become open source for fans. In the music space, for example, social media enables fans to stay in contact with a band in new ways.

Bands are putting out individual tracks, called stems [basslines, vocals or drums] of a song and giving them to fans, continues Francis. Then fans take those pieces and power up GarageBand to make their own version of the song. So fans can now contribute and become a part of the story of whatever they are into.

Wattpad, the online social reading platform that launched Fifty Shades of Grey fanfiction, is an example of allowing fans to piggyback on franchises to create their own original content.

So much Twilight fan fiction lives on Wattpad, reports Lore Oxford, global head of cultural insights at We Are Social. Fandom isn't just people loving fan fiction. It's generating original content and having an impact on the wider culture.

It's to our benefit that fans want to imagine different scenarios, adds Dani Calogera, Showtimes VP of brand and digital marketing. She believes the pandemic intensified consumers desire to take a deep dive into their passions.

We've had this return to fewer, bigger, better, deeper relationships and experiences, she says. People are investing in communities where they can go deeper into their interests.

Calogera cites Discord as a platform where consumers are having hyper-specific conversations with people that share their passion.

Even mass platforms such as Twitter Spaces have become more intimate, she explains. It's been interesting to see that convergence of online and offline behavior where we're interested in more intimate connections and how that's manifested in the places and the ways that fans are engaging.

A We Are Social study conducted at the beginning of the pandemic indicated a shift in the way influencers were engaging with followers.

A lot of them were struggling because they were dealing with requests for intimacy, notes Oxford. Fan communities in the pandemic were an incredible source of connection and community. Platforms such as Cameo that deliver that intimacy and individualization might just be the next era of fandom, she suggests.

In turn, brands are finding new ways to connect more intimately with fans. Citing the success of the Community platform for fans of the hit show Shameless, Calogera highlights a Gallagher family group chat that, complete with Chicago area code, Showtime launched for the franchise.

Every family has a dysfunctional group chat, so we invited fans into this intimate experience where they feel like they're texting with this family that they love, she notes. Fans feel like they have a seat at the table to something really special based on their passion around this IP.

The pandemic changed fandom for creators, as well.

We're starting to see a shift towards more direct access, reports Oxford. OnlyFans has around 30 million users. A big part of that is about the maturing of the digital landscape. We've realized that [content] is worth paying for.

As the internet evolves, so does the relationship between fans and creators.

When fandom gets so intense, people take it to that next level and become a creator, observes Francis. With so many ways for people to become creative, the challenge is for brands to find ways to give those people a stake in creative decision-making.

Renumerating people who are contributing to culture is where fandom is going, suggests Oxford. Fans are willing to pay the people they love to make sure those people can keep producing. The next phase is going to be fans wanting to be stakeholders and have equity in the things that they love.

Similarly, Francis sees more brands deputizing the evangelists, giving them the tools to keep doing what they do. He cautions brands, though, to take a light touch with fans.

You want to make it easier for them to keep talking about your products, he advises. Give them a little help, but don't interfere if they're doing a great job.

Francis describes how his firm is harnessing fans to help a client, Major League Soccer, cross over into pop culture.

We started doing interesting things with creators that have a genuine interest in a team or in the sport, he says. Were throwing them the keys and urging them to create something that would make them stand up and pay attention to this league.

In this evolving age, maintaining brand integrity in the face of intense interactivity with your fans can be a delicate balancing act. The panelists offer the example of The New York Times removing its brand from a food community the publication launched on Facebook after political discussions on it could not be moderated effectively.

The great thing about social media is that anybody can have a voice. The bad thing about social media is that anybody can have a voice, says Francis. We're not always going to hit everything out of the park. It's not always good. But if its genuine, people tend to be supportive.

At the core, people want to find community and express themselves, concludes Oxford. Fans will continue to be fans. They'll just find new places and ways to express themselves as the world around us evolves.

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The new fandom economy - PR Week

ST. PETERSBURG The results from Mayor Ken Welchs December community conversations are in.

Before he took office, the mayor held three public forums two in person and one virtual to solicit feedback for his incoming administration. The city released the findings on Friday in a 132-page online report.

Now the administration is asking residents to further narrow down their areas of concern in an online survey. Residents can rank issues under five focal points highlighted by the Welch administration. Housing opportunities for all received the most mentions, followed by education and youth opportunities; equitable development and business opportunities; neighborhood health and safety; and environment, infrastructure and resilience.

Welch said in a statement that the community conversations series is one way his administration will stay in touch with residents.

I was inspired by the feedback we received from participants, he said. My administration will consider all of the issues raised and suggestions offered as we move forward with policymaking that emphasizes informed decision-making, intentional equity and innovation to identify solutions that benefit all.

There were 2,707 responses from the December forums, which identified 1,122 barriers to progress in the five areas of concern, 1,045 suggested solutions and 540 responses that highlighted current solutions.

In the housing category, residents identified problems such as poverty, accessibility, financial literacy, mental health, homelessness, public safety, systemic racism, lack of education and wages.

According to a summary, residents also expressed strong concern about the impact of out-of-state investors and developers building high-end housing. They also worry that the City Council is approving too many luxury developments.

Residents suggested that they want to see zoning and permitting issues addressed, property tax caps established for residents in low-income areas, and a reparations land trust for Black communities. They took issue with the cumbersome bidding process for city contracts.

Many residents expressed concern that not enough banks in South St. Pete would lend to residents, city officials said in an email. Residents also favor banning plastic straws and increasing the use of solar energy, citing concerns over rising sea levels and climate change.

Welchs New Orleans-based transition consultant, Michelle Thomas, emailed the finished report to Deputy Mayor Stephanie Owens on Feb. 2. Thomas was paid $15,000 in December for her services through Welchs political action committee, Pelican PAC.

The Welch administration also worked with students from the Harvard Kennedy School to study affordable housing for the mayors transition team

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Results are in from Mayor Ken Welchs community conversations - Tampa Bay Times

Exercising, getting your nails done and eating comfort foods are quick and common self-care habits that can temporarily relieve stress. However, these habits alone may not be sustainable or accessible for everyone who wants to manage their stress in the long term.

Portia A. Jackson Preston, assistant professor of public health at Cal State Fullerton, studies stress management and wellness practices for diverse populations. She has published research on practices that promote well-being for Black women and for public health workers. She has also presented two TEDx talks discussing topics like self-care, gardening and resilience.

Self-care should also involve nurturing work that goes beyond the surface layer. A lasting self-care and wellness plan that can effectively manage stress should honor personal experiences and individual backgrounds, Jackson Preston says.

Its really about teaching people systems that are tailored to their journey, and that embrace their culture rather than shame it, Jackson Preston explained.

Jackson Preston created a wellness journey framework that offers starting points for putting together a personalized wellness plan. She recently discussed what sustainable self-care can look like, especially for people from historically underrepresented groups.

In Jackson Prestons research, study participants said looking inward, exploration and reconnection were some of the most helpful facets of their self-care journeys. Jackson Preston says its important to take time and learn what holistic activities your body and mind responds to.

It doesnt have to look like youre doing it perfectly, Jackson Preston says. As someone with an illness, Im aware of my limitations. My physical wellness looks different from other peoples.

When getting started, small but effective actions can include shutting off or silencing your phone for two minutes, drinking one cup of water, and noticing the color of the sky.

Tiny steps, tiny steps, Jackson Preston said. Im not about trying to introduce rituals that take you out of your life. Its an intentional journey. I want people to know that its not only important, but also necessary to show up as your messy, uncurated self.

Jackson Preston says practicing wellness doesnt require being wealthy, having lots of extra time, or learning unfamiliar new age rituals. Everyones path to wellness should look and feel unique, Jackson Preston says.

Maybe I have these cultural foods that really mean a lot to me because they remind me of family connectedness, but the frequency with which Im eating them, the amount in which Im eating them, or the habits that we have are really not serving my highest good, Jackson Preston says.

Jackson Preston encourages creating a wellness plan that incorporates meaningful traditions. Its about prioritizing and valuing what matters most to the individual.

For example, my mother and I would love to talk everyday, but I also have so much to do. Jackson Preston said. Ive told her Call anytime you want. I will answer the phone if I can. But, I will try to make sure at least once per week, we have a conversation where she can talk about whatever she wants for as long as she wants, and I will not interrupt her. That has been sustainable.

Jackson Preston said many people, such as first-generation students, are vulnerable to stress while pursuing an education or career because they see it as a pathway to transform their entire familys lives.

Its a really significant investment of their time and energy, Jackson Preston said.

Jackson Preston said she promotes self-care as community care, noting that individuals versed in self-care can eventually help others care for themselves and find resources. As a person living with a chronic illness, her goal is to teach others how important it is to protect their health and well-being.

I think I am a much more gracious professor now than when I was accessible all the time, Jackson Preston said. Now that my students know that theyre going to get 24-hour responses during the week and 48-hour ones on the weekends, I show up better. Im far more understanding of the things that theyre dealing with during this pandemic.

My boundaries have taught my students that its okay for them to have boundaries, she said.

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'Tiny Steps' are the Key to Self-Care for Diverse Communities | CSUF News - CSUF News

As Starbucks looks to expand its store portfolio, its turning to data.

Using a calculator that measures the self-defined very basic ingredients of human well-being, it plans to open more stores in communities that it thinks would benefit most from the jobs, community spaces and coffee.

Ahead of its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, Starbucks says its looking to expand its commitment to inclusivity both with accessible store designs and new locations in communities positioned to benefit from a new coffee joint. It announced Monday it will open or rebrand 1,000 community stores globally by 2030, expanding its community footprint by hundreds.

Starbucks launched its community store initiative in 2015, targeting neighborhoods in 15 U.S. cities to open stores in diverse, underrepresented neighborhoods and work with local leaders to create new opportunities for economic development and community engagement. It now has 150 community stores, including two in Seattle at White Center and Northgate at the Kraken Community Iceplex.

We make an intentional commitment to local hiring, to working with local artists and being very intentional about creating physical gathering spaces for the community as well, said Katie Young, senior vice president of global growth and development. Thats a place where the community should see themselves reflected, because they are part of that store and theyve helped us create it.

Starbucks has partnered with Measure of America, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that researches and analyzes human-development data, to use the Human Development Index, a way to calculate well-being that goes beyond money metrics.

To decide where to open each new location, Starbucks has turned to a calculator that measures the very basic ingredients of human well-being: health, education and income.

Young said Starbucks cant break down its decision process into just one equation or algorithm because its more of a balance that looks at multiple factors across the community. Starbucks is not just looking for average income, she said. Its actually looking at the area, that specific area, and saying will this benefit from job creation?

Young did not disclose what locations Starbucks is considering.

Starbucks also committed Monday to update its stores physical and digital experience by 2030 to be more accessible.

To start, its creating new inclusive design standards by mapping the coffee experience.

Young says the company is breaking it down into steps open the door, walk to the barista, place your order, grab your drink, etc. and finding all those possible places when somebody got left behind.

What we realize is that by looking so systematically at these points of exclusion, and thinking about how we can open up a welcoming space, weve made it better for everyone, including our partners, Young said.

Starbucks has opened 11 signing stores for the deaf and hard of hearing community to connect through sign language. It offers a free service to connect people who are blind or have low-vision with a visual interpreter to provide access to visual information about the customers surroundings through a smartphone app.

It plans to test new speech-to-text technology that will allow store employees and customers to see a conversation in real-time, as well as an order status board that will help customers see where their order is and confirm when its ready.

Young declined to disclose how much Starbucks was investing in its accessibility framework and new community stores.

While Starbucks looks to expand its store portfolio, workers are increasingly considering unionization to gain more control in store policies around staffing, shift scheduling and safety protocols. Six of the 9,000 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize and many more have started union campaigns.

Asked if the latest announcements are in response to workers demands for changing working conditions, Young said the company remains deeply committed to listening and hearing our partners and communities.Starbucks announced its new inclusivity initiatives days before its annual shareholder meeting.

In a proposal slated for Wednesdays meeting, shareholders are requesting the board of directors oversee an annual public report describing the effectiveness and outcomes of company efforts to prevent harassment and discrimination against employees.

It asks the report to include the number and dollar amount of disputes settled by the company, the average length of time it takes to resolve harassment complaints, the number of complaints that are pending and whether the company includes nondisclosure clauses in employment agreements.

The board of directors is recommending shareholders vote against the proposal because the company already has a continuing commitment to create and maintain a respectful workplace, according to Starbucks filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Such reporting would also divert resources from focusing on our continuous efforts to improve our partners experiences and deliver on our partner promise, the filing read.

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Starbucks pledges to make its stores more inclusive by 2030 - The Spokesman Review

It has been two years since the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic first affected Arkansas Tech University.

On March 18, 2020, ATU in Russellville and Ozark began virtual classes and operations as a mitigation strategy against the health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes and operations continued in a remote environment for the balance of the spring 2020 semester. Some in-person classes and operations resumed during summer 2020, but the majority of ATUs academic offerings remained in an online or hybrid environment through the end of spring 2021. Support offices returned to on-campus operations by June 2021.

Now, two years after the arrival of the virus, ATUs successful implementation of its COVID-19 management plan has allowed the university to discontinue its COVID-related mitigation strategies and resume campus operations that more closely resemble life before March 2020.

Arkansas Tech is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic as a more adaptable and resilient institution, said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, ATU president. We are applying the lessons from the past two years in order to be better prepared for the challenges of the future. The technological advances we have made during the pandemic will help us become a more efficient institution. I hope and I believe the quality of life for ATU faculty and staff will improve as a result of enhanced opportunities for remote work. At least one outcome from the pandemic is certain: Arkansas Tech is better positioned to serve students by providing them with greater access to our academic programs through online and mixed methodology learning.

Ken Wester, chief information officer at ATU and director of information systems, and Steve Milligan, associate director of information systems, reported that 50 classrooms at Arkansas Tech have been upgraded to facilitate remote teaching over the course of the pandemic.

The ATU Office of Information Systems has also implemented increased capacity for remote testing, access to WebEx software as a means of conducting remote classes and meetings, improved wireless internet access and a reinforced cybersecurity posture.

All of these upgrades are designed to support ATUs mission of student access and success, said Bowen. The learning environment has never been more influenced by technology than it is today. Arkansas Tech is compelled by its mission to embrace and expand upon its technological traditions in order to empower individuals from the university community and beyond to achieve their goals. The advances we have made over the past two years have positioned Arkansas Tech to achieve that objective now and in the future.

Isolation was a parallel challenge created by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the physical distance between the ATU community grew, the sense of connectedness inevitably decreased. As a result, mental health became a considerable concern for ATU and its leadership.

Each of us have been in literal survival mode for two years, said Bowen. I do not know that we will fully understand the stress and strain of what we have been throughindividually and collectivelyuntil more time has passed. As we work to unpack the mental and emotional toll the pandemic has taken on us, it is more important than ever that we are intentional about building and enhancing relationships with our colleagues, our students and the communities we serve. Similarly, we must be intentional about breaking down stigmas regarding mental health. Lets help each other regain the joys in our lives that were diminished or unavailable over the past two years.

As part of that process, Arkansas Tech will host guest speaker Dr. Kenton Olliff for a presentation about faculty and staff mental health on Monday, April 4. Three sessions of the presentation --- one on the Ozark campus and two on the Russellville campus --- are planned.

The April 4 presentations have been approved by the ATU Executive Council for all ATU staff members to attend as part of their work day.

More details are available at http://www.arkansastechnews.com/guest-speaker-to-focus-on-faculty-staff-mental-health.

We will continue to monitor trends relative to COVID-19 and be prepared to take actions that support the health and safety of the ATU community, said Bowen. So long as the conditions of the pandemic continue to improve, we will turn our focus to making Arkansas Tech University a great place to learn, live, teach and work. We have withstood perhaps the greatest collective challenge of our lifetime. It is time to reclaim our spirit, our energy, our drive and our passion as a university. It is time to be Arkansas Tech again.

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2 Years Later: How the Pandemic Shaped ATU's Future | Arkansas Tech University - ATU News

If the curious were to seek a definition or description on the Internet for free boxing, they might run into offers of actual free cardboard boxes for shipping.

But free boxing is not a thing it is a movement of like-minded people committed to giving away items, from the expensive to the seemingly mundane, for reuse. Free Box participants believe it is better to put things no longer used in one household into the hands of others who need them, rather than allow them to go into landfills.

Free boxing is usually not a random act. Instead, supporters of this movement coalesce into hyperlocal, interactive communities so their donation goes to a neighbor they know, or connect with for the first time in their gifting circle. Beverly Free Box (BFB) is one such circle.

Every neighborhood needs a Free Box. It reduces landfill waste, helps spread wealth around, and minimizes hoarding and clutter. It also serves as a platform for connection among neighbors. Sussan Navabi, a long-time Beverly Free Box participant

Free boxing is not the kind of donating where you give to a group and then faceless people may later buy or receive your donation, said Frau Rau, founder and administrator for BFB.

Rau started BFB in April 2018, not long after moving to Beverly, a Chicago south side neighborhood known for its suburban, or village, appeal and where over 83 percent of its 19,791 residents are homeowners.

Since graduating from college, Rau had noticed the abundance of still-useful things thrown out as garbage. Some of those things may not have met a certain standard, or were no longer useful to the owner. Other articles may have sat in homes as clutter for numerous reasons. Frau said, These are the things that sit in peoples homes or end up in landfills when they could be reused repeatedly.

Years earlier, while living in Irving Park, a Chicago north side neighborhood, Rau joined a group of moms who operated a local Free Box online to pass on childrens clothing and toys between themselves. Rau wanted to continue this movement in her new neighborhood when she moved to Beverly. I began researching to see if there was free boxing in the area. When I didnt discover any, I began mocking up a Facebook page for a community Free Box, Rau said.

Different Free Box groups operate in different ways. Some, like the Colorado based Telluride Free Box, have actual locations where neighbors, strangers and tourists can visit a physical space to peruse the shelves for things they need. A growing number of similar groups operate online either independently or with the assistance of not-for-profit organizations, such as the Buy Nothing Project or Freecycle Network. Both organizations offer online opportunities for individuals interested in giving and getting stuff free to find people in their neighborhoods with whom to interact. They both also offer online tools for managing reciprocal altruistic experiences, reporting suspicious posts, or blocking unwanted responders, and have paid staff to oversee operations that cater to thousands of users in local groups across the country.

Beverly Free Box is not connected with a larger network. Instead, Rau and friend and co-administrator, Maureen Schleyer, manage the Facebook page where transactions transpire. In addition to promoting the hyper-reuse of various things, BFB also builds community. Weve seen friendships develop. We have people who are really invested in the group, and its a part of their daily lives, Rau said. Ive talked to people who said they didnt feel connected or know the neighborhood as well until they started free boxing.

BFB has over 3800 members and fields approximately 3500 transactions a month. Though the group has a private Facebook page, membership is open to anyone who meets their qualifications. Members must live in Beverly; agree to not claim anything until giving something away; and they cannot be members in multiple free box groups. Rau said these rules help the group remain hyperlocal.

Beverly Free Box is more about the people than the items. We want you to feel connected to the person you are giving to. BFBco-administrator, Maureen Schleyer

Using the site is simple, which was intentional, said Schleyer, who was aware of groups where people had to prove they needed an item before claiming it. With Beverly Free Box, the first to claim, gets the item. Sometimes things are raffled, but you dont have to prove your need, you simply claim it, Schleyer said.

Acquisition of items is decided between the donor and the recipient, and a lot of items are picked up on porches, but the recipient may have to arrange for delivery of larger items, like pianos, organs and armoires. BFB member Clare Duggan acquired a Grange of France armoire, which can be valued at $8000 to $30,000. She paid $500 to have it delivered to her home and says it was well worth the cost due to its sentimental value to her family.

Some of the other higher-priced items passed on have been a four-day vacation to a resort in the Bahamas, laptops and pianos. Among the least expensive were plant clippings, overly ripe bananas, perfume samples and broken crayons.

In addition to posting available items, members can request ISO (in search of) items. BFB member Anne-Marie Williams needed pill bottles to create emergency kits of $3 in quarters and a dryer sheet for people who are homeless. I asked for pill bottles and got 500 overnight. There was an insane amount of people giving, Williams said.

Curb alerts and an in-person swap meets are two other ways BFB promotes reuse. Members may see usable items sitting on a curb prior to garbage pick-up, and will post an alert for anyone interested and able to pick the items up. Members can also post requests for items to help women who have been displaced due to domestic violence, families victimized by fires, or youth seen walking to school without winter coats and boots.

There is always a cascade of giving during those times, said Frau, who is amazed but not surprised by immediate altruistic responses from neighbors, particularly during times of hardship like the pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, a Los Angeles-based Buy Nothing group had just 40 members. A year later it skyrocketed to over 1800 members. BFB membership growth has been consistent over its four-year existence, even during the pandemic. But Schleyer said, the pandemic intensified BFB neighbor connections. We got closer as a community, she said.

Free Box also built a sense of community and camaraderie when we all needed to connect with others in some way to make it through the long periods of isolation. BFB member Monica Wilczak.

While Beverly may be perceived as having primarily higher-income residents, we really represent a greater spectrum of income levels,Wilczak continued. Also, unexpected losses in employment, housing, or health issues caused devastating insecurities during the pandemic. Ive seen free boxers step up when a family becomes homeless due to a fire or marital crisis.

Rau and Schleyer say people have been isolated and anxious, but they dont hesitate to help others. During the pandemic, BFB created an environment of giving, helping and advising. Some posted messages of gratitude or dropped off kind notes, flowers, and sometimes wine. Others joined the fight to thwart COVID-19 by donating bundles of elastic to a group that made masks for people who needed them, long before government-led distributions. Another BFB member asked people to donate wooden tabletops or planks to aid his efforts to build desks for the sudden inflation of remote learners in the neighborhood. I loved being a part of that, Schleyer said.

As unified as BFB is, there have been challenges in administering the group and coming up with answers for every issue. Both women monitor posts to ensure malicious bots do not become members, delete posts that break rules, and handle conflicts and misunderstandings.

Schleyer and Rau address every issue as best they can. They dont always have the answers, but as neighbors moderating a tight-knit community, they are always open to conversation.

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Beverly Free Box helps neighbors build community and fight waste - Shareable