With the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Postville Shapes its Next Chapter
Together the residents of Postville, Iowa, are writing a new narrative for their city, with support from the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque and Community Heart & Soul
Snapshot Overview
Location: Postville, Iowa
Partner: Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Key Challenge: The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque leads communities toward resident-driven solutions that create better outcomes for all; Postville wanted to change the city’s narrative and establish a welcoming culture for current and future residents.
The Narrative
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque knows that resident involvement is the key to lasting impact. Through its partnership with Community Heart & Soul, the Foundation puts its core principles of engagement, collaboration, empowerment and investment into action in communities of Iowa.
Postville is a growing city with a young, diverse population where 41% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. As local leaders considered the city’s future development they wanted to highlight the positive stories of Postville and ensure all voices in the community were heard.
The Challenges
Challenge #1
Change the Narrative About Postville:
Perhaps more acutely than other small cities, Postville had experienced hardship and division, but as it looked toward the future the goal was to highlight its strengths and connections.
Strategy:
Through the Our Postville Community Heart & Soul process residents came together to identify their strengths and shared values. Hundreds of residents shared their own stories and a new public identity emerged based on common themes. These themes then informed Postville’s formal Heart & Soul Statements, which guide future decision-making based on what matters most to everyone.
Challenge #2
Establish Trust to Engage All Residents:
Postville is a growing city with about 3,000 residents. Its remarkable diversity is reflected in the businesses and gathering spots in town, which include synagogues, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches and an Islamic center, as well as Mexican, Guatemalan, Somali and kosher markets. In order to ensure all residents were included, Our Postville Heart & Soul needed to bridge language and cultural divides.
Strategy:
The Our Postville Heart & Soul team focused on building relationships through trusted networks and connectors. Volunteers gathered residents’ stories by connecting in spaces where they lived: at local events, the public library, Shabbat meals, the farmers market and through WhatsApp. The Heart & Soul team hired translators, distributed materials and surveys in multiple languages, and eventually the Postville Heart & Soul Statements were published in six languages.
Challenge #3
Make Postville Welcoming for All:
Postville calls itself a “Hometown of the World,” and residents wanted to be intentional in making that identity the everyday experience of belonging for all.
Strategy:
With the guidance of the shared values in the Heart & Soul Statements, initiatives to create an outwardly welcoming city included:
- Formation of the Heart of Postville/Alma de Postville Welcoming Committee, which coordinates resources to help newcomers
- Resumption of English as a Second Language courses in town
- Establishment of a community space to store home goods and clothing for newcomers who might arrive without key essentials like winter coats
- Increase language accessibility of town events and documents
The Result
Postville is an exceptionally diverse city experiencing growth and renewal. Through the Heart & Soul process the city has redefined its story from one of economic hardship, trauma and disconnection to one that lives up to its “Hometown of the World” moniker. The seven Postville Heart & Soul Statements, published in six languages, have been officially adopted by the city government and are now used to guide development. This means current and future initiatives are resident-driven and rooted in shared values. A renewed focus on community events, which were identified as a top priority in resident responses, is one example of change inspired by their voices.
Thoughts From Our Partner
“It’s a community building model that has great results in so many ways. The Community Heart & Soul process has really made us more visible. In the past, we’d go into our small towns and somebody’d say, ‘what is a Community Foundation?'”
— Nancy Van Milligen, President & CEO, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
A Clear Path to Impact
Starting your path towards partnering with Community Heart & Soul is easy.
1
Fill Out a Brief Questionnaire
2
Schedule a Discovery Call
3
Make a Lasting Difference Together
