Community Heart & Soul Stories

‘We have the ingredients, but what kind of town are we?’ On a mid-summer Saturday morning, it is a relaxed ride to the center of Sanford, right to the grassy…

Initiated more than a decade ago, the Community Heart & Soul program relies heavily on the participation of an entire population of a municipality to define what matters most about…

If you only consider Macedonia, Iowa, by the numbers, it might not sound that impressive. It has a population of 276 people. It’s roughly 20 miles or so from the…

This article first appeared on the Our Towns Civic Foundation website on April 6, 2023, which you can see here. The Arras Foundation in Lancaster, South Carolina, is using resident…

This article first appeared on the Our Towns Civic Foundation website on March 30, 2023, which you can see here. With community partnerships and resident input, the small South Carolina…

The Town of Lincolnville, on the western edge of Penobscot Bay and almost midway along Maine’s coastline between Boston and the Canadian border, has a strong sense of self. It…

This article first appeared on the Our Towns Civic Foundation website on February 24, 2023, which you can see here. Residents of Fort Lawn, South Carolina used a community development…

This article first appeared on the Our Towns Civic Foundation website on February 17, 2023, which you can see here. Community leaders in Meadville, Pennsylvania listened to, and included, residents…

Initiated more than a decade ago, the Community Heart & Soul program is a proven resident-driven model that engages the entire population of a town to identify what they love…

Armada, Michigan, is the kind of place where, as you cross the street at a downtown four-way intersection, the only oncoming car is likely filled with friends who exuberantly recognize…