Arlington turns community values into action with Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation

With Community Heart & Soul, Arlington built the solid civic infrastructure needed to thrive and face future challenges

Snapshot Overview

Location: Arlington, Ohio

Partner: Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation

Key Challenge: Arlington needed a shared vision to navigate economic and demographic change and prepare for the future

The Narrative

Arlington, Ohio, is a town rooted in agriculture and tradition. As agriculture fades as the driver of the economy and daily rhythms of the region, Arlingtonians want to ensure the community is ready for what comes next. With Community Heart & Soul, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation provided the guidance and support Arlington needed to come together and chart its own course for the future.

The Challenges

Challenge #1

Expanding community engagement:

Arlington, Ohio, faced the challenge of expanding community engagement to reach residents both in town and in surrounding rural areas, ensuring diverse voices helped shape a shared vision for the community’s future.

Strategy:

In this tradition-rich region, Arlington’s Heart & Soul team met residents at established community gatherings such as the Arlington Homecoming Festival parade and by hosting “Sip and Share” events at favorite local hangouts. The team also used newsletters, surveys, interviews and an essay contest to reach more people. It was also intentional in reaching people in both the town and rural surrounding area. This strategy generated more than 2,200 comments and feedback, 300 individual interviews, and 1,700 data points related to ideas for action, giving Arlington a broad understanding of what the community valued and wanted for its future.

Challenge #2

Building a shared vision for a changing future:

Residents faced the challenge of building a shared vision for the future that honored the community’s traditions and unique character while establishing common priorities to guide future decisions and investments.

Strategy:

The data Arlington Heart & Soul collected made clear residents wanted to preserve what made the region special, and use those assets to plan for the future. Residents’ input was distilled into Heart & Soul Value Statements focusing on five themes: Sense of Community, Tradition & History, Local Schools, Local Businesses and Recreation. These focus areas create a shared set of priorities for future decisions and investments.

Challenge #3

Turning community priorities into action:

The town faced the challenge of turning community priorities into meaningful action by aligning local investments, partnerships and projects with the priorities residents identified as most important to their community’s future.

Strategy:

The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation helped Arlington progress from identifying community priorities to investing in them. With the Arlington Heart & Soul Statements as the guide, the town, Foundation, businesses and other partners can direct resources toward projects that reflect what Arlington residents say matter most. For example, a $12,000 Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation grant is supporting Arlington’s “Our School Legacy” project, preserving local stories and history through a photo collage and documentary. Resident voices also informed decisions as the school district built a new high school and helped businesses better serve their customers.

The Result

Thanks to the support and guidance of both the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation and Community Heart & Soul, Arlington has built the civic infrastructure it needs to shape the region’s future. Arlington Heart & Soul is now its own nonprofit, which is positioned to help the community act on the values and priorities identified by residents. Already, the region has seen improvements both big and small as a result of the community building and listening that took place over the past few years. Resident input helped the Park and Recreation Committee secure grant funding for new playground equipment. The Arlingtonian newsletter was created as a new way for residents to stay connected and informed. When Heart & Soul data showed Arlingtonians wanted more dining options, particularly a diner and ice cream shop, the owners of Main Street Eats used that feedback to shape their hours and menu, creating a new local favorite.

Thoughts From Our Partner

“Community Heart & Soul has catapulted our countywide engagement strategies. It jumpstarted more grantmaking, programming, partnerships in the county – outside of Findlay – and not only prioritized but supported efforts to cultivate donors throughout the region.”
— Brian Treece, President and CEO, Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation