The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Group sees one change at a time
Lorain Proud volunteers clean, look to 2019, and involve others in spiffing
A grassroots movement in Lorain is hoping to build on momentum moving into 2019.
Emerging out of a series of community conversations in 2017 known as the Lorain Charrettes and culminating with a celebration at the Lorain Palace Theater on May 10, 2017, the movement is slowly but progressively making positive changes in the International City.
A Nov. 7 meeting at the Carnegie Center took stock of which direction the movement will head. Lorain Proud has one year in following a November, 2017, organizing meeting and has money in the bank.
In a fiscal update, Lorain Proud received slightly over $8,800 in donations and have $3,545.23 remaining to continue work improving the quality of life in Lorain through small actions.
Lorain Proud received a $5,000 donation from the Norton Family Foundation and $1,000 contribution from former Lorain resident Jonathan Price.
Last summer the group mailed out a series of Lorain Proud postcards to homeowners in Lorain which received a lot of positive feedback in the city. Active Transportation team leader Eric Newsome pitched the idea.
“My wife and I kind of got the group started riding
our bikes around the neighborhood noticing people who were doing a really good job taking care of their homes and the property around them,” Newsome said. “We thought it might be a nice way to recognize people for keeping the community up to a certain standard.”
The postcard project was an example of a simple effort that has had ripple effects in the community, creating more positive energy and pride about Lorain.
Lorain Proud organizer Bart Gonzalez said the group began receiving a number of messages on Social media with people posting pictures of the postcards.
A simple of gesture of being noticed and now everybody is asking, who is Lorain Proud? What is this organization? I guess the easiest way to explain it is it’s not an organization,” Gonzalez said. “Lorain Proud is exactly what it’s meant to be: People who live in Lorain and take pride in it.”
The Lorain QuickPicks spearheaded by Max Schaefer also emerged out of the charrettes process: the project grew organically as a way to get a dedicated group of volunteers together who give their all for one hour, focusing on beautifying one small section of Lorain at a time.
“So much of the community has shown support for what Lorain Proud is doing, in fact it is the community that has defined our goals,” Newsome said. “Perceptions in and of Lorain are beginning to change. The next step is to showcase some tangible results, something that shows that we, the people of Lorain, can make a difference that everyone can see and enjoy.”
The Lorain Proud emerged out of the Lorain Charrettes, a series of grassroots organizing meetings held in March, 2017 aiming to engage Lorainites on ways to improve life in the International City.
As a result, #LorainProud blossomed into a bottom up movement encouraging small actions to demonstrate local pride in the city.
Lorain Proud is made up of five working groups: active
transportation, downtown re-development, history/arts/culture, lakefront/ waterfront, and schools/ youth.
With energy to continue to build momentum, Lorain Proud is planning another Better Block Event following a successful debut in May, 2018 to showcase the city’s potential.
Gonzalez stressed the positive vibe on Broadway with business and projects in the works including the Broadway Building hotel set to be converted into a hotel next summer.
“I can feel the energy. You can tell when a storm is coming sometimes your bones ache or your hair on your arms goes up a little bit. That’s what’s happening right now. Everything we’ve done has lined up to where we’re already farming the plants,” Gonzalez said.