From Randy:
There’s little doubt that we live in a divided society. We see it in our national politics and feel it in the digital walls we build around ourselves. But here in Lincoln, we have a unique opportunity to push back against the tide of isolation. We can move beyond merely living alongside one another and start intentionally weaving our lives together, build a stronger community and have a positive impact on the future of our country.
One of the most promising initiatives currently taking root is the Lincoln Community Foundation’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project. Through this initiative, small grants can help foster projects by individuals and organizations which will bring us together as a community. And in doing so, we’ll be setting an example for people across the United States.
Lincoln Community Foundation Community Director of Community Engagement Amanda Barker, and one of Lincoln’s more connected citizens, Randy Bretz will present how this unique project came to be and how people of Lincoln can be involved.
Lincoln has always been a city of connectors and builders. We worked together to build a world-class university, a vibrant downtown, and a park system that is the envy of the Midwest. But the most important thing we can build today isn't made of brick and mortar. It is made of trust, shared stories, and the quiet, persistent work of weaving a community where everyone belongs.
Amanda Barker is Director of Community Engagement with the Lincoln Community Foundation and project director for the Foundation’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project. In recent years she’s served as an advisor to Lincoln’s Mayor, Director of Civic Health Programs with Civic Nebraska, and work with the Nebraska Tourism Commission.
Randy Bretz is an experienced and innovative leader/administrator with background in communications of all sorts, sales and marketing, business administration, and education administration. I'm active in retirement teaching at Nebraska Wesleyan University, involved in Lincoln's downtown Rotary Club, helping encourage people to weave together our social fabric and serving on a number of boards.