The Review Magazine May / June 2021

COMMUNITY WEALTH BUILDING

COMM WEA BUILD

By Melissa Milton-Pung

O ver the past year, the League has built out our evolving policy platform on Community Wealth Building and brought it to you at Convention and here in The Review . One of our deeper dives with members was with Michigan’s small cities and villages, a group united by a common thread of grace, grit, and neighborly pragmatism. As someone who originally hailed from a small town, I felt keenly that it was important to seek out the feedback of rural communities as part of our statewide dialogue. So, on a cold March morning, I sat down over Zoom with a cup of coffee and a group of members from all corners of Michigan, ranging in population from just under 2,000 to around 11,000. We were joined by the League’s Strategic Communications Director Selma Tucker and facilitator Sarah Preisser of Mindset Talent. We recapped our shift toward Community Wealth Building and focused on hearing how it resonated with the unique conditions, trends, and challenges of small-town life in Michigan.

TAKING IT TO OUR SMALL TOWNS

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While the effects of the pandemic have been felt unevenly across Michigan communities, it has further emphasized the changing needs of our members.

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Photo credit: Melissa Milton-Pung

Social connections are key to community life

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MAY / JUNE 2021

THE REVIEW