What Makes a Strong Community?

Mancos Valley Resources is an umbrella non-profit that helps fund area organizations.

After having moved to a small community after living in a large city, I have noticed how important non-profit organizations are to the health and vibrancy of the community they serve. It is true in the city as well, but how much you connect with these type of organizations depends on the smaller groups you belong to. For example, when I worked at a large inner-city high school, there were specific groups to support the school’s students, teachers and staff. The more support a group received, the better chance that group had of thriving. In the three years that we have lived in the Mancos area, it seems that volunteer and non-profit groups have a real impact on the health of the town and its people. There are groups that support teen well-being, economic development, trail maintenance, agricultural practices, and a myriad of health services, just to name a few. Where governmental services are limited, people step in. It’s a good reminder that we need each other, and that supporting each others helps us all to thrive.

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Week 17: What Makes a Strong Building?
As we have watched the renovation and building of our barn into a gathering space, we’ve seen first hand the benefits of planning, coordination, and cooperation within in the process. There is a specific order to how things get done, and the skilled tradespeople need to work together so that key things are done at the right time and in the right way. Our contractor is the conductor and his job is to see that process is done right. We are now in the crucial part of building where many things are happening simultaneously and if we are to have the place ready to go by July, they have to happen with the right timing. Drywall is almost complete and finishing and painting will happen soon, as well as the staining of the concrete floor. The plumbing needs to happen this week - as we have guests in the apartment this coming weekend.  You might say: If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a village to create a healthy community, and it takes a village (of talented craftspeople) to transform a barn.