Cedar Lake to pilot community program in Indiana
While community historical societies tend to remember the past, the Cedar Lake Historical Association (CLHA) is helping the town look toward the future with the Community Heart & Soul program.
Cedar Lake has been selected for the first town in the state of Indiana to implement the program through the Legacy Foundation of Merrillville.
Volunteers with the program met at the Lake County Library branch in Cedar Lake on May 31 to attend a training seminar. They will work to implement the program throughout Cedar Lake.
According to their website, Community Heart and Soul is “a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it.”
Ian Moran of Community Heart and Soul explained the program uses storytelling to find out what residents love the most about their community.
“What do they love, what are their hopes and concerns, their ideas for action and through that they put together a plan for the future,” Moran said, “and because the communities have come together to do that, they feel much more empowered to be part of the implementation.”
Moran said Community Heart and Soul typically works with communities with populations under 30,000. However, he noted the main criteria of the program was to demonstrate a need for it, “and also that they had a sufficient number of residents wanted to go through this process.”
Maranda Fishback-Engquist, the Grants and Partnership Director for the Legacy Foundation, also serves as the coach for the Cedar Lake program. Fishback-Engquist said the Legacy Foundation serves all the communities in Lake County. She said they provide grants and scholarships, as well as support nonprofit organizations.
Fishback-Engquist said volunteers are being trained to have “meaningful conversations out in the community with their friends, family, and neighbors.” She said the program is open to anyone who has a connection with Cedar Lake, not just its residents. Fishback-Engquist said they’re going to use the information to form an action plan to present to the town council.
“As long as you care about the town in any capacity, we want to hear from you,” Fishback-Engquist said. “It's really what people care the most about for the town. It's what they they want to see for the future of Cedar Lake.”
Cedar Lake councilwoman Mary Joan Dickson is one of the volunteers who will be gathering stories. Dickson is looking forward to hearing the community’s voice in regards to what it would like to see in town. She would like to see the return of events that brings the community together more frequently.
“Over the years even before COVID, we removed events and activities where people gathered and shared,” Dickson observed. “I realize these events take volunteers. I’d like to learn what people are willing to do as a community and see what we can accomplish.”
Zasada said she was “very encouraged and excited” after attending the foundation’s meeting that outlined the Community Heart and Soul program. She likes it because it allows for Cedar Lake residents to offer input as to what they would like to see in the community.
Zasada said they are currently about four months into the two-year long project. She said they will gather data through the stories over the summer and will evaluate data to come up with key statements in the fall. Zasada said they will start drafting their action plan next year. She hopes council will incorporate it into their master pan.
“It’s about what you love about the community, what are your hopes and dreams for the future of the community and how could we get there,” Zasada said. “It's very much uplifting, it's about positivity, and it's about taking what people love and then building upon that.”
Moran said there are currently 130 communities around the country. The Legacy Foundation is expected to begin another program in another local community this year, he said.