Posted on Behalf of Laura Otte, Community Engagement Coordinator, United Way of the Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region

Earlier this year, Battle Creek was named the first-ever “Beacon Community” in the nation. In March, we brought together more than 100 community influencers for the Harwood Public Innovators Lab to launch the effort and provide an opportunity for attendees  to express their aspirations for Battle Creek’s future and learn more, together, about Harwood tools and practices that can help us reach those shared goals.

Since then, we have worked diligently with a growing number of community partners to leverage past lessons learned and current strengths to form the foundation necessary to move forward. We’ve gathered a critical mass of individuals and groups that have been working together to drive change in the community.

We have created community conditions for change and support a can-do community narrative that encourages action. And thanks to the partnership of local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Urban League, Kellogg Community College, 2nd Missionary Baptist Church, Women’s Life Recovery Program, Project 2020, First Congregational Church, Calhoun Community High School, United Way, JONAH, Inasmuch House, City of Battle Creek, NorthPointe Woods, BC Pulse, the Financial Opportunity Center and more, we have engaged over 230 residents in Harwood Community Conversations.   People ages 11 to 80-plus, including entrepreneurs, educators, business owners, grassroots and non-profit leaders, high-school students and college graduates, families who are homeless, and several ethnic minorities all helped us to better understand the challenges we face  and the dreams we share  for Battle Creek.  

Through this gathering of public knowledge, we identified an issue the community is ready to “go to bat” for as a starting point to demonstrate what we can accomplish when we commit to working together in new ways. On Nov. 7, those months of dialogue led to a collective decision to tackle high dropout rates and challenges that threaten the successful transition from middle to high school.  

So what’s next? On Nov. 13, United Way and the Harwood Institute will hold a day-long “Intentionality Forum to bring even more people to the table to continue the dialogue and learn even more about the issue.  Together we will work to identify and leverage existing resources and determine the most effective strategies the community can work on together. This shared success will further build the culture, confidence, and momentum we need to make tangible progress on this issue, and other issues moving forward.  

Battle Creek’s willingness to share their time, personal concerns and aspirations, as well as their commitment to work together in new ways, is what got us to this key milestone in our pursuit to be a “Beacon Community.”  With this continued support and participation, Battle Creek is sure to serve as an example for other communities to learn from as they seek ways to create greater relevance and impact of their own.

If you would like to learn more about the Beacon Community effort, or how to become involved, please contact me at lotte@uwbckr.org.