Over the last six years our Edgewater community has undergone a lot of changes. Six years ago I started to get to know our community and listen to the stories of those who had lived here for years. As I connected with business owners, residents and local school teachers I began to realize that our Edgewater community had a lot of assets and strengths. So my goal in starting Edgewater Collective was to lift up these assets and connect them to each other so each could thrive.

This morning I had an “aha” moment when I looked at one of the shirts that we had a local Edgewater resident design. The picture above is a great image of the connection we are seeking to build in Edgewater. The image includes one of our neighborhood schools, local businesses and homes. They are all connected in the picture representing our Edgewater community.

I see these connections when community members and alumni attend our high school football games. I see it when local leaders sit on problem based learning panels in high school classrooms. I see it when our schools come out and participate in Edgewater community events. I see it when community members donate money so we can provide coffee gift cards to teachers and school staff who need a little extra encouragement. I see it when community gardeners transform a school community garden into a beautiful space. I see it when businesses and neighbors come together to give teachers a professional looking space to collaborate and train. I see it when local business owners visit elementary classrooms and share their knowledge with students to inspire them on their career aspirations. I see it when community members provide scholarships to deserving high school graduates in honor of one of Edgewater’s most giving residents.

Now when I look at the image above, I see the fruit of our labor working to connect our community to our schools. We truly are a collective working to invest in our schools. Thank you for journeying with us and supporting this important work for our schools and students!