on March 11, 2021
The power of community is truly incredible. The recent Resiliency Village online fundraiser generated nearly $30,000 toward the purchase of property in two weeks but it’s not just about the money. The number of donors –many of whom were from out of the area- and the speed with which the funds came in affirm our belief this is the right response at the right time for the issue at hand. The team at RV is grateful for and humbled by the outpouring of support. With each contribution, encouraging message, volunteer offer, or online share my resolve to make this project something we can all be proud of was strengthened. I know my colleagues feel the same. We are excited to take on this task and show what a united community, a true village can do.
When talking about Resiliency Village most of the conversation tends to be focused on housing and homelessness and rightly so, the number of people without a place to call home should be a cause for concern to all of us. However, this project at its core is really about equity. We’ve all asked the question “How can there be hungry and homeless people in the richest country the world has ever known?” Many people answer by saying it’s because people don’t want to do what it takes to lift themselves up by the proverbial bootstraps. They are lazy, unmotivated or don’t want to accept help because they choose to live that way. We all have equal opportunity in this country you just have to work for what you want.
But what if you don’t have boots? What if your approach to the level playing field of equal opportunity is all uphill? What if you scale that hill only to find the field surrounded by a deep moat, high walls, and razor wire? Imagine you get past all that and the people who had another easier, well-worn, and familiar path to the level playing field put you down or refuse to accept you for the scars and bruises you’ve acquired on the way? They believe their tired legs are proof they’ve worked hard enough to get there, which is true but since they didn’t walk your road they can’t understand why you took so long or maybe never got there at all.
The mission of Resiliency Village is to build a staircase up that hill, construct a bridge over the moat, place a gate in the wall and remove the razor wire. That’s equity, giving everyone what they need to compete on the level playing field of equal opportunity. That’s what a true community does – make sure those with the hardest path have the support they need to reach the goal.
With every contribution, you are building a stair, putting a plank on the bridge, opening a hole in the wall, and rolling up the razor wire. You are also healing the wounds of those who have traveled that path before the help they needed could reach them. It starts with a home. It takes a village.