Presenting the DeSoto County: Coming Together Report at Local Roundtables

Editor's Note: The Aspirations to Actions initiative's objective is for our community to take aspirations and turn them into actions that will result in positive change. This initiative can change the way our community approaches issues and the way it develops innovative, collaborative partnerships that may not have otherwise formed.

The Patterson Foundation and The Harwood Institute are known for their community engagement and innovation work. Their collaboration is harnessing local strengths and fostering community-driven aspirations in DeSoto County, Florida. The DeSoto County Coming Together: Unleashing the Community’s Potential report on catalyzing DeSoto County’s civic culture was presented to community leaders, participants, and local organizations.

In Arcadia, ten roundtable discussions held over two days played a crucial role in the event, sparking dialogue and potential.  Here are comments shared by people in the community:

• There’s so much potential in DeSoto County for it to be great.
• People stay within their language, culture, and community.
• Our schools are in a bit of a crisis.
• Kids graduate, and we leave because there’s nothing here for us.
• A lot of people’s social lives and the way they stay up to date on what’s going on are through their interactions at their church.
• The Ministerial Society has monthly meetings, but the same ten people show up. That needs to change.
• One-on-one word of mouth is how a lot of stuff gets done.
• Your neighbors here are your family, too. That’s prevalent here and not everywhere else.

On August 1, 2024, Rich Harwood addressed a crowd of 174 people, encouraging them to step forward, turn outward, and come together, inspiring the community to get in motion to build together and create a new trajectory of hope and civic culture. The Patterson Foundation and The Harwood Institute are committing three years to build on the aspirations that the community has identified. We will start small together, creating ripples of change to grow big. 

Be part of building the civic culture by raising your hand to be considered for participation in the upcoming Harwood Institute Public Innovators Lab. “Getting Started,” happens on October 24 and 25, with a second Lab, “Unleashing Impact,“ scheduled for the Summer of 2025. The Harwood Institute will select fifty people ready to catalyze community-led change to participate in the October Lab.

For more information about participating in the Labs, contact Cheri Coryea, DeSoto County Ahead Lead, at ccoryea@thepattersonfoundation.org by August 22.

• Read the Public Capital Report in English
• Read the Public Capital Report in Spanish