Neighbors hold the heart and soul of South Jersey communities and on January 30, 2023, Hammonton neighbors gathered to go public with a draft of a collective vision for the future of their town.
One of six Transform South Jersey communities awarded grants of $100,000 by the Community Foundation of South Jersey to support community planning, community endowment building, and the strengthening of community connections, the Hammonton Heart & Soul team has spent the past several years identifying resident leaders, mobilizing community voices, and gathering their neighbor’s stories and ideas on how to positively impact their community. From the themes that emerged in the listening and sharing of those stories, the team developed ten Heart & Soul statements, which identify what matters most and reflect what they love most about their towns. The team then planned the summit for the broader community to learn about and share feedback on the statements.
To ensure all voices are represented in determining Hammonton’s future, each team member personally invited at least ten other community members to participate in the summit. They also advertised to the public through ads in the paper and social media in both English and Spanish.
Their efforts were rewarded, with the turnout for the summit surpassing even the expectations of the organizers. It represented the demographics of the town by age and ethnicity. Some of the significant contributions even came from young people. Each table had a facilitator to ensure all participants had the opportunity to have their voices heard. Translators were available and babysitters were on hand to help families with small children stay involved.
Although the original information-gathering process would have looked much different without COVID-19 restrictions, it still provided a strong base upon which to add new insights from this in-person gathering. Organizers left the summit inspired by the people who came and participated, many of whom had not previously been engaged. When given the opportunity though, they were eager to help share their thoughts on how to improve the community.