Love for community trumps political differences

Submitted by Molly Moser, Affiliate Engagement Manager at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

Last month, I watched something extraordinary unfold at a community meeting. Two neighbors who clearly disagreed about an issue sat down together anyway, rolled up their sleeves, and figured out how to move forward. Not because they suddenly agreed on everything, but because they both cared deeply about their community. 

This is the story the national headlines miss. 

It seems like every day, we hear the same refrain: Americans are more divided than ever. 

From a national perspective, it can certainly feel this way. Look at a map. We either live in a red square or a blue square. Go online. Influencers frame our smallest differences of opinion as existential threats. 

What if the divisions we see nationally, though, are just an illusion? 

Zoom down to a community level, and things look different. Every single day at the Foundation, I witness something powerful. I see neighbors showing up for each other. I see people giving generously to causes that matter to them. I see volunteers dedicating countless hours to making our communities stronger. These aren’t grand gestures making national news. They’re quiet acts of commitment that add up to something remarkable. 

That’s not to say neighbors here don’t have differences of opinion. They do, and they debate them passionately. But they also understand that they have one major thing in common: They love their community, and if they want to strengthen it, they need to work together. 

This is where community foundations like come in. Unlike national organizations that try to influence policy and tackle issues using a one-size-fits-all approach, community foundations are locally-driven and leverage local knowledge, passion and generosity to drive grassroots change. 

Where national organizations view themselves as change-makers, local community foundations view their neighbors as change-makers, with the foundation filling the roles of convener and catalyst. It’s a sharp distinction, and research shows that when the people in a place are the ones driving the change, the community benefits in positive, tangible ways. 

Two examples are our Community Heart & Soul program and our Small-town Dreams Initiative. Both efforts have helped rural residents step into leadership roles to identify and raise funds to support local priorities, from children’s education to Main Street improvements, and build endowments that pay out annually, forever, to help create the communities people envision. 

The people leading these efforts aren’t out-of-state consultants, government officials, or billionaire investors. Rather, they are the people we see at the grocery store, attend school events with, and call for a jump when our car won’t start in the winter. These are results that only people who know and are engaged with our community could make happen. 

As your local community foundation, we are here to help you do what you do best: Invest in the place you love. We bring people together, give them tools to lead, and watch magic happen. 

When it comes to strengthening the community, it turns our we’re not so divided after all.