A senior man with white hair is seated on a folding chair on the curb in a small downtown. He's applauding for a marching flag group with diverse kids in a parade.

Turn complainers into the Pillars of the Community

ByBecky McCray

What do you do about the people who just complain about everything but don’t ever take any action? That was one of the questions when I visited Caldwell, Kansas, recently. Here’s my advice: Recruit them to join the Pillars of the Community: to show up and encourage people. They can show up with their lawn…

Geoffrey Canada with Maryland Governor Wes Moore seated on a stage with state, province and territorial flags in the background.

Hope is as infectious as despair

ByBecky McCray

That headline–hope is as infectious as despair–came from Geoffrey Canada, of the Harlem Children’s Zone, speaking at the recent Council of State Governments East Annual Conference. You know I’m always taking notes, looking for ideas we can adapt from big cities and small towns to our own communities. I liked that statement about hope so…

Exactly what our communities need right now

Exactly what our communities need right now

ByBecky McCray

I just spent 30 minutes re-listening to the audio version of our Building a Unified Community. This is still exactly what we need right now.  You build a stronger community through experiences that bring people together from across different groups to each play a meaningful role. Deb and I wrote and recorded that in 2021….

An empty lot with pop-up booths and a food truck, with diverse people enjoying the market.

Melody Warnick and SaveYour.Town are Keeping and Attracting Talented People in Rural Places

ByBecky McCray

Melody Warnick’s books have been refreshing reads for me in thinking about how people and place interact to create the culture in rural communities. In This Is Where You Belong, Melody talks openly about her own struggle to feel connected when she moved to a new town. In If You Could Live Anywhere she shares…

A light skinned woman and a medium skinned man with a gray beard stop for selfie in front of a brick sign that says Harvard Kennedy School

Our natural rural collaboration vs. our giant silos

ByBecky McCray

A couple of times last year I had the chance to hear Dell Gines talk about collaboration. Both times, he used the phrase “build robust networks for targeted purposes.” That resonated for me as Deb Brown and I often tell you stories about Building Connections and turning your crowd into a powerful network as part…

A vintage sign on a downtown building says, "Telephone. Telegrams may be telephoned."

Who’s in your message group? An Idea Friendly way to stay motivated

ByBecky McCray

Two people at the Oklahoma Arts Council conference mentioned their support message groups. This is such a simple idea I wanted to share it with you.  Alena Jennings said people call her The Doodle Lady because she runs The Doodle Academy, an art experience education business in downtown Ponca City. Alena has connected with several…

Hands holding a smartphone as a camera in the foreground. In the background string lights are shown in pleasing unfocused bokeh.

10 small steps toward a better community that don’t require permission

ByBecky McCray

You’d like to do more for your small town or rural community, but you’re held back by at least a couple of things: You don’t actually need either of those. Small steps can be meaningful and usually don’t require permission. That’s why Deb and I say: 99% of the best things you can do for…

Basket of small tomatoes with a handwritten note: take some fresh picked tomatoes

How Marieta, Sue and Julie are feeding their communities

ByBecky McCray

Your friends and fellow newsletter readers Sue, Julie and Marieta shared how they’re getting more food to the people having the hardest time affording it right now. We told you about Julie Kent, the librarian from Erie, Kansas. In 2020 the library shared seeds and plants and support. Here’s her latest update: We continue to…