It can be easy to think the whole world is going down hill if you read or listen to any national media.
But it isn’t. Not here, not locally, not where we live. And we are not unique. Communities around the globe are actively and eagerly improving, growing and evolving in better and better ways every year. I know I see it all around me.
As a photographer I’m often asked to photograph local events from ribbon cuttings to hackathons. It’s a unique perspective and I find myself at a lot of diverse events I probably wouldn’t have know about or attended. It’s amazing to see what is going on.
People are out there making a difference.
Frenchtown Borough (frenchtownboro.com) put a ton of effort into fundraising to upgrade its local park. The park is wonderful with new equipment and a walking trail. It is what a local park should be and families love it.
Rabbi Eli Kornfield is a legend in the Jewish Community. He runs Chabad of Hunterdon (www.jewishhunterdon.com) , a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving community life. Every year he runs an auction with entertainment to raise money for the Chabad so he can serve even more people.
The Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce (www.hunterdon-chamber.org)has always been a benevolent supporter of local businesses constantly coming up with new ways to improve life in the County. The Leadership Hunterdon program which teaches local professionals about all aspects of Hunterdon County graduated its 6th class this past year.
Hack Hunterdon (www.hackhunterdon.com) began in 2017 to bring together innovative students and adults for a 24 hour, marathon project-building event. Participants met, formed teams and then tackled the formulation and structural implementation of project ranging from web apps to facilitate garage sales to using augmented reality. The second year saw a 100% growth in participation.
Downtown Flemington has taken a beating over the years with big box stores springing up all around the perimeter. But that has not deterred the Fleming Community Partnership (www.exploreflemington.com) from reversing that trend. FCP is energetically coordinating borough-wide community events and bring together stakeholder businesses to actively participate in their efforts to revive the County seat. It is working.