This letter was originally published in the Fall 2024 print newsletter. Find the fully formatted PDF version here.
WWHT is a member of NeighborWorks of America (NW), a national network of Housing & Community Development organizations. Each summer, NW’s member organizations working in the Northeast gather to share insights, learn from one another and visit a member organization. One year, we gathered in Portland, ME, another year in Kingston, NY. This past June, we gathered in Puerto Rico, which is part of the Northeast region.
The trip was nothing short of inspiring. We met an amazing group of women residing in a remote mountain community that, with the help of their local NW’s organization, stood up a community resiliency center in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria which devastated the island in 2017. These women gained access to a generator, organized meals for people, helped create a community laundry facility, and installed a cyber-café of shared computers. Seven years later, this resiliency center is going strong. Later that day, we visited a small coastal community hit hard by the hurricane and met a young woman who single handedly initiated the development of a community library for the young children and teenagers in the neighborhood. Again, with the help of the local NW’s organization, a modest structure was developed to offer shared books, computers and other activities to provide the young people in the community with a rich learning and cooperative environment. Finally, back in San Juan, we visited a third network organization that is developing youth spaces in urban neighborhoods and we were treated to a concert within the walls of a new basketball court created for the neighbor kids to use.
All along the way, the community members we met greeted us with joy, pride in their community and a deep warmth characteristic of Puerto Rican culture. We ate delicious foods, danced to Bomba music and learned how proud Puerto Ricans are of their blended heritage with European, African and Indigenous roots.
I’m proud to be a member of the NeighborWorks of America network and feel grateful for their support when and where it’s needed the most. In Puerto Rico, this support was so visible in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria which is still being felt all over the island. In Vermont, NW’s financial support has been invested in many new homes that we’ve created. It’s also evident in the expertise of our housing counseling staff who have benefited from NW’s training programs.
While we live in a world of internet connectivity, I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be in community with people doing similar work, live and in person. Sharing a meal, hearing stories in the community where they happened and seeing the results of hard work is truly inspiring. Thank you NeighborWorks of America for bringing this network of amazing people together.
