posted on May 18, 2010 10:28
By Laura Krizov
Manager
Michigan Main Street Center
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Main Street is truly a grassroots, community and volunteer driven strategy encouraging economic development through historic preservation. We tell our communities that it can also be said that Main Street is based on a grassroots, community and volunteer driven strategy encouraging historic preservation through economic development. Either way you look at the philosophy of Main Street it is grassroots, community and volunteer driven strategy. We need everyone from the community to come together to not only make our downtowns strong places, but our communities places where people want to be.
I think that many of our communities’ lose site of the fact and take for granted the partnerships that are built in our communities. Our Main Street organizations need to remember to foster and grow the relationships with our partnering organizations. So many, of the organizations in our communities are lucky to have stakeholders who have made the decision to become involved in their local community.
Since the commitment is there from most local organizations, we need to make sure to get them involved and partner with the existing organizations. If we were to look at the local organizations our local communities’ have: Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Lions Club, Economic Development Corporation, Kiwanis and municipalities etc. we would see that the over lying mission of the organizations is to have a healthy community. The way for that to happen is to make sure that all the local organizations are working together and what better way for that to happen is for them to get involved with Main Street.
Developing the relationships and trust with the local organizations helps build the strongest foundation for local Main Street programs. Once we have built the relationships and trust with local organizations the next step is to make sure to foster the relationship and maintain ongoing communication with them.
Reaching out and connecting with all local organizations from all sectors of our communities builds the value of local Main Streets efforts. Diversifying our local programs with those involved provides different perspectives and increases the resources available to our local Main Street communities. Local Main Street programs have been strong influences for change in their communities. And, if it is going to take local Main Street programs from around the nation to lead the charge in showing how it is so important to get all local organizations working together, then let Main Street be the vehicle for that to happen.