Communications Team Blog Post : September 11
Creating A Bridge Between Our Communities
The Swansea Work Day on September 11 exemplified how community groups, businesses, leadership, families and residents can work together to move the world forward when they invest in a community and a mission.
ECM Board
We were excited to have our ECM board come out and face the heat to help community residents with projects too large to accomplish on their own. Our board works hard behind the scenes to support ECM, but everyone had a great time with a bit of a change of pace - getting their hands dirty, chatting with residents and volunteers, and reconnecting to the mission they are all so passionate about.
Mile High Young Professionals
The Mile High Young Professionals group wasn’t new to ECM either – we’re grateful that they have been a part of so many workdays and are always a cheerful and hard-working group.
“Working with different neighborhoods in Denver creates a bridge between our communities.”
Landing Place Church
Along with our ECM experts, we had some new faces helping to create a healthier and happier Swansea. When the missions team at The Landing Place Church wasn’t able to go abroad due to the pandemic, they decided to refocus their mission where they were able – right down the road. “Working with different neighborhoods in Denver creates a bridge between our communities”, one team member told us. Families came out and worked alongside one another to meet families in a different neighborhood and serve together.
Meridiem Spirits
Meridiem Spirits is a distillery out of Elizabeth, CO that is moving into the Swansea neighborhood in the coming months. As they get the lay of the land around their new community, they believed that getting plugged in and serving the neighborhood in hard work was an important precursor to serving the neighborhood in quality cocktails! Their small and mighty team exemplified our mission of investing in the people and community, and we’re excited for a great new business in the area.
Individuals
These groups, as well as a fun group of individuals that joined us, were not thwarted by a very hot and sunny day – volunteers could be heard laughing, introducing themselves to residents and one another and lending a helping hand throughout the whole day.
A couple of the residents expressed how much of an impact this one day of work made on their family’s homes and lives. Hector told us his mom had been wanting to clean up the alley behind her house but wasn’t able to on her own. Our group of volunteers were the extra hands she needed to create a more accessible space and peace of mind. Celina had been trying to contact the city to get help with an overgrown space near her house before deciding to tackle it herself – our volunteers jumped in to help clear the space alongside her. We love partnering with residents – and during this project we had a couple of nearby neighbors serve as Extreme Teams members, and we were excited that they experienced ECM on their own streets and wanted to get plugged in on a deeper level.
“With time, it’s become a family.”
Watching the teamwork between those who have supported our mission for years, individuals and groups on their first Work Day, a new business hoping to invest in the neighborhood and residents who care deeply about their neighborhood and its people was encouraging and motivating that our work matters. But this teamwork isn’t unfamiliar to Swansea. Every resident we talked to mentioned their love for their neighbors, and the strong bonds their community has.
Rose told us “We all know each other, we respect each other. With time, it’s become a family.” We were honored to be welcomed into the family on Saturday to build up the community together.
- Lizzy, Communications Team