I do not believe a community has to be where you live. Often people fi nd themselves living in a community that they do not identify with and it begins to take a toll on their life. A community to me is wherever or whoever makes you feel comfortable enough to be yourself without fear of being judged if you happen to stand out on occasion. A community is warm, thoughtful, empathic, supportive, and always there waiting for you to come back and join in. I believe the best community is the one who helps you grow into the person you have always dreamed to be. We all have this idea of the people we should hang around or the areas we should spend our time in, but is it truly what we want? I believe the best community is a place you can be free and fi nd solitude. Communities allow for a person to explore their passion in life without being judged. Individuals must have a safe place where they do not have to worry about being comfortable. A community can be your home and friends, the local diner and its patrons, your neighborhood community center, work, or even your group of friends. I believe it is essential to take away the traditional defi nition of the community and look at the relationships in your life and realize they are your community. In my personal life, my communities are those areas and people who understand not only my bad days but my good days as well. My community is my friends, my classmates, and my family who continue to support me. I fi nd peace in going out and discussing life with others who can identify with me and support me in the journey of life. Everyone needs to fi nd others that can relate to them and help them through their crying moments. My favorite quote is “ Cry Standing up”. Surround yourself with people who are willing to help you stand back up and cry with you. Build your community fi lled with things and people that allow you to be you. What Does Community Mean to Me? Gina Rieger, Tiffi n University Student What is your ideal community? What do you see, hear, or feel? My ideal community is: ...a place that provides protection. ...a place where I am accepted. ...a place where similarities and differences are respected. ...a place that challenges me to fi nd deeper personal fulfi llment. ...a place where we share each other’s lives, cultures, and traditions. ...a place where internal changes can happen in terms of attitudes and values. ...and that’s a community I want to be in. A community is a group of people residing in the same place who have common interests and attitudes. That defi nition implies acceptance, but why is it that so many people feel disconnected from their community? While many American citizens can attest to the defi nition above, it is not the reality for everyone. Individuals, families, and couples who have migrated to a different country can experience the disconnection between themselves and the community. To feel a part of the community, ethnicity, religion, and culture have been introduced by those who have migrated into their newfound homes. To further connect with their community, the migrated person may seek out others from a similar culture to connect through language, food, and music. People migrating to America may fall to cultural assimilation in that they adopt values, norms, and beliefs to fi t into a community, making no distinguishable differences between them and the current community members. To conform to their community, people migrating to America are required to change their language, values, rituals, culture, and religion. Migration can have a significant impact on local communities while providing new perspectives and ideas that can contribute to the notion of inclusiveness. However, communities can be sustained by creating diverse diverging communities to share and embrace each other’s lives. Communities can create fundamental meaning to life and cultivate change. The members in communities must develop sensitivity and an understanding of another ethnic group, and now that’s a community I want to be a part of. COVID in the City By Ben Stalets Local Musician/ TSN Volunteer COVID shocked the world by uprooting nearly every sense of normalcy we had. It has been detrimental to the economy on a large Page 5 Ben Stalets scale and absolutely devastating to local economies and more specifi - cally small businesses. As it often goes, in the face of chaos, community blooms. Being stuck in Toledo has really allowed me to zoom in on the way our small community was affected and furthermore how it came together. Local business, Ottawa Tavern, hadn’t been opened one full weekend when COVID shut down our country. Things were looking good for the owner, Zack and his employees but out of nowhere it all seemingly went to pot. Another local business, Toledo Spirits, was really hitting its stride with its bar; Bellwether and its namesake distillery. Musicians throughout the Toledo area were, as always, playing on the weekends and even some weekdays. All of it came to a halt. What was next? Not even a couple weeks later Toledo Spirits found a niche market for a good cause they could create with their distillery; hand sanitizer. Zack, Ottawa Tavern’s owner, plotted a virtual concert benefi ting his bar and employees. Musicians live-streamed shows and it was met with open arms by local concert goers. The Arts Commission provided grants for local artists - easy application and high approval rate. This optimism and hopefulness fostered community. Virtually every move and every post a small business made online was being shared hundreds of times. The community was showing up big time for these businesses. I’m hesitant to say anyone thrived during the shutdown. Perhaps they didn’t. I watched the small businesses of Toledo, from the comfort of my sweatpants and recliner, hold on to their seats. I watched Toledoans donate, buy, and support in the face of economic collapse. I’ve always loved my hometown but it was really heartening to bare witness to how we came together in the face of chaos. We’re still in the chaos and we’re still coming together.
6 Publizr Home