The key to successful partnerships is that the civic association must first form its own shared vision of the future, decide on some realistic and practical steps toward the realization of that vision, and remain focused on those immediate goals. It will be hard if not impossible for local government, nonprofit agencies and business to work with the people of the neighborhood if they are uncertain and continually change their minds about what they want. The community insight process and grassroots action planning are designed to help local residents decide on a course of action that they can stay with over the months and years it will take to get the desired results.

Please be advised that a meeting was held with the owners of the Lowell Avenue shopping centers, Richard Maughan, President of Lowell Avenue Civic Association, the Community Development Agency and the Planning Department to discuss implementation of the recommendations which were presented at the New Directions sponsored workshop with the Lowell Avenue Civic Association. These involve elimination of illegal signage, replacement of the blighted dirt lot with a small amount of parking and a balance of grass and landscaping, and some improvements to the building.

I have just reviewed the New Directions Report that you sent me and I am impressed with the group's enthusiasm and support for Community Based Design Services. I hope you will continue to consider the School of Architecture and Design as a potential collaborator in your projects. Your "Circle of Hope" approach to "grass-roots" community design services is an important approach for our students to be aware of.

Over the last year, I tried to be a catalyst for a number of community activities that I felt would benefit our schools over the course of the next decade. My hope was that through public discussion on community needs, community members would step forward to lead and address pressing issues. Topics included safe and affordable housing, race issues, poverty, and community development. Each one of these topics can touch the lives of our children and negatively affect their ability to take advantage of the quality educational program that our schools offer. Through the newly created Family Support Center, I'm pleased to acknowledge that a number of our community members have stepped forward to lead on these important community issues. Mr. Bill Sells (former school board member) and Mr. Michael Dinowitz (current Bellport Teacher Association President) have joined together as co-chairs of the Community Circles Initiative in which they plan to convene 25 circles of 10 people each to discuss community needs over a four session cycle in the spring of 2004. More information regarding this initiative will be forthcoming.

Mr. Sells and Mr. Dinowitz join another community member, Mr. Herman Washington, who has been serving as the chairman of the South Country Hamlet Study Initiative, which is being guided by Dr. Lee Koppelman, Town of Brookhaven planning consultant. In addition, there are Community leaders who are taking the first steps in forming a South Country Heritage Trust Initiative, which I will discuss in a future letter.

All of these efforts are beginning because people in our community recognize that progressive and supportive communities go hand-in-hand with good schools. These community leaders are the types of role models that our children should see more often.

The above initiatives have their roots in a new program called Discover South Country which began with a presentation to our school board by Mr. Robert J. Mulvey, Executive Director of a nonprofit group called New Directions. As a partner in our Family Support Center, New Directions is helping to establish active citizen participation using adult learning models, supported by university and corporate sponsors.

New Directions is not new to our community. Previously, they have been active with other community groups creating what is known as the Bellport Station report which discussed neighborhood planning. Since April New Directions has introduced us to national and regional community-building resources as potential partners for all of the community initiatives. These include: Dr. Lee Koppelman, Town of Brookhaven planning consultant; Sarah Page, Executive Director of the Institute for Community Economics (ICE), along with John Davis and Mary O'Hara of the Burlington Associates, technical assistance providers for ICE; Dr. Richard Dina, CEO and Executive Director of Family and Children's Association; and Michael McCormick, Program Director for the Study Circles Resource Center.

Another community partner has been Citibank. Citibank has underwritten the above initiatives and supported New Directions in helping to provide us with guidance. In addition, Citibank is helping to open the door to other corporate sponsors that will hopefully help sustain the initiatives in the future.