ALLEN COUNTY COMMON THREADS
Building Our Capacity for Collaboration in Civic Life
 
The Common Threads approach develops the capacity of people to participate in shaping the future. Throughout Europe, individuals and organizations are implementing this vision through projects built around local creativity and collaboration. For example, "Nature’s Fairytale" is a Lithuanian project designed to help children simultaneously develop an aesthetic and scientific awareness of nature. In Northern Ireland, "Pathways to Peace and Reconciliation," is a community education project through which children collect stories  from families and neighbors to create art activities that help them appreciate the diversity within their community. Inspired by the European vision, six Allen County, Ohio organizations have developed projects that demonstrate the Common Threads idea in action. Some represent new initiatives while several evidence the maturing fruits of longer-term programs. All projects cultivate the Common Threads commitment to local creativity and collaboration. The organizations and projects featured in this exhibit are:
The Art of Tolerance
Bath Elementary School and Students

The Riverside North Neighborhood Association Block Patrol and Related Activities
City of Lima and Riverside North Neighborhood Association

Lima Community Center
Lima Family YMCA, Lima Memorial Hospital, City of Lima, Lima Technical College

Sharing Differences and Discovering Similarities
Girl Scouts of Appleseed Ridge

"Can’t We All Just Get Along?" Lima, Ohio Study Circles and Allen County, Ohio Diversity Day
City of Lima, Clergy Task Force, Ohio State University, and Allen Lima Leadership

Talking Walls: Exploring Diversity Through Common Themes
The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton College



 

These six Allen County projects and the October 2001 exhibition and conference, serve as points of departure for an ongoing county-wide initiative to apply the Common Threads approach to critical issues impacting the Allen County area. A diverse 29-member planning team has identified trust among leaders and respecting differences as the critical civic issues for this initiative. The steering committee has also identified seven key themes that together should characterize the efforts of the initiative. These themes are: Participation, Responsibility, Trust, Sharing, Dialogue, Community and Sustainability. By adopting the Common Threads approach to key issues in our area, participating citizens can contribute to the Allen County Common Threads vision – to build our capacity for collaboration in civic life. Allen County Common Threads Exhibition Credits
Content Development and Writing: Hans Houshower, Bluffton College
Design: Drew Cronenwett and Mollee McMullen, Graphica Design, Inc.
Webpage: Tobias S. Buckell, Alex Dugger, Bluffton College
Installation: Gregg Luginbuhl, Bluffton College
Special Thanks for ideas, photographs and all your creativity and hard work to: participating Girl Scouts of Appleseed Ridge, Linda Lehman and students of Bath Elementary School, Riverside Neighborhood Association "neighbors and friends", Bill Blewitt, President – The Lima Community Center, and Allen Lima Leadership.
Thank You to the Sponsors of Allen County Common Threads:

Primary Sponsors
Ford Motor Company:
Lima Engine Plant
Ohio Arts Council
The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts
Center of Bluffton College

Sponsors
Bank One
Blanchard Valley Regional
Health Center, Bluffton Campus
Bluffton College
Citizens National Bank
Lima Auto Mall
Lima Community Foundation
Spherion

  

 

 


Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

Creation of the Lima Community Center is the product of a vigorous, courageous collaboration including city government, a large regional hospital, a technical college, private donors, eight lending institutions, and others, all working with the local YMCA. The center includes a family YMCA with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, a rehabilitation center for people recovering from illness, a childcare center and a scenic outdoor river walk. This successful fundraising and community development project required new levels of trust and collaboration among partners and constituents. The outcome was not simply functional space for recreation and wellness activity, but an architecture that embodies cross-sector collaboration and enhances the central business district.

“Our YMCA/Community Center is considered an uncommon success story. When I came on board, I was amazed to discover that there wasn’t anything on paper. Community leaders told me, ‘We just sat down in a room and agreed to do it.’ Of course there were challenges along the way, but the entire facility was built on agreements and trust among the four partners and community leaders. This idea of education, government, health care and a non-profit building together from scratch is truly unique.”
Bill Blewitt, - The Lima Community Center

Creating the Lima Community Center
Lima Family YMCA, Lima Memorial Hospital, City of Lima, Lima Technical College

 










 

 

Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

“Sharing Differences and Discovering Similarities” brings together Girl Scouts of Appleseed Ridge (county-wide) from diverse environments including urban neighborhoods, suburban townships, rural villages, and parochial and public schools to explore their experiences of being an individual, making friends and being girls through collaboration and art. Together, under the guidance of Columbus, Ohio artist, Jenita Landrum-Bittles, they are creating a mixed-media installation that expresses the differences and similarities in their stories. Featured in this exhibition, the installation will be permanently installed in the offices of Appleseed Ridge. 

“I want all the girls to think of themselves as larger-than-life and to be able to accomplish anything, regardless of their background or experiences. To achieve this goal, we are always crossing bridges from differences to similarities. When we think about who we are, we are always somebody’s daughter or sister – we are all different but similar. Through the practice of making art, the girls are also learning patience and how to get along, even when they don’t like or understand what others are saying or doing.” Jenita Landrum-Bittles, artist

Sharing Difference and Discovering Similarities
Girl Scouts of Appleseed Ridge



 

 

 

 

 










 

Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

Through "The Art of Tolerance," students in the Bath Elementary School view and discuss artwork that is representative of cultural an ethnic diversity, engage in lessons in conflict resolution, and produce artwork representative of their studies.

"We studied a variety of cultures, concentrating on the importance of appreciating cultural differences and acknowledging the ‘common threads’ that bind us all together. We approached these themes in ways that made sense for children at different grade levels. First graders studied the dragon on a Chinese emperor’s robe, read The Last Dragon by Chris Soentpiet (who visited our school), created their own dragon and danced to Chinese music. Fourth grade students studied the Korean celadon pottery tradition before practicing this technique, and they studied and interpreted personal adornment across a variety of cultures." 
Linda Lehman, Bath Elementary School

Bath students have also begun a project that integrates arts, social studies and conflict resolution using the African American "Great Migration" as their starting point. This project will continue during Fall 2001.

The Art of Tolerance
Bath Elementary School and Students

 










 

Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

The Riverside North Neighborhood Association and City of Lima, Ohio have implemented a successful Block Patrol and related activities that bring together sometimes non-cooperative groups and organizations for neighborhood improvement. Since August 1996, teams of neighbors have logged over 6,500 hours “walking the streets” in high crime areas and, in partnership with the City’s Community Oriented Policing initiative, have reduced Riverside police calls from 20% (highest in the City) to 3%. The neighborhood association works closely with the City’s code enforcement division, and develops and sponsors a variety of community development activities including garden planting, bike repair, and home health visits. United to fight and resist crime and urban blight, this diverse group has also developed lasting friendships through their many activities and high visibility. The Riverside quilt, featured in this exhibit, was created by these collaborative and creative neighbors to tell their story.

“We joined because we saw the group outside in their yellow shirts, working to make the neighborhood better and safer. We said, ‘Let’s get involved too.’ ”
Tom Lester, Sr. and Ruthie Mays

“We also go to “court watch” where we sit quietly in our shirts, so that the judge understands that we are interested and concerned with what happens in our neighborhood. One time, the judge actually closed the court and went to visit a derelict house before taking action against the property owner.”
Estella and Phyllis West

The Riverside North Neighborhood Association Block Patrol and Related Activities
City of Lima and Riverside North Neighborhood Association

 

 

 

 










 

Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

“Talking Walls: Exploring Diversity Through Common Themes,” is a project developed by the Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center and the Bluffton College Education department, to offer a course (for teacher recertification credit) that explores the particularities of diverse cultures as revealed in children’s literature through the most common, ordinary objects – a wall or a bowl of rice. The perspective of the course is that children (and adults), who have not been exposed to other perspectives, can believe that there is only one right way to view things and this can often lead to conflict. Exposing children to multiple perspectives and learning to honor, respect and “see” through someone else’s eyes can lead to a more profound respect and understanding of others. Through the workshop, teachers created projects built on this perspective and learning goal. “While participating in the Talking Walls workshop,

I was reminded of the complexity, detail and expression that can be achieved when students experiment with even the simplest materials and literature. I decided to incorporate simple direct application crayon batik with a unit on line drawing while we explored the cultural diversity in shoe design.”
Sandra Corbet, Jackson City High School – Walk the World of Discoveries

“After reading ‘Marushkas Egg’ by Elsa Okon Rael, and studying the history of Faberge eggs, students created their own eggs. The students ideas were very unique just as each Faberge egg would be or the basket of eggs Marushka had to choose from.”
Liesl DePalma, Lima Central Catholic – Eggs

“After reading several novels and stories that dealt with internment and Japanese culture, the students drew images they felt represented this culture and experiences. They folded their drawings and assembled them into fans.”
Erika Snyder, Elementary School - Fans Sharing

Talking Walls: Exploring Diversity Through Common Themes
The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton College, Bluffton, Ohio

 


 

 

 











 

Allen County

building our capacity for 
collaboration in civic life

“Can’t We All Just Get Along?” features the work-in-progress of the Lima Study Circles and Diversity program developed by the City of Lima, Clergy Taskforce, Ohio State University – Lima, and the Allen Lima Leadership organization; the program exists to foster discussion and dialogue on racial issues for community building. Concerned about racial violence following the 1992 Rodney King verdict, Lima Mayor, David Berger, called together a group of ministers to discuss ways to improve racial relationships in the Lima community. The resulting Lima Study Circle’s program has involved over 59 churches and 4,000 people in structured conversations about race, racism and strategies for healing and collaboration. One outgrowth of these ongoing conversations has been the creation of an annual Diversity Day program that features nationally recognized presenters – for example, former U.S. Senator, Bill Bradley and poet, Maya Angelou – and opportunities for countywide dialogue and education. In 1999, the national Study Circles Resource Center recognized Lima’s pioneering efforts with a Strengthening Democracy Award. Lima was the first city to adopt the study circles approach. 

“People have found the Study Circles helpful. There have been insightful experiences. On the other side, there is much more that we could do to address issues about race and violence. We hope the momentum building will continue.”
David Berger, Mayor of the City of Lima, Ohio

“What makes our program different is our unique partnership. We have city government, churches and the university all working together.”
Violet Meek, Dean and Director of The Ohio State University at Lima, Ohio Dialogue

“Can’t We All Just Get Along?” Lima, Ohio Study Circles and Allen County Diversity Day
City of Lima, Clergy Task Force, Ohio State University, and Allen Lima Leadership