Diversity, Ethnic and Cultural Awareness (49 Responses)

• Become more diverse and more united
• Grow in understanding
• Welcome, encourage and value different ethnic, racial, cultural, religious, age and socioeconomic groups
• Offer acclimation services for new residents
• Be diverse and family friendly
• Create intercultural sharing
• Have multicultural community center
• Have translators and interpreters
• Help everyone feel comfortable living here
• Hear voices of all individuals and groups
• Have less prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination

Building Community (43 Responses)

• Have small town feel, sense of community, friendly environment
• Great place to live, rich with traditions and annual events where people want to stay and raise families
• Stable population where we remember our roots
• Have close neighborhood ties
• Feel unified, everyone feels valued and is respectful of cultures and diverse ideas
• A community where people take care of one another and stand up for beliefs
• A community that is:

o Close
o Strong
o Connected
o United
o Harmonious
o Safe
o Trusting
o Healthier
o Vibrant
o Progressive
o Less isolated

• A community that has:

o Taken advantage of our great potential
o Done community visioning
o Identified what it means to be a community
o A sense of identity with metro-wide pride and unity

Values (39 Responses)

• Have more hope rather than fear
• Be progressive but maintain values
• Unite to work for common goal
• Know and lift each other
• Be civil, caring, honest, faithful, trusting, open-minded with compassionate relationships
• Unify to find what’s best for youth
• Continue to build character
• Be kinder, more respectful of self and others
• See that we are integrated and connected within and with other communities
• Be welcoming
• Have global perspective with Midwestern values
• Have clear priorities: God, family, morals, youth, love with no exceptions
• Be aware of others’ needs, not prom dresses
• Increase awareness: values more important than material things
• Stop thinking that certain neighborhoods are “better than anyone else”
• De-emphasize being BEST and emphasize being active in community
• Get more people involved in community, leadership and caring about community life
• Be proactive: believe we can vision, shape our community and give it direction
• Strive for peace and less suffering
• Slow down, enjoy and appreciate life

Support Systems (20 Responses)

• Join together in neighborhoods, faith-based community events, cultural and recreational activities
• Develop neighborhood associations
• Offer classes on cultural awareness and poverty
• Offer English as Second Language classes for adults
• Educate workforce
• Expand Character Counts into businesses
• Attract community service-minded businesses
• Expand resources to strengthen families
• Meet needs of changing population
• Always ask community how to improve
• Establish welcome center to meaningfully integrate new residents into activities, services and community
• Read Ishmael by Quinn

Involvement (18 Responses)

• Have greater involvement by more citizens, families, people of all ages and talents
• Have more unique opportunities for involvement
• Have service projects as ways to get to know others and create unity
• Develop values around meaningful service
• Engage people in social issues and voting
• Have more faith-based community events
• Have more business involvement to help schools and community
• Empower community members to meet own needs and solve local issues

Perceptions (14 Responses)

• Keep improving good image
• Have reputation for sharing and not flaunting affluence
• Welcome the non-English speaking
• Be known for diversity and caring and less for affluence
• Have clear priorities
• Be viewed as ally, not adversary or rival, to metro area cities
• Be viewed as leader in metro cooperation and building quality life for all
• Be known as one of the most caring communities in the nation
• Have nobody suffering from neglect and cruelty