Dreams Welcome Week

Originally published in the Columbus Telegram

Today we invite you to share your dreams, and perhaps dream a little bigger! Specifically, I’d like to invite you to attend “Dreams Welcome Week” Nov. 9th–12th.

The Nebraska Community Foundation Annual Celebration is the biggest event hosted by NCF each year. Typically hundreds of community builders from across the state gather at this event to share ideas, learn from one another, and work together. Normally we would have a significant number of local volunteers from affiliated funds in our region attending the event.

As we all know by now, circumstances of 2020 have forced all of us to consider new ways of convening, teaching, and learning together. As a result, this year’s celebration will take place on virtual platforms throughout the entire four-day period. The up-side is that we hope that this format will allow lots and lots of ambitious Nebraskans to attend.

In 2020 the theme for the event focuses on making Greater Nebraska a place where everyone belongs. The virtual sessions will cover a wide variety of topics important to those working to build a Greater Nebraska, and particularly focus on welcoming people to our hometowns.

“Dreams Welcome Week” invites everyone to Greater Nebraska and invites all those who come to share their dreams with their neighbors and their hometowns. Let me whet your appetite with just a couple highlights of the week.

As one example of how this will be executed, the opening session on Monday will share stories of how Nebraska hometowns are attracting and retaining youth and young adults. First and foremost, we want people to understand that it is possible to attract youth to your hometown. In fact, right now is a unique opportunity to do just that! In the session on November 9th, you’ll learn some things communities can do to increase their odds as we’ll learn what Nebraska students want in the places they call home and the steps you can take to make your community more welcoming and appealing to the next generation.

One of the Wednesday sessions will focus on inviting community members with untapped potential to co-create the future of your hometown. This session will offer tangible tools to help local volunteers understand the abundance of talent and commitment that exists in EVERY hometown and how to utilize it.

Sessions will be held afternoons and evenings Monday through Thursday that week. The schedule concludes with what would normally be the NCF Annual Celebration on Thursday evening, Nov. 12th, and actually this year’s program will be no less inspiring than ever.

The virtual format is allowing NCF to offer attendance to anyone, at no cost! Believe me, if you care about Greater Nebraska and the hometowns that exist here, you will find the evening inspiring and enjoyable. You’ll hear some really awesome stories from fellow Nebraskans and when you close the window on your computer that evening, you’ll be ready to tackle the window of opportunity that’s currently open for all of us!

For registration details on “Dreams Welcome Week,” you can get information and download the brochure at www.nebcommfound.org/events. And if you are so inspired, you can go right ahead and register for the Annual Celebration livestream right here: www.nebcommfound.org/register.

One thing that won’t change about NCF annual events whether they’re in-person or virtual is that you’ll be able to bring your biggest passions and your brightest ambitions, and you’ll find people ready to support those working alongside you. All dreams are welcome here!

 

 

 

 

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