Category Archives: Case Foundation
Roots of Passion… finding happiness thru meaningful work
Check out Live Happy magazine on newsstands everywhere this month (Feb. 2015). “Roots of Passion” focuses on four people who “found happiness in lives filled with purpose and meaning,” including 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and Front Porch Forum co-founder Michael Wood-Lewis…
Business owner offers $5,000 reward on FPF for info about fire
The Stowe Reporter used the Morrisville Front Porch Forum recently to learn…
A Morristown man is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for a fire that destroyed his business last year. But state fire investigators say the blaze wasn’t suspicious and there is no active investigation.
Most traditional media outlets in Vermont use their local FPFs for leads to stories that they investigate and report on. We’re glad to play this role… and others. Further, we appreciate when proper attribution is included in the piece, e.g….
He posted a notice on Front Porch Forum last week, offering a $5,000 reward in hope that someone would contact state police with information.
Stowe and the surround communities are fortunate to have the Reporter and the Record digging into local stories.
Creating resilient communities in Vermont
Front Porch Forum is proud to be part of the Vermont Digital Economy Project, which has had a big impact across the state over the past couple years.
“VCRD launched the Vermont Digital Economy Project to offer free support to speed flood recovery, spur economic development and job growth, and improve community resilience to disasters. The project worked directly with Vermont towns affected by 2011’s floods to help businesses, nonprofits and municipalities expand their use of online tools. Together with project partners, we helped increase digital literacy and online workforce training, added Wi-Fi and other public access points, brought a community-based social network to every Vermont town, created town websites and community calendars, promoted the use of “cloud” applications, and provided customized small-business and nonprofit training.”
Check out this interactive map for lots of stories and real-world results:
POSTED IN WINOOSKI – portraits in response to FPF postings
UPDATE from Dan…
PHOTO RECEPTION @ the BLOCK GALLERY in WINOOSKI
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, 5-7 PMStop in and view the photographs I am exhibiting that put a face on Winooskis Front Porch Forum. The portraits, made in collaboration with subjects, give a visual dimension to postings and neighbors you may know by name only. Also take time to enjoy the variety of topics that include live chickens, a bocce team, F-35s, a colossal sub, perky dogs, book readers, fallen trees, farmers market, artworks, postal clerks, an impressive hedge trimmer, a VFW barbeque, lawn sales, a grammar lesson, and of course pedestrian frustration over crossing Winooski’s problematic roundabout.
The exhibit will be up all month, at the Block Gallery in downtown Winooski, with a reception that is open to the public on Thursday, October 9th, 5-7 PM.
I hope to see you there.
Come see longtime local artist and UVM professor Dan Higgins’ exhibition…
POSTED IN WINOOSKI – portraits in response to FPF postings
Month of October
The Block Gallery and Coffeehouse
1 East Allen Street, Winooski, VT
Vermont inventor uses neighbors to test prototypes
From today’s Burlington Free Press…
Doug Hartwell, founder of Bitybean, developed an UltraCompact Baby Carrier, a business that he has launched…
“… when we got closer to our final prototypes, I actually put an ad on Front Porch Forum saying: ‘Looking for Moms with Babies.’ Whenever we changed something in the prototypes or materials, I’d call them up and ask them to meet somewhere where they could try it on and tell us what they thought. One of those moms became the model for our first promotional material…”
“Bitybean was named one of the top 10 innovative products in the whole industry. That was huge break for us as it came just as we launched the business.”
More and more Vermont small businesses are using FPF to find customers, make hires, and complete research such as Doug. In a recent survey, 58% of the respondents shared that FPF helps local companies gain information valuable to their business.
Sunderland Selectboard takes action to fill vacant Town positions
Reported in the Manchester Journal yesterday…
In other business, [the chairman of the Sunderland Selectboard] said there has been discussion lately on Front Porch Forum, the social media site… about town government and… how to get more people involved in local government. He said Sunderland has been having trouble filling open positions, some of which include compensation…
“These positions are open routinely. The lister hasn’t been filled for years,” he said. “We just can’t get people to come in. The lister is a paid position. The auditor is a paid position; it’s 20 bucks an hour … it actually pays something. No one wants to do it.” Hyde said if these positions stay open, contractors would have to be hired…
The board decided to post meeting agendas to Front Porch Forum, to help disseminate the information.
Wise decision by town leadership! A new survey recently found that FPF subscribers are twice as likely to be “very informed” about local government services than those not using FPF. And the number of people who attend municipal meetings at least once a month increases 38% when joining FPF.
Discuss local civic engagement and Front Porch Forum
Michael Wood-Lewis, co-founder of Front Porch Forum, will be speaking at the following events this month…
Western Slopes Business Association session, Richmond, Vermont, Sept. 16, 2014, 8 AM- Vermont Connected Summit, Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, Sept. 23
- First-Year Seminar about In The Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time, by Peter Lovenheim, Castleton State College, Sept. 23, 7 PM
Please come and join the conversations.
Good neighbors are good for your health
Posted on the Huntington Front Porch Forum today by Holly…
Neighbors: A recently released study by Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health says that good neighbors are actually good for your heart!So keep loving each other & helping each other, and we’ll all live longer!Check out this piece from Nightly News re: the study.Thank you neighbors.
Does FPF effect local community? Survey says…
Before and after FPF… does it make a difference? We just concluded a survey of 964 Front Porch Forum (FPF) members (out of 6,500 invited). We asked FPF members to answer two-part questions about their experiences since joining FPF vs. before FPF.
Front Porch Forum helps neighbors connect. In the survey, 18% more members reported knowing most of their neighbors since joining FPF (vs. before joining FPF).
FPF also helps Vermonters get informed about local issues. Nearly four times more FPF members reported feeling “very informed” about local community issues since joining FPF.
And FPF helps people get involved and build community. About one-third more members work to make change in their local communities monthly since joining FPF.
See more results below.
Thanks to all who participated. And congratulations to Allison in Greensboro for winning our iPod prize drawing.
FPF helps people connect with neighbors. Since joining FPF…
- 3% more members say “hi” to neighbors monthly (vs. before joining FPF)
- 10% more members find it very/somewhat easy to make friends among neighbors
- 18% more members know most neighbors
- 24% more members have neighbors over to their home monthly
- 37% more members share goods or favors with neighbors monthly
FPF helps people get informed about local issues. Since joining FPF…
- 29% more members share news with neighbors monthly
- 68% more members feel “very informed” about local shops
- Two times more members feel “very informed” about local government services
- Nearly three times more members feel “very informed” about local clubs/organizations
- Three times more members feel “very informed” about local contractors
- Nearly four times more members feel “very informed” about community issues
- Four times more members feel “very informed” about opportunities to get involved locally
- Ten times more members feel “very informed” about neighbors’ views on local issues
FPF helps people get involved locally and build community. Since joining FPF…
- 10% more members intentionally “buy local” monthly (now 73% of members)
- 15% more members perform local volunteer work monthly
- 33% more members contact local public officials monthly
- 33% more members work to make change in their local community monthly
- 38% more members attend local public meetings monthly
- 43% more members attend local events monthly
- 89% of members have recommended FPF to someone
- 98% of members say that FPF helps their local economy (businesses find customers and new employees, neighbors save money, etc.)
Compelling one-day conference Sept. 23…
Registration just opened for…
Vermont Connected: Envisioning the Future of Vermont’s Digital Economy
Tuesday, September 23, at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.
Vermont Connected will be the culmination of the work of the Vermont Digital Economy Project, looking forward to Vermont’s future and sharing recent lessons learned from helping small businesses, nonprofits and towns in Vermont to effectively use digital tools. Tracks include:
- Educating for a Digital World
- K-12 and Beyond
- Bridging the Digital Divide
- Building Effective Organizations
- For Nonprofits
- For Small Businesses
- Creating Resilient Communities
- Open Data in Government and Beyond
- Resilience through Engagement
- Steering Vermont’s Digital Future
- Vermont’s Technology Industry
- The Creative Economy
Learn more and register today!
Front Porch Forum is one of many participating organizations.
About Blog
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more
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