Mary Butler

Good Morning Mary, thank you for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to continuing to learn with others how to best support my community through abcd. Kim

Hi Mary,

Things are good. Since the last time I wrote, I am deliberately creating space to discuss ABCD. For example, I met with the executive director of a community organizing group yesterday, and as we discussed the issues they address, I asked if they were using ABCD. She didn't know about it, so I shared information, my experience, this space and how it could be used to leverage the work her organization does. She was very interested, and I'm looking forward to continuing the discussion.

How are things on your end?

Hi Mary and many thanks for welcoming me to the ABCD community. I'm looking forward to participating. You're right about ways to effectively use ABCD to build and strengthen relationships. I met with two people yesterday about creating synergy through collaboration and we are off to a great start. I also use ABCD to increase social capital with the goal of making individuals and communities more resilient. I'm in Kansas City, MO and like many urban areas we are in the midst of significant social and economic development. The challenge may be connecting and collaborating with other organizations, getting on the same page understanding that we have the same vision but may have different approaches and strategies for getting there, and supporting each others' initiatives and efforts. I believe we are more prepared than ever to achieve the outcomes we want because of ABCD.

I'm looking forward to learning from others in this space and the ABCD tools provided on this site. I will definitely share information about the work we're doing in KCMO and hope it will help others.

Thanks again!