Driving Regional Transformation through Inclusion
The Arras Foundation in Lancaster, South Carolina, is using resident input and data to empower whole-of-region progress.
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Ben Speggen
47 posts
Ben Speggen serves as the Editorial Director at Our Towns Civic Foundation, where he helps capture and tell the stories of the people and places driving community renewal throughout the country.
Great Falls Reimagines Its Identity through Nature-Based Tourism
With community partnerships and resident input, the small South Carolina town is writing its next chapter.
Discussing the ‘Our Towns’ Journey on The News Project
Deb and Jim Fallows explore the ongoing story of Our Towns with Andrew McKeever on Greater Northshire Access Television's ‘The News Project: In Studio’.
‘Change is in the Air – in Redlands!’
A panel of residents, business owners, and community stakeholders discuss the southern California city then, and now.
How a Foundation Transforms the Well-Being of Residents
Our Towns' Ben Speggen talks with the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation team to discuss how the Foundation is empowering community development, has transformed a former grocery store into an innovative hub for nonprofits, and more.
How a Community Center Helps a Town Rise Again
Residents of Fort Lawn, South Carolina used a community development model to identify 51 actionable goals to improve their town. Today, they’re checking off the list, one by one.
Inside Our Towns: Erin Sanborn
Erin Sanborn discusses service and sustainability and the role the University of Redlands plays in the community and beyond with Evan Sanford in this episode of the Inside Our Towns podcast.
‘Uniting Americans through Service: How California is Leading’
California's Chief Service Officer discusses the California Volunteers' initiatives -- the impact CalVols is having in the state, and how it serves as a model nationwide at Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit event at the University of Redlands.
Inside Our Towns: John Kropf
John Kropf discusses his latest book, 'Color Capital of the World: Growing Up with the Legacy of a Crayon Company', which explores Sandusky, Ohio's innovative industrial heritage and his family's role in it.
‘How America’s Towns are Writing the Future of the Country’
Residents, coaches, reporters discuss local-level community revitalization initiative at Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit event.
A Year in Renew, A Year-in-Review: The Stories from 2022 of American Renewal
The Our Towns team looks back at the stories of local-level ideas that are driving and inspiring renewal nationwide.
2022: A Year in Renew, Continued!
A continued look back at the stories of local-level ideas that are driving and inspiring renewal nationwide.
2022: A Year in Renew
A look back at some of the stories of local-level ideas that are driving and inspiring renewal nationwide.
Inside Our Towns: Josh Fryday, California’s Chief Service Officer
National division might grab headlines, but the story of uniting citizens through service in California is growing.
Inside Our Towns: Scott and Tiffany Whaley
Feeding, sustaining, and building community in Kershaw, South Carolina through KARE.
Unlocking Potential
At-risk youth in North Carolina hold the keys to flipping a decommissioned prison into a sustainable farm and community asset.