Back in 2011, a few stakeholders in the Pequea Valley (PV) community, including churches, ministries, the Pequea Valley School District, and Paradise Township representatives, began meeting together. "(The Together Initiative Network - now known as TIN) started with the community's growing desire to do something good together," recalled Tim Rogers, one of the group's founders. "Several of us began getting together around shared common-good causes like park beautification ... poverty reduction, housing needs. Then we just started inviting more people who were like-minded."

Now, TIN meetings are held quarterly, usually at the Together Community Center, 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Since its inception, TIN has developed a mission that allows space for a number of entities with interests in bettering the community. "TIN exists to cultivate a collaborative neutral space to pursue equity in the Pequea Valley and neighboring communities," said Rogers. "We're the virtual town square of PV, trying to provide a ... space for collaborative solutions to community needs." Beginning with that foundation, TIN has developed a vision for the future. "TIN seeks to reduce generational poverty by increasing third-grade reading proficiency from 60% to 90% in five years," Rogers noted, explaining that this goal is crucial because data shows that students are four times more likely to drop out of school when they are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade. Adults at the lowest literacy levels are 10 times more likely to be living in poverty. "If we want to deal with a systemic issue like poverty reduction, we want to work toward one root cause, and it takes all of us," said Rogers.

The meetings follow a specific format, where attendees briefly share a challenge or a win and others consider how to partner, support, help, or connect in that area. "It was the format that seemed to accomplish our purpose the best," noted Rogers, who pointed out that organizers are always asking themselves for better ways to run the meetings.

Since the beginning, the number of community representatives attending has grown significantly, and now the business community and a number of county organizations are often represented. "I think (TIN meetings) are the fastest way to hear what's going on in our community from a variety of sectors," said Rogers. "It's a chance for people to learn about the opportunities and challenges (PV) faces and also a chance to work on a specific, targeted vision together."

Looking ahead, Rogers would like to see more PV-area residents get involved. "It's the fastest way I know of to get caught up personally with the heartbeat of our community and connect to a strategic group of people working on solutions to systemic problems," he said. "If you want to make a difference in our community and aren't sure how, this group can help you plug in so we're working together in even more impactful ways."

Readers who would like to learn more about TIN may email jen@gracepointparadise.com.