The community development project Heart and Soul, that’s aim is to get community members connected to what makes their town special and engage residents in town decision making, is taking their next step.
The Galesburg Community Foundation has hired Deb Moreno to serve as the Grants and Program Coordinator for the Heart and Soul initiative.
Moreno moved to Galesburg in 1985 as a Knox student and since then has started a business, reported at The Register-Mail, taught at Knox and Sandburg and put five kids through Galesburg schools.
She tells WGIL that serving in these capacities has made her aware of some of the community’s issues.
“I wanted to help Galesburg in its process of moving through these hard times,” Moreno says. “I think that we’re ripe for renewal and rejuvenation and the Orton program is going to help us.”
But Moreno says for Heart and Soul to be successful, she can’t do it alone.
“Our goal is to be as inclusive as possible,” Moreno says. “This isn’t about the majority of the community participating, its about everyone participating.”
Next the project will assemble a leadership of approximately 20 people and conduct a community network analysis.
