PAUL BRADLEY
PRESIDENT, ROC USA
We are always
BETTER TOGETHER
I’m going to write it as I’m feeling it: I’m happy to close the books on 2022 – and the last few years for that matter – on a personal level with challenges that were presented to our family, but also with the challenges we all faced nationally and locally in our communities. It’s not that we’re not informed by those years. There were a lot of important things accomplished by a lot of people, but it’s time to create a new story beginning for 2023 and beyond. Carpe diem!
I want to start 2023 off with the Co-ops Celebrating Co-ops event in New Hampshire and our Board retreat last week in Baltimore. I want to start my year celebrating the strength of what we have together, the connections and purpose we share with Resident Owned Communities, TA providers and all the people and organizations who help make resident ownership viable and successful.
It is through our connections – our relationships – that we recharge our batteries. We all long for connection. And in your roles as ROC Members and leaders, connecting with fellow Members and leaders is closer at hand now than might be obvious!
You are a part of a now 21-state network of 304 ROCs and 21,500 Member-owners. Feeling isolated as a ROC Board member? Did you know there are 1,500 ROC Board members from coast to coast?
ROC USA is a national center with resources for ROCs as well as a connection point for ROC Members and leaders. Both the resources we have available and our ways of helping ROC leaders and Members connect with one another are always evolving.
Here are some ways co-op leaders can connect with one another:
- ROCKET is our newest online training tool available for all ROCs and community Members. It’s engaging, insightful and available 24/7. Our Winter 2023 featured trainings include: “Protecting your Privacy Online 2.0,” “Communications and Social Skills – Resolving Conflict 2.0,” and “Infill – Filling Vacant Lots (Also Available in Spanish).” Be sure to register here for these free trainings and many more.
- ROC Association is an association of 304 ROCs with a national Board and national committees! Your ROC is a Member by virtue of your current or former TA relationship with a ROC USA Network TA provider. ROC Association meetings and events are a great place to connect with other leaders around the country. Learn about grant opportunities, sign up for a monthly call or learn about upcoming legislation
- Drop by ROC USA’s Better Together Facebook page to connect with other leaders, read inspiring stories from ROCs across the country and learn about what other ROCs are doing to spread kindness in their communities. For example, at Lakeville Village in Geneseo, N.Y., the ROC established a “Good Neighbor-Helping Hands Spotlight,” where anyone can nominate a neighbor for an act of assistance or kindness.
- Check out our Ownership Matters Podcast, where we feature conversations with people who live in, work with and advocate for ROCs. And if you have an idea for a guest or a subject, please let us know!
- I also encourage you to read a few of my favorite news stories. “If you Build it, They will Give” features Liberty Landing Cooperative, a Missouri ROC whose members created a Blessings Shed and Library to help provide other neighbors with food. Lehigh Valley Community is Pennsylvania’s First ROC is a look at Evergreen Village Cooperative in Mt. Bethel, Pa. We are so excited to grow and expand into Pennsylvania.
- You might also like to hear homeowners and co-op leaders who appeared on two recent National Public Radio stories! These two stories highlight two Manufactured (Mobile) Home Communities and their different journeys. Here are the link to both radio reports: Royal Crest Mobile Home Park in Wareham, Mass., and Lee’s Trailer Park in Revere, Mass.
Please come back and visit ROCUSA.org for more stories and resources. We stand shoulder to shoulder with you and your community and love our connection. We are Better Together in 2023 and beyond!
“Human connections are deeply nurtured in the field of shared story.”
– Jean Houston
