It has not been a great year for our volunteer work with CDS as co-chairs of the Urban Section. We had a great time in Australia at the conference and visiting there and in New Zealand afterwards but since then our actual performance of duties has been negligible. We must confess to being skeptical about the government laying all the work back into the hands of citizens and businesses. It was a little too much like the 1000s of points of light. And we do need more partnerships with businesses.
Every little bit helps.
But it was still a little patronizing. No one wants to really change the systems to overcome the disparities in income and life style between the haves and the have-nots. Recently on Public TV in Philadelphia there have been programs about inner city Community Development Corporations being broadcast. I saw one about New Orleans and one about Boston. The programs were great and hopefully the audiences who saw them were moved to take action in their own communities.