My dream for my community is that civic participation becomes fun for everyone and leads to change.

In Wilson – population 800 – student enrollments are declining, more than one-third of the commercial downtown buildings are vacant, and the single largest age group is “over 65.” To bring the community together and ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, Wilson for the Ages will hold town hall meetings to solicit public input; develop a questionnaire distributed by mail, by hand, and online; and make personal contact to spread the word. As input is gathered, key issues will be identified and action plans coordinated.

“We intend to bring about a culture change in Wilson to one that listens to and includes all people, identifies needs and takes action – this as a normal and expected way of living together as a community,” said David.