Mullanphy Community Drive, Part 2

A few years back, a book came out entitled "Bowling Alone". It was about the decline in our sense of community and the fall off in the number of community-based organizations. Fortunately, that's not much of a problem here in St. Louis.

Now in our high-tech age, we have the added power to create online communities. It's easier and cheaper than ever to network with others. Our challenge is to take this easy access and leverage it into action. We need to turn the easy access we enjoy and convert it into positive results.

Everyone visiting STL Rising is aware of the effort to help save the Mullanphy Emigrant Home. So far, proponents have raised about $15,000 of the roughly $150,000 needed to stabilize the storm damaged building. We need to take our efforts to the next level. We need to turn our friends and contacts into partners in the effort. Let’s use the internet as one tool to build a coalition of organizations supporting the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group in its effort to rebuild this landmark St. Louis building.

We need internet readers to approach their neighbors, friends, and membership organizations about joining the coalition to save the Mullanphy. Let’s create a grass roots movement around this cause. Starting online, then reaching out person to person, we can bridge St. Louis boundaries of neighborhood identity, wards, the north/south division, etc, to support a big-time, specific, historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization goal of one of our neighbors, Old North St. Louis.

This is also an opportunity for bloggers to use their influence to engage the community around this specific, community building goal.

Let’s hear from the folks. We need to build the network. And we need a name for the (Save-The-Mullanphy) Coalition. I pledge to organize all of the STL Rising responses and work to join these people and their organizations with the effort being led by the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.

Please contact me at rbonasch@sbcglobal.net or through the comment section to find out more about getting involved in this grass roots community building project.