Nov 8, 2012 3 min read

A meeting was held Thursday of stakeholders invested in the future success of the city of Washington and East Washington Borough.

About 100 people attended the special gathering of the Washington Civic Leadership Institute at Washington & Jefferson College, which was designed to identify problem matters in the communities and find people and organizations willing to step up to the plate to resolve them.

“We wanted to reach out to people who we can now turn to,” said Fred Fleet, president of the Highland Ridge Community Development Corp. and institute member who coordinated the event. “The idea was to continue with what we have learned” over the past year.

The institute was formed nearly a year ago as a collaboration between East Washington, Washington and W&J. It was funded through a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

The goal of the institute was to create a network of leaders who can act together to make progress toward a positive vision for greater Washington.

Pittsburgh-based Coro Center for Civic Leadership designed and facilitated the institute that included some 20 participants who met monthly to enhance their leadership skills and identify ways to help the community and get other people involved.

On Thursday, government officials, business owners and representatives of various nonprofit organizations exchanged ideas as to what needs to be fixed for the area to prosper. Issues included economic development, especially in the city’s downtown district; communications gaps; financial education; and volunteerism.

“This is a great opportunity for the city, borough to make change at this period of time,” said W&J President Tori Haring-Smith. “We’ve now got a snowball that’s starting to run.”

Washington Mayor Brenda Davis described the institute as a group of “genuine people caring about the community” and who are helping build bridges to everyone in the city and borough.

Those in attendance began the meeting by introducing themselves and offering a word of inspiration for the others. Those words included hope, diversity, commitment, truth and resurrection.

Afterward, it was time for brainstorming to begin.

“It boils down to the quality of life,” said J.R. Shaw, executive director of Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency.

Milana Nick, a mother of two young children who was born and raised in Washington, said she has witnessed a significant change in the community since she was a child and finds its disheartening to realize how things are now.

“It’s all about community, about relationships,” she said.

Many people agreed that while others may put forth efforts to find a solution, it’s up to others to come to the forefront to make things work.

Meanwhile, Fleet said the big issue that came out of the work session is the “social disconnect” in the community. “We need to work together to spread the word,” he added.