Community defines and informs the best of America's small towns. During my time serving as the Community Engagement Coordinator with the City of Winooski, I had the privilege of witnessing a vibrant and diverse community celebrate anniversaries, adapt and manage growing pains, and get their hands dirty as they unfolded their own particular version of what a good life might look like in a town of only 1.4 square miles.

I find there's a certain un-sweetened truth that comes with recognizing and honoring the foundations of a community. Like black coffee; invigorating, occasionally frustrating, and surprisingly complex; the unique process of a changing community fostering dialogue with itself is the unrecognized catalyst of contemporary America.