In the year since, they have delivered on their promise to be a continuing, vital part of the community. CNN's Valarie Kinkade says "What we set in motion was much bigger than Y2K. We intend for CNN to grow and serve our town's needs both now and as they change."

CNN has been active in a number of community projects throughout 2000, including working with victims of the fire at 747 Main Street (at right), maintaining a 130-member Neighborhood Contact network covering nearly the entire town, and continued development of local and regional working partnerships. They were also one of the organizations pivotal in the relaunch of the CCHS radio station, WIQH (opening night below left).

In the process, CNN has garnered increasing local and regional attention. More and more, governmental and private organizations are reaching out to this group to find ways to work together. Ongoing and developing relationships include the Massachusetts and Concord Emergency Management Agencies, the Concord Police, Board of Health, Adult and Community Education, and Water Departments, the Concord Board of Selectmen, Emerson Hospital, the Domestic Violence Victim Assistance Program (DVVAP), and the American Red Cross.

"CNN is unique," says Concord Police Chief Leonard Wetherbee, whose department has collaborated closely with this group since its inception. "I haven't heard of another organization in Massachusetts with the structure and vision of a comprehensive approach to neighborhood networking and community that CNN has. They should be the backbone of our town and a model for other communities throughout the Commonwealth."

The American Red Cross is similarly interested in watching, collaborating with and supporting the development of CNN as a possible prototype for other communities. The Massachusetts Bay Red Cross has met with CNN, and proposed a plan to initiate mutual emergency service support. Chandler Blackington, Concord's Red Cross representative, has outlined opportunities which include CNN members being trained in local emergency shelter management and as members of a Concord emergency response team.

The newly-formalized mission of CNN is to "promote and encourage communication among neighbors and between neighborhoods in order to improve the quality of life for all inhabitants of Concord, Massachusetts...to promote a strong community though regular, positive, and non-partisan interaction of its citizens." CNN is currently exploring many collaborative opportunities to fulfill this mission and is plotting its course for the coming year.

"Collaboration is for me at the very heart of community building," says CNN's Deborah Bier. "We are intent on fostering strong collaboration not only within our own organization, but also between neighbors, neighborhoods, organizations, and the town." She cites the rebuilding of the high school radio station as a powerful example of what can be accomplished when individuals, organizations, and town departments work in cooperation toward a common goal.

"We started as an ad hoc, grassroots organization, and Y2K showed us we could effectively come together out of our common need," says Jimi Two Feathers, another CNN member. To ensure its continued health and longevity, CNN is now investigating structural models to allow it to continue to function in a non-hierarchical way. "Like any thriving community, CNN has never been the responsibility of any one person -- it relies on a group effort," said Two Feathers. "We will develop an organizational structure that's consistent with the way we've worked."

CNN invites community members to work with them - both as individuals and as organizations. "It is never too late to join us," says Two Feathers. "If you are interested in Concord's quality of life, we welcome your input and participation." (CNN can be reached by calling Two Feathers at 371-2502 or by e-mailing Bier at webmaster@concordma.com.)

Photo: ©2001 Deborah Bier
Backgrounds: Icy opal backgrounds by Word of Mouth Design.