Passing the Mic: Heartside Downtown Neighborhood Association answers, "How are you preserving your neighborhood's unique history and stories?"

Amy Brower, Executive Director of Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association, asks Grand Rapids' neighborhood associations: "In the midst of all this fast moving change and planning for the future, how are they . . . still preserving some of the rich history of their unique neighborhoods, or some of the stories that reflect their past?" --- Mallory Patterson, Co-Chair of Heartside Downtown Neighborhood Association, responds, and passes a question on to other neighborhood associations in the city: "What advice would you give to newer neighborhood associations as it relates to best serving the community? And, with that, what do you wish you could change or do differently as you're thinking about the future of your organization?" --- Passing the Mic is a project of Grand Rapids Community Media Center (CMC) that promotes online, community-wide discussion of local issues and topics using the spoken word. Residents are invited to share one to three-minute audio responses to locally-focused questions from fellow neighbors, with questions geared toward all Grand Rapidians or specific communities within the city. Keeping the discussion going, speakers are encouraged to end their responses with their own question related to a local issue or topic -- passing along the opportunity to amplify community voices. Opinions expressed through Passing the Mic are those of the speakers and do not reflect the editorial voice of The Rapidian or CMC. Posted responses are subject to The Rapidian’s Terms of Use, which include adherence to  inclusiveness, civility, ethical reporting, proper credit, local emphasis, and open identity (no anonymous posting).