ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK WARNER
ON HALLOWEEN this year, the children in my neighborhood got dressed in their costumes just like they usually do. They grabbed bags for candy just like they usually do. And the little Power Rangers, angels and princesses headed out to go trick or treating - at the mall.
The idea of spending Halloween in a mall is a little disconcerting for those of us who remember the entire neighborhood coming together for good candy, good conversation and good clean fun. Unfortunately, for many parents, taking the kids out in the neighborhood on Halloween is not an option. Simply put, we've lost a sense of community in this country.
And perhaps with good reason. While social issues continue to become more complex, political discussion remains stagnant, usually covering old ground. The current Congress continues to frame the debate as a choice between "big government" and "getting government off our backs." These cliches simply do not address the problems we face.
But there is hope. Outside of the national debate, a third option is emerging at the local level - an option that can help restore a sense of community in America. It's called a community alliance - government working in conjunction with business and nonprofit organizations.
To create community alliances, we need action - not from Washington, or even from Richmond, but from us, citizens like you and me. We must admit that while Washington has a role, the federal government cannot do everything; and we should stop asking it to.
Every day, community groups across the country keep children away from drugs, teach adults to read, and help people lift themselves from poverty. As journalist Robin Garr writes in his recent book, "Reinvesting in America": "I'm convinced that we can look to these small-scale, local efforts to find responses to the problems of poverty that are not only more effective but more humane than our current social service and welfare programs."
In addition to making real progress in solving social problems, community-based programs foster civic involvement and community participation. Most of these organizations depend on the time and energy of volunteers. Together, citizens take back their streets and their schools and get results.
For all their successes, however, community-based organizations cannot conquer hunger, poverty and homelessness alone. While they possess abundant energy, new ideas and community support, they lack money and time.
That's where government comes in. Instead of simply creating new programs in Richmond or Washington, we should build up successful ideas from the grass roots. Government can help forge community alliances, bringing business leaders and nonprofit groups together to achieve a common goal - acting as a catalyst, but giving the partners freedom to develop local solutions.
Here in Virginia, we have developed a model for the rest of the country to follow. In 1992, the General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care created a nonprofit independent organization known as the Virginia Health Care Foundation.
The foundation, through a combination of public and private funds, provides seed money for projects delivering primary health care to uninsured and medically underserved Virginians throughout the state. When a local community comes up with a good idea to alleviate the problem of health-care access, the foundation can provide the spark to get the engine going.
The Foundation's projects include success stories like the Roanoke Adolescent Health Partnership. Thanks to RAHP, teen-agers living in the Hurt Park public housing community have access to a teen health center open 40 hours per week, including evenings and weekends. The center offers physical exams, immunizations and help in the management of chronic diseases.
Just as important, the health center has become a significant part of community life for teen-agers. For example, young adults who use the center opened a haunted house on its premises this past Halloween. In addition to bringing kids together for a good time, the haunted house helped promote the health center within the community.
Partnerships among government, nonprofits and businesses can reach far beyond health care to cover a broad range of social concerns. Why not try the same approach for education, crime and a host of other issues?
Getting involved and getting results - that's what community alliances are all about. When we work side by side, investing our time and talents in a project, we do more than help those in need. We foster a feeling of togetherness lacking in many of our communities, and we renew a sense of civic pride - the bedrock of a successful democracy.
Perhaps we even spend Halloween in the neighborhood once again.
Mark Warner, the founding chairman of the Virginia Health Care Foundation, is a former chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia.
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