ALPINE –– A two-day Far West Texas Community-Building Summit for our region will begin the evening of Friday, January 17, at The Granada Theatre in Alpine with a live presentation by author Doug Griffiths. His book, 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, will offer a road map for area leaders to strengthen and grow their communities through planning and collaboration.
Within 30 days of the event, a video recording of the January 17 presentation will be shown in each of the communities of the Big Bend and Trans-Pecos region as outreach to those who could not attend the original event.
On Saturday, January 18, attendees will participate in break-out sessions focused on local implementation of ideas from the book. Areas of focus include water quality and quantity, attracting businesses, engaging youth, community aesthetics, valuing the role of senior citizens, and embracing growth and change. Kendra Jones has joined the sessions as a facilitator, with Liz Grindstaff, Danelle Smith and Malinda Veldman.
Jones is a Texas-based consultant focused on leadership development, foresight and creative inquiry. Her professional work is often organized around global flows and the movement of people, goods, and information. Grindstaff has experience in planning, government relations, and management and has worked as a senior city staff leader and an elected official. Smith’s strengths include corporate, civic and nonprofit partnerships working together for a common goal. Veldman is a licensed mortgage loan originator and special projects coordinator.
New sponsors supporting the event include the Law Office of Julie M. Balovich, PLLC, Printco, Rasor Creative, Fabrica, and the Anonymous Foundation of a Friend of ACP. Other sponsors are Alpine Community Projects, Permian Basin Area Foundation, Still Water Foundation, Benjamin Garcia and The Granada Theatre, Front Street Books, and Jean and Chris Cornell. Additional sponsorship slots remain.
Details are available on the website at https://www.alpinecommunityprojects.org/january-2025-summit. Attendee registration through the site will be active in the coming days. There will be no charge for the event but space will be limited. The book 13 Ways to Kill Your Community is available at Alpine’s Front Street Books, and from online sellers.
Alpine Community Projects is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and an expressly non-partisan organization that supports, energizes, and undertakes projects that enable Alpine and its citizens to flourish and lead more fulfilling and happy lives at every age.
