Introducing Project Co-Create

Shayne Lopez • February 2, 2024

We see the strengths of Athens County.

At the Athens County Foundation, our promise is to invest in the county’s strengths. To fortify, amplify and magnify them.

For 40 years we’ve been building an infrastructure that works with the county, not just in the county. In the last 10 years, we furthered that commitment by asking ourselves to determine how we could contribute even more to Athens County. Thinking big, we asked the question: what are the core ingredients to advancing positive change, to crafting sustainable solutions, and to reshaping systems to work for more people?

The bottom line: The most effective solutions are the product of participatory change making.  

It’s the radical idea that when it’s possible for individuals, organizations, businesses, and institutions to blend their strengths and resources, they will produce lasting, powerful solutions.

With this ambition in mind and building on the practices we’ve already put into motion, ACF is expanding our focus on harmonizing and mobilizing resources across the county to advance important work through collaborations. Now it’s time to radically scale this approach to work for more people in more places, on more big opportunities, in Athens County.

This is Project Co-Create.



The Project

ACF is promoting participatory change making as a productive system that will leverage the county’s strengths. We are committed to investing in it and working with partners to advance it. But first, we need to define what “ it ” actually is.

 

Project Co-Create:

Defines and activates a participatory change making model so that Athens County can collaboratively develop solutions to address challenges and pursue opportunities with greater efficiency, speed, reach, and impact.

This model can become a system that harnesses the strengths of the county, open to everyone, to pursue shared goals.

 

A few notes:

  • The individuals involved should include those who are directly impacted by the work.
  • Collaborators must seek out perspectives and information from others.
  • While this is a continuum, it is not a linear process. Some projects may cycle as conditions change, some may achieve the goal without becoming a Collaboration.
  • A project can be initiated by anyone in the county who wants to bring people and parties together to work towards a shared goal or objective.

 

The Co-Creation Model

Throughout 2024, we’ll continue all current commitments and deliver on promises while we gather insights and information about how to increase participation and engagement. We will learn while doing, build while evolving. Our goal is to be in a position to fully adopt and scale the model in the county beginning in 2025.

 

Our Commitments to Athens County

Be a builder | Actively engage in community conversations and projects 

Be an ambassador | Represent the spirit of collaboration and inclusion everywhere you go

Be a champion | Give the work a greater chance for success by securing and investing resources 

Be a visionary | Focus on what is possible, relevant, and achievable, even if it would take a big lift.

Be an innovator | Think big and be part of the solution

Be a connector | Identify and invite in the strengths and perspectives that surround you   

 

Let’s Connect

Stay tuned. We have a lot to share in the coming months. And, if you want to be part of the conversation about this special initiative, sign up by clicking the button below!

 

 

Leading with our values.

Things change quickly, but our values don’t. Our focus on increasing engagement the county to form change-making collaborations is a direct reflection of our values. We are committed to our mission, driven by our vision, and guided by our values.

Inclusion

The experiences and perspectives of the diversity of people in Athens County are the foundation of effective, meaningful action. We elevate the voices of those who have struggled to be heard, and we strive for diversity in our initiatives and within our organization.

Collaboration

Results that matter come from community members, nonprofits, and public and private organizations working and learning together, listening, and engaging in constructive conversations. So, we will play the role that best supports progress – joining or leading – because we seek outcomes, not ownership.

Courage

Change requires us to be steadfast and bold in seeking solutions. We stay committed, ask challenging questions, take feedback, and lead with kindness.

Hope

Our community members make a powerful difference. Their ideas and expertise, their care and concern, their efforts and projects, their investments – these are strengths that inspire us to see opportunity in the face of challenging problems. We are unwavering in our belief that, together, we can make Athens County stronger.

Trust

Philanthropy and community engagement are built with integrity, authenticity, and accountability – by the ACF and by those we serve. The strength of our relationships will propel us toward our shared goals.

We’re proud of these values and even prouder to live them in everything we do.

 

Support our work by giving to the Advance Athens County Fund.

Pull up a Chair: June Newsletter

By Emily Prince • June 9, 2026
Stronger Together

Leadership Athens County Celebrates 20 Years of Community Leadership and Connection

By Dani Esperanza • May 26, 2026
On Thursday, May 21, community members gathered at the Athens Armory to celebrate the graduates of the 2026 Leadership Athens County Flagship and Youth cohorts, honor 20 years of Leadership Athens County, and officially launch the Leadership Athens County Alumni Association. Hosted by the Athens County Foundation, the evening reflected the program’s long-standing commitment to cultivating local leadership rooted in connection, collaboration, and service. Over the past two decades, Leadership Athens County has brought together emerging and established leaders from across the region to deepen their understanding of Athens County, strengthen relationships, and develop the skills needed to create meaningful community impact. In her opening remarks, Athens County Foundation Executive Director Kerry Pigman reflected on the program’s origins and enduring purpose. “Leadership Athens County exists because people chose to invest in each other and in this community,” Pigman shared. “Tonight may represent the end of your program, but it is also an invitation. An invitation to stay engaged.” Throughout the evening, speakers returned to a common theme: leadership in Athens County is built through relationships, trust, and a shared commitment to community. Communications and Engagement Manager Emily Prince, a member of the very first Leadership Athens County cohort in 2006, reflected on how the program shaped her own leadership journey and deepened her sense of belonging in Athens County. “Leadership Athens County helped me to find the opportunities I needed to be who I want to be,” Prince said. “I want to be a person who forges a path, clears the rocks, and levels the roots. I want the next generation’s road to be smoother than mine so that they can run farther.” Graduates from both the adult and youth cohorts shared personal introductions of one another throughout the ceremony, highlighting the relationships, growth, and mutual support developed over the year. Their reflections emphasized the diversity of leadership styles and experiences represented across Athens County, from educators, nonprofit professionals, artists, healthcare workers, and advocates to students already stepping into leadership roles within their schools and communities. Leadership Athens County facilitator Dani Esperanza reminded attendees that the program is grounded in an asset-based approach to leadership. “The leaders we need are already here,” Esperanza said during the commencement ceremony. “We don’t need a ‘hero’ leader who will save the day and come up with all the solutions. We need to identify our individual and collective strengths, harness them to make change, and support one another throughout the process.” The event also marked the official launch of the Leadership Athens County Alumni Association, an initiative designed to strengthen connections among the program’s more than 400 alums and create opportunities for continued collaboration, mentorship, service, and learning. Speaking during closing remarks, Leadership Athens County alumna Mallory Swaim reflected on the importance of sustaining those connections long after graduation. “The greatest strength of Athens County has never been a building, an institution, or a single organization,” Swaim said. “It has always been the people. The people are willing to invest in one another. The people willing to stay engaged.” The evening also included fundraising efforts to support the Leadership Athens County Fund, which is helping to seed an endowment dedicated to supporting Leadership Athens County Youth in perpetuity and to ensuring that future young leaders can participate fully regardless of financial barriers. As the evening concluded, graduates, alums, families, and community partners celebrated not only the accomplishments of the 2026 cohorts but also the growing network of leaders who continue to shape the future of Athens County together. Nomination forms are open for both the Flagship and Youth Programs:

Pull up a Chair: May Newsletter

By Emily Prince • May 13, 2026
Strength and Spirit of our Community