Witnessing Change
This summer, I have had the opportunity to intern for the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation, supporting the Foundation’s mission through my work in marketing and communications. Among other things, working on the trail has allowed me to re-explore and reconnect with my hometown after six years away.
To grow up in Norfolk was to grow up around people on the move. Spending much of my childhood living near the naval base allowed me to see the city — a small-scale melting pot all its own — transform in real time as cross-cultural connections were made and experiences were shared. This style of upbringing taught me many things but, above all, it taught me the importance of finding community wherever you are.
I left Norfolk in 2018, finding community in the jobs and educational experiences that defined my early adulthood. Meanwhile, the city continued to evolve. Returning to Norfolk this summer and working with the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation was eye-opening. Some things about the city have certainly stayed the same, like the diversity of culture and character that I remember from childhood. However, in many ways, the city has changed dramatically.
Through the work of passionate local community members, Norfolk has transformed into an even stronger and more inclusive place. New activities, events, gathering places, and opportunities for creative expression have taken root across the city, demonstrating a new emphasis on community building. My role at the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation allowed me to see, first-hand, some of the effort that went into these changes.
The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation’s mission to create an inclusive and resilient trail is about more than just the physical infrastructure of the trail. It is also about fostering connections between people and connections between people and the land they live on. This mission is achieved through hard work both on the trail — maintaining the land around the trail, hosting events, and providing resources for trail users — and off — engaging with local leaders and business owners, community outreach, planning for the trail’s future expansion, and much more.
For generations, my family has lived by the water of the Elizabeth River and has been witness to the beauty as well as the challenges of the area. So, it is great to see the work the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation is doing to make this area more accessible, creating more space for people to connect — or, in my case, reconnect.
