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Notes from the trail:
United Community

United Community

I’ll be honest. I have changed this blog a solid six times before settling on the version you are seeing. January has been a lot!

For all the freshness a new year brings, we are also reminded of what is left to do. The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation strives to create a space of belonging for all on the trail, which is why we say the trail has something for everyone because it’s FOR everyone. This trail will remain an urban sanctuary for you— to gain perspective, to walk and talk, to be alone with your thoughts and the sound of the river, and also to gather with each other away from screens and noise—how grateful we are to have this resource here in our beautiful city.

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With your help, the ERT Foundation will continue doing our work of advocating for public access to the waterfront, off-road bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and environmental solutions to make our city more connected, all while planning for major projects, trail and amenity enhancements, spurs and free programming. This work is never done, and we were proud to start our year in service, spending January deeply focused on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his vision of the beloved community and a core value of our Foundation, that “anybody can serve.”

Our 4th Annual MLK service day on the ERT is far more than a time to beautify the trail, this year it was especially important to share that this day is a day to come together as a community. An opportunity to serve alongside each other, but to also get to know each other. I asked the group of volunteers, (217 strong!) to talk with someone new and share a connection. Each year, we need in-person connection more than ever. This is what the trail allows us to do.

That same week the Foundation staff had the privilege of being guests of LISC Hampton Roads for the 41st Annual Urban League of Hampton Roads Martin Luther King Celebration. While celebrating his vision of equality and justice the Urban League recognized local community leaders who continue to carry out that vision.

The visionaries recognized included our own City Mayor, Kenny Alexander for his transformative work in the field of housing in the St. Paul’s community, along with Donovan Duncan, EVP of Urban Strategies, who works directly with the residents of this transformational community, Dr. Alfred Abuhamad, Dean of EVMS Brock Virginia Health Sciences, ODU, Jeremy Bridges, President of Hampton Roads Shipping Association, integral to the Port of Hampton Roads’ operations,  and Tim Reid, well known for his acting, writing and producing fame, but he is a proud Norfolk State University alum.

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I know that I see the trail in everything, but it’s hard for me not to make this connection, as the trail links all these institutions. It is, by design, the link to our anchor institutions, employment hubs, educational and medical centers, and neighborhoods. The trail by way of the ERT Foundation was designed to be an economic generator for the city and a connector to these incredible community-centered organizations. We are so lucky to have these trailside institutions with visionary leaders at the helm.

While celebrating the individuals who make our community stronger, our own Foundation commits to honoring the legacy of Dr. King throughout the year. In the months ahead, you will see us, and our new Outreach Coordinator, (we can’t wait for you to meet him!), reaching out to see how we can help foster the beloved community of Dr. King’s dream.

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During this past week I had the opportunity to breathe the same air as Dr. Bernice King at Old Dominion University, as she spoke at their 40th Martin Luther King Day observance. There was so much wisdom and hope in her words, but I was particularly moved by an analogy she shared with us. She was describing a village with an old bridge that was in need of major repairs. One approach was to simply patch it so it would hold up for another few years, but one of the villagers identified that the bridge as it was, was not serving everyone. It wasn’t big enough for farmers with carts to cross, it wasn’t tall enough to allow for watercraft to cross from one side to the other, the rails were so low, it didn’t allow for families to safely navigate across, and just patching the current bridge meant the problems would persist again in another few years. What needed to happen was a new bridge would need to be built.

Dr. King finished her story by saying, “The bridge didn’t just connect the land, it united community.” I know, I know I can bring the trail into anything, but if that’s not a direct comparison to what the Elizabeth River Trail does and can do, I don’t know what could say it better.

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As a non-profit Foundation, we admit that what happens at a state and federal level, especially in terms of funding and grants, impacts us greatly here in our community. Much of what we do is reliant on grant funding and your community support. While things are uncertain what we do know is that the trail will continue to unite community and our Foundation staff will do all we can to enhance this amazing public amenity and to serve our community better.

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