This past May, the Via Foundation invited the Friends of Via board of directors to participate in a week-long tour of community development projects supported by Via. Our bus tour included visits at seven projects in different parts of the country including a public park built along the waterfront in the Karlin district of Prague and a meeting with a representative from the Karlin civic association, two former factory sites in Pardubice and Usti nad Orlici targeted for renovation, a thriving community garden in Liberec, a tour of restored small historical monuments, and visiting the village green redesigned and rebuilt for and by the community of Markousovice (see photo). During each visit, we interacted with a wide range of community leaders and local experts who were instrumental in developing the projects.
Our visit began and ended with meetings with young and enthusiastic Via Foundation staff, some of whom accompanied us on our tour. Each of the Via project managers we met were incredibly dedicated to the projects they oversee. We enjoyed meeting them and learning more about their work for bringing about change “one community at a time” in the Czech Republic. More information about this memorable tour will be shared here in future blog entries.
Carol Hochman and Bill Lafe, Friends of Via Board Members
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