Mission & Vision

We advance equity through community building and people-centered economic development in St. Johns and Cathedral Park. We envision a thriving, diverse, and just community where everyone benefits from economic opportunity. 

Stance on Equity

We (our board, staff and volunteers) recognize that economic disparities exist within our society. We also recognize that these disparities have impacted many community members - BIPOC, immigrants and refugees, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, low-income individuals, youth, and the elderly. These disparities are continually perpetuated by systems that favor some rather than all. 

Our vision is centered around breaking down barriers in order to build a thriving, more equitable neighborhood for all community members. It’s a big vision that we are committed to, no matter how messy or rocky the road ahead. Every person should have equal access to economic opportunity and feel empowered to be engaged in the neighborhood. We plan to work toward this vision in the following ways:

• We will look internally at our operations, programs and way of thinking, and make important shifts that better reflect our vision.

• We will work to build our organization as a true reflection of the neighborhood.

• We will spark equity dialogue across the neighborhood and encourage other individuals and groups to explore how race, power and privilege have created disparities.

• We will intentionally invest in traditionally underrepresented communities.

• Our team will foster relationships across a diverse group of people in our neighborhood.

• We will work with the community to understand and celebrate the diversity within our neighborhood. Nearly half of our neighborhood is BIPOC and we want to acknowledge that!

• We acknowledge that we are in a position of power given our funding relationship with the city and we will leverage that relationship to elevate the voices of all community members.

We know we have a lot to learn and reflect on as we seek to build a more equitable organization and community. We will also be nimble and will adjust our programming to reflect our equity stance as/where needed. We cannot promise that we’ll always get it right or be the most eloquent advocates, but we will be transparent, honest, and continually learn.

Values

We believe in transparency
We believe in open dialogue, seeking community feedback, asking questions and giving honest answers.

We are design thinkers
We believe in reflection, continuous learning and being creative to improve all aspects of our work.

We value our team
We invest in our staff, board members, and volunteers and their professional development. 

We work hard & we laugh hard
We are confident in our work, love what we do and have fun making each other laugh.

We are resilient leaders
We stay optimistic, use data to inform our decisions and push through tough times in order to move mountains.

We strive to be an inclusive organization
We promote a welcoming and approachable atmosphere. 

We believe in working together
We believe that collaboration and strategic partnerships lead to a stronger St. Johns.