This was going to be a paragraph about our college fair, about the university reps and financial aid experts and college advisors who came together to share their knowledge with our students. But that paragraph didn’t want to be written, because what I care about days later is the room. Make a community space — a classroom, a computer lab, a comfy place with couches and bookshelves, and something will fill it. In Liverpool they’ve bought a mansion for those who love books, knowing that reading together can create change. Here one computer lab can train people on software, connect them on Facebook, facilitate a homework assignment, let a kid hang out with Nickelodeon. For us, it allows ACC applications, surveys, and now FAFSA paperwork that will enable them to keep going to school. Create the space, see what grows.

February 23, 2015