My Life. My neighborhood. My world. Mike Richards.

Lynette and I are very pleased to share the following open letter to Mayor Halloran from Denise Thornton, President of Beacon of Hope Resource Center of New Orleans. Rebuild And Grow has been designated the first non-New Orleans affiliate of Beacon of Hope. Lynette and I spent a very valuable week in New Orleans getting our "unoffical doctorates" in grassroots community organizing for disaster recovery from the "university" of Beacon of Hope. Here are the thoughts Denise shared in her letter to our Mayor:

Dear Mayor Halloran: I’m writing to you today in support of the Rebuild And Grow program. Michael and Lynette Richards spent a week here with us in New Orleans observing and learning about programs that have worked for us and making vital connections that will support their efforts in Cedar Rapids as they move through the complexities of reconstruction. I encourage you to give them as much support as possible. While we know that every city has certain limitations, luckily there are organizations in your city that have formed and will continue to grow at the neighborhood level. You need each other and it has been our experience that one cannot be totally effective without the other if you are to achieve recovery at an accelerated pace. Please keep the momentum going and know that we will lend whatever resources we can toward your recovery. Denise Thornton, President Beacon of Hope Resource Center 145 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Suite 210 New Orleans, LA 70124 504 309-5120 www.lakewoodbeacon.org Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has - Margaret Mead

Thank you, Denise, for your vote of confidence. And thank you even more on behalf of the citizens of Cedar Rapids who will be the beneficiaries of all the support and assistance that your organization has offered to our organization and our city. --Mike and Lynette Richards-- Co-founder, Rebuild And Grow