Abstract
Due to the economy, a number of businesses in the town of Hatboro, PA went out of business. This town is a central area for a broad group of people, residents who live and work in the area, and also people who work in the city but stay in Hatboro whether they live there or just stay on the weekends. As a byproduct of many businesses closing events held in town were cancelled and less people were drawn into the main area of town. By cleaning up the public areas, encouraging businesses to start up and stay open, and connecting the community through popular social networks the town could be revitalized and grow economically and socially.
The term social good deals with the concept of the wellbeing of people in a community. It does not refer specifically to a good or other object, but is more something that positively benefits multiple people in a society. There is a great source of power in collaboration through social media today. Many projects, fundraising events, and other activities receive more widespread support because of the connections social networking provides. Using social media for social good is a very powerful positive thing to do. I propose a project that will bring my hometown of Hatboro together by updating the buildings on the main street, supporting new businesses to get started, and creating a presence on social media to inform the community of events, sales, etc. and engage them in town decisions and ideas.
After the economy soured for a while, small businesses in Hatboro along the main street slowly started going out of business. Some buildings were filled by new businesses trying to start up, while others stayed empty. Sadly, some new businesses went under with in 6 months or a year of opening. Another side effect of this is that some of the buildings have become dirty or un-kept looking, and do not encourage new businesses to move in, or shoppers to want to come and shop. There are not enough benches, and the sidewalks are darkened from soil and gum. An event called First Friday was held on the first Friday of every month when businesses would have sales and people would come out and spend the evening out in Hatboro, eating food, shopping, and listening to local artist play music outside. Due to the lackluster atmosphere that came with the loss of businesses, First Friday was cancelled. Hatboro could be brought to people’s attention and become more connected with a greater submergence into social media. Advertising events on networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram would reach more people than using the poorly designed website Hatboro currently has. Storeowners could use Pinterest to showcase their current products, which would help promote their business. With some support, the town could be back to its full potential, including clean, inviting buildings, plenty of businesses, and more events to bring the community together.
In planning this project there are a few projects other communities have done that I drew ideas from. The first project is by Macon Bibb County Urban Development Authority, and it was called Master Plan. Their summary says, “…the project will create a master plan and a new approach to downtown revitalization, bringing together diverse stakeholders, property owners, and agencies around a common vision and working strategy”(“Master Plan”). What I specifically liked about this project was that it emphasized making all the people involved or impacted by the changes proposed, a part of the project. Not only does this give the project more support, it ensures that the end result will be what is best for everyone involved. Also if a large group of people out effort into making the project successful, than there will be more motivation to continue maintaining the products of the project. This next project was more scant on explanation but some of the wording was food for thought. It was by Legacy Foundation Inc. and called Land-use Resource for Gary. Their summary said, “To empower residents to revitalize their neighborhoods, challenge funds will enable the city of Gary to engage the community around improving vacant and abandoned properties”(“Land-use Resource for Gary”). Now I did not really grasp the details of what they wanted to accomplish, but the words “challenge funds” and “engage the community” stuck out to me. If the project needs more money than the grant provides, a great way to raise that money would be a challenge between two or more groups of people with in the community to see who could raise more. The Awesome Foundation organized the last project I used for inspiration. Their summary says, “…the Awesome Foundation Miami chapter has helped strengthen Miami’s entrepreneurial and creative community by supporting compelling ideas that need seed funding to progress”(“Awesome Grants”). The Awesome Foundation did this by presenting $1,000 micro-grants to applicants. To encourage businesses to move in and stay open, subsidizing choice businesses could give them the support they need.
The key considerations in pulling this project together are the supplies, the people involved, and lastly the budget. What is needed in terms of supplies could be a range of things. For fixing up the buildings the community would need:
- Paint and Stain
- A power washer
- Basic tools (hammer, screwdriver, level, drill, etc.)
- Wood
- Cement or Spackle
- Light bulbs (for signs and things)
- Window Cleaner and Rags
- Ladders
This list would be better defined when the assessment of all the buildings to fix up was done and the specific things each place needs would be accounted for. Like the example I gave previously I would like to have the people in the town directly involved, so many of the things needed could come from volunteers or also from donations of companies and people in the community. In some situations specialists would be necessary, and if volunteers could not be found money would be needed for that expense. For instance, an electrician would be needed if any lighting needed to be fixed, or a roofer to inspect and fix up any leaks or other issues. People with design experience would be needed to decide where to add benches or how to fix up the fronts of buildings in a tasteful way. The best-case scenario is that all these people would volunteer their time. Then in terms of the presence online, a group of volunteers would be needed to post on behalf of the town and monitor the comments and shares of posts. By creating a presence on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, information would be seen and shared with a broader reach of people. By keeping people up to date on activities and businesses, they will better be able to support the town. And lastly in order to encourage businesses to move in and stay open, they would receive money to help them get started up, following the example of the Awesome Foundation. Overall I would estimate the total cost to be around $10,500, if 10 businesses were given $1,000 startup gifts, and if other costs were anticipated like paying for supplies or specialists.
Completion of this project will set in motion a number of positive changes for Hatboro. These include new businesses and much better presentations of old ones, a larger number of jobs and people employed in the area, and a stronger sense of community and pride among the people. By taking on this project it will allow and encourage entrepreneurs to start new businesses, which would be more successful than reviving unsuccessful ones over and over. The buildings in town will be filled so empty buildings are no longer just taking up room and not gaining revenue. Having a more efficient number of businesses would create jobs and employ a lot of people out of work. In a business sense, having more people employed and more places to spend money it would create a healthy cycle. People would have more money to spend and businesses would bring in more revenue so they would hire more people and it goes on from there. Finally it will also bring the people of Hatboro together around their town because they will first be involved in the process of fixing up the buildings and sidewalks, then later become connected on social media. People will be able to support friends and connections they have who start or already own businesses. They can also voice their opinions about events and decisions happening involving the town. If the group of people in charge of activities or behind a certain decision being made are able to see that feedback easily through social networking, they can better plan or better make decisions that are best for the most number of people. The atmosphere of the town would become much more cheerful and inviting if everyone felt proud of what the town embodied, including how presentable it is and what it has to offer. Not only would this be very beneficial for the community but it would also be more inviting for investors or other important opportunites.
This project is definitely worth investing in because Hatboro has been an important area for a lot of people, and bringing it back up to steam would benefit a broad community. There are the people who live outside of the center of Hatboro, who drive to into town for a fair number of different goods and services that are provided. Then there are the residents who live along the main road and just around it, some of which rely on walking or biking to get to everything they need. That group can over lap with the last group of people who are the people who live in the Hatboro area but work in the city and take the train. This large group of people all benefit or suffer from the state of the town. By supporting this project to fix up Hatboro and get its economy growing, all these people will be benefited not only just because the town will be nice, but because this group of people will be brought together as a community through the process. And it does not have to stop with Hatboro. By helping Hatboro grow, the other towns around will benefit from the increase in business and jobs, and also begin to see a change. Instead of being a once and done project, this undertaking could spread to an even larger group of people that just Hatboro, and that is a very good thing.
Works Cited
“Awesome Grants.” Knight Foundation. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 01 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.knightfoundation.org/grants/201345557/>.
“Land-use Resource for Gary.” Knight Foundation. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 01 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.knightfoundation.org/grants/201346578/>.
“Master Plan.” Knight Foundation. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.knightfoundation.org/grants/201345118/>.
Kate Miller 