Gazette/KCRG-TV9 forum: The power of community

Shortly after the flood of 2008, Kevin Adler came to Cedar Rapids to study the disaster's effects - on people, not buildings.

He wanted to know if that outpouring of community caring and pride, which is so common when communities are threatened, would persist over time or if it would just fade away.

As a social scientist, Adler had studied the ways community networks and relationships - known as 'social capital” - can lead to real and wide-ranging communitywide progress in things like government effectiveness, education, public safety, health and well-being.

Communities with strong social capital just work better, as Adler explained in this February guest column about what he has learned.

This Thursday, May 7 from 5-5:45 p.m. in Beems Auditorium at the CR Public Library, Adler will read from his book, 'Natural Disasters as a Catalyst for Social Capital: A Study of the 500-Year Flood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.” The Gazette and KCRG-TV9 have organized a community conversation to follow the reading. The event, moderated by KCRG-TV9's Bruce Aune, will be a public reflection on what we learned about our community and ourselves during the flood and recovery efforts, and how we can use those lessons to build a stronger Cedar Rapids. Panelists will include community members Courtney T. Ball, Jennifer Pruden, Stephanie Neff and Linda Seger, and Adler.

How well has this community built on the sense of togetherness many felt in the flood's aftermath? Have we addressed the challenges that were revealed? What do we do next?

Join The Gazette and KCRG-TV9 for Learning Forward: A Community Forum on Social Capital, Thursday, May 7, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.

To RSVP for this free event, register online.

Can't make it to the forum? Watch it live on KCRG 9.2 or www.thegazette.com and join the conversation or submit questions and comments before the event on Twitter #LearningForward