By Carrie Sanders
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9
October is harvest season in Wisconsin. It is a time to see the fruits of months of planting, tending, nurturing, and waiting. Behind every harvest are countless hands, long hours, and a commitment to the work, even when the outcome is uncertain.
I’ve been thinking about how much this resembles community development, where the distance between planting a seed and realizing a vision can be measured in years, sometimes decades. The work can be frustrating and exhausting. Even after years of effort, there are no guarantees.
One of the things I find remarkable about our work at Hope Community Capital is how many people it takes to bring a single project to fruition. It is not unusual for 50 or more people to contribute their expertise, resources, time, and energy toward a shared vision. Neighbors, developers, lenders, funders, architects, attorneys, community leaders, public officials, investors, and countless others each bring something essential to the table.
Together, we navigate uncertainty, solve problems, overcome obstacles, and find ways forward. Yet, despite our collective efforts, we cannot always know whether the project will succeed.
Our clients know this especially well. They are working to create affordable housing, strengthen neighborhoods, expand community facilities, and bring resources to people and places that have historically been overlooked. They carry ambitious visions, often with limited resources, and face obstacles that can seem insurmountable.
What keeps them going?
I believe it comes down to purpose. They understand what is at stake: a safe place to live, access to quality, affordable healthcare, opportunities for children and families, and communities where people can flourish. They recognize that their unique gifts, talents, and resources can contribute to something greater than themselves.
Today, I had the privilege of attending the groundbreaking for the new West YMCA and Access Community Health Centers clinic in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. HCC has been working alongside the project team for the past couple of years, but the vision for a new West Y has been taking shape for the better part of a decade.
The new facility will bring together a 97,000-square-foot YMCA, including fitness and aquatic facilities, childcare, and community gathering spaces, alongside a 10,000-square-foot community health clinic.
Think for a minute about what it has taken to reach this milestone. Years of planning, relationship building, fundraising, financing, and the collective efforts of people who believed in what this project could become.
Mark Westover, CEO of the YMCA of Dane County, captured this beautifully: “None of that happens without the people who believe first.”
He shared stories of donors, introductions, and relationships that helped turn a vision into reality. One introduction led to a transformational $15 million gift. Other families contributed generously, carrying forward generations of commitment to the YMCA and the community it serves.
Dr. Ken Loving, CEO of Access Community Health, spoke about the thousands of people who struggle to access affordable healthcare and the opportunity this partnership creates to serve an additional 5,000 patients. He described the project as “a call to action” and reminded us, “This is how we build a stronger community together.”
The groundbreaking celebrated far more than the construction of a building. It celebrated the people, relationships, generosity, perseverance, and shared purpose that brought the project to this moment.
As Mark said, “This is community building community.”
I keep returning to something I’ve observed over more than a decade at HCC: We cannot always (never?) control the outcome of our work, but we can shape how we approach the work.
We can choose integrity, excellence, equity, stewardship, and leadership. We can be intentional about why we do the work, how we do it, and who we do it with. We can build trust, strengthen relationships, share knowledge, and create value along the way.
Perhaps that is another way to understand the harvest. Sometimes the fruits of our labor are the buildings that rise, the homes that are created, and the capital that reaches a community. Other times, they are the relationships we establish, the capacity we build, and the seeds we plant for work that has yet to begin.
We may not know what every seed we plant will become, or whether the projects to which we devote so much of ourselves will come to fruition. What we do know is that the work matters, the people with whom we share it matter, and the way we approach it matters. As we continue the long work of building community, I hope we can take encouragement from what we have accomplished together, remain committed to the purpose that brought us here, and find renewed energy for the work that lies ahead.