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o you and your neighbors ever discuss how respect, bravery, wisdom, compas-sion and peace affect your lives? Have you seen these words highlighted on a poster

in an area shop window and pondered their meaning throughout the day?

Participants in Partnership for a Healthy Commu-nity’s “Word of the Month” events discuss these con-cepts regularly and hope that you will, too.

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Educators, clergy and city officials are creating meaningful conversations through Partnership for a Healthy Community

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Created in 1999 by community leaders in Brecksville and Broadview Heights, the Partnership’s goal is to “promote conversation about qualities essential to the lives of people living together in a healthy community.”

“When we say healthy, we mean socially and mor-ally healthy,” says Partnership chairman Lou Carouse, also a member of Brecksville City Council. “The real mission of the Partnership is to promote conversation and keep people aware of what goes on and the dif-ferent qualities that are important to having a healthy community. In this fast-paced world we are losing this conversation.”

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Carouse credits Pastor Bob Springer of Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church for bringing the idea of nurturing good citizenship from the clergy to other community leaders. “The Partnership is simply about conversation — regular and prioritized conversation- regarding the qualities of life in our school, within and between our social, religious and governmental groups,” Pastor Bob says. “And it’s in our homes where we find the very best resources we can employ for a strong and healthy community,” he adds.

“The conversation spread to Steven Farnsworth (then

superintendent of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools) and Mayors Hruby (Brecksville) and Bender (Broadview Heights). One thing I think is spe-cial in this world of political correctness, is that this group encompasses the churches, schools and commu-nity. There are no walls to bind us,” Carouse says.

WORD OF THE MONTHThe backbone of the Partnership’s community conver-sation is the “Word of the Month,” which is presented at breakfast and lunch meetings, as well as at school events. Children’s presentations involve skits and sto-ries at the elementary level; impressive speakers visit the middle and high schools.

Speakers have included Daniel E. “Rudy” Ruettiger, the University of Notre Dame football player who inspired the movie “Rudy;” singer Peter Yarrow, of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, who brought his anti-bullying message to a mostly teenage audience; and Rosanne Welch, scriptwriter for the “Touched by an Angel” television series, who discussed how one epi-sode was built around the notion of virtue.

When motivational speakers are invited to the schools, the whole community is welcome.

“Brecksville is a community with very successful, active professionals who are always doing something,” says former Board of Education member Ann Rittman, who has been involved with Partnership from the begin-ning. “Our lives are so busy. The meetings are a great way to get people to slow down and think about what’s important to us as a community. They get people to think about life in a different perspective from the PTO, the business meetings and the baseball diamond.”

Rittman particularly enjoyed a meeting this spring during which a group of senior citizens discussed equality with high school class officers. “The students opened up and spoke about their worries and fears and the seniors spoke about how the meaning of equality has changed over the years. It’s different for a 60-year-old than a 16-year-old.”

Rittman’s favorite word of the month, which often gets recycled, is respect.

“The real mission of the Partnership is to promote conversation and keep people aware of what goes on and the different qualities that are important to having a healthy community.”P A R T N E R S H I P C H A I R M A N L O U C A R O U S E

Lou Carouse

“It means respect for other people, for property, for self. Sometimes teens are categorized as self-obsessed with no respect, but now that I’m a senior I know it’s something we all have to think about. We think about our own rights but still have to respect others. It’s a word we can all look at over and over again.”

Carouse agrees that “it’s very inter-esting to see the generations interact and learn from each other.

“Lots of our efforts are just towards awareness,” he continues. “It’s not just for kids. We can be very centered on our own needs and not how we inter-relate with each other; it’s better when we support each other and understand the trials and tribulations that go on. The Partnership acts as a bridge or conduit for things that are important. It helps people be mindful of things that are good.”

Kathy Kerezy helped present skits at Highland Drive School when her son, Tyler, was in second and third grade.

“I was the fairy princess for the ‘Word of the Month.’ I would wear an outdated dress and tiara and stuff. As the kids were young, we tried to keep it simple and fun. There was a lot of support from the parents for the pro-gram.”

Former superintendent Farnsworth enjoys the interaction of the schools, clergy and city government. “After 9-11, we had a wonderful Partnership event with firefighters, police officers and rescue workers where we had a meaningful discussion of the tragedy and how it impacted the U.S.,” he explains. “We honored and thanked them. It was great for the schools, especially for the younger levels.”

So what’s ahead?“Our next step is to engage another

core group of people who have some ideas of things we can do in the com-munity,” Carouse says. “We want the municipalities to be as active as the schools and tap into the Kiwanis, Lions and Chamber of Commerce to be ambassadors.”

Whether it’s breakfasts, lunches, skits, speakers or other commu-nity events, there’s no doubt the Partnership will continue to help keep residents mindful of what matters. “Sometimes five to 10 minutes of con-

“It’s in our homes where we find the very best resources we can employ for a strong and healthy community.”

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versation is all it takes,” Carouse says.“It’s extremely valuable having an

organization like the Partner-ship,” Farnsworth adds. “We’re excited about the future.” B