November Update

For so many of us in the Merrimack Valley, the unexpected storm and power-outages have forced us to quickly adapt to houses without lights, kids without school, and refrigerators that don't keep our food cool. It is the ability to quickly change course and respond to local conditions that allow for success, a truism for local economies above all. This resilience and dynamism is exactly what we are strengthening in Lawrence and this month's newsletter highlights so many ways we are doing it, including:

Expanding the network of leaders through a new Advisory Council and the addition of 9 new members to our Board of Directors; the creation of the Lawrence PathBuilders to bring a cross-section of stakeholders together as an additional level of support to work-based learning opportunities at Lawrence High; and the support for the Partnership for the Buckley, a crowd-sourced campaign to re-imagine and re-invest in Lawrence's prominent downtown parking lot.

When Eric Rosengren, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston paid a visit to the Partnership's board meeting recently, he remarked that 'cities are a lot like businesses and can be viewed from a similar investment strategy. Venture Capitalists know to concentrate on the management team as much as the product because it is that team that will be able to innovate and adapt to changing environments.' Lawrence's management team--the cross-sectoral leaders from all corners of the community that contribute to Lawrence's future--is getting stronger by the day...and there are ample opportunities for investment in all the good that is going on. Here are a couple:

• Contribute to the Partnership for the Buckley campaign here.

• Register here for our annual event and contact Derek for more info on sponsorship opportunities.

• Contact Karina about opportunities to host Lawrence High interns in the spring.

-- Derek Mitchell