Welcome to "PATH" an interfaith network of active communities in Howard County, "PATH" is an affiliate of IAF, the Industrial Areas Foundation.  The Industrial Areas Foundation is the oldest and largest institution for community organizing in the United States. For sixty years, the IAF's mission has been to train people to take responsibility for solving the problems in their own communities and to renew the interest of citizens in public life.  For additional information concerning PATH, please

Welcome

Welcome to our website! If you are reading this, you are probably a person who is also interested in being an active part of the lives which we share together as a "community of communities" here in Howard County.

Joining with us in this interfaith organizing network are citizens, pastors, community and religious leaders, youth, elders, families, volunteers, all neighbors. We share common goals and energies of commitment to organize for power, action and justice.

To arrive at this commitment, we have chosen to walk a path together, and to also create a path that leads to an overall better living experience as a community of neighbors.

-- Fr. Gerry Bowen, St. Augustine Catholic Church

How We Got Here

For the last several years many of us have been involved in telling our pastors, politicians, neighbors, co-workers and friends about us and that we are organizing for social change. We call these meetings “one on ones”. Then we pulled larger groups together in house meetings to discuss what our strengths and challenges are here in Howard County. In November, 2004, people came together for our Covenanting Assembly. We formed a sponsoring committee last December. We have recently identified some issues and are preparing to study and act on them.

Yet, people continue to gather to tell their stories. We have heard stories of people who work here but have to live in their cars. Stories of young couples who were raised in this county but can’t afford a house even with their combined incomes. Stories of kids getting in trouble with the law, doing destructive things after school and before their parents come home. Stories of immigrants with several unrelated families living together to share expenses. We’ve heard stories of our elderly residents who don’t drive anymore and can’t catch a bus near their homes, or if they could, it doesn’t go by a grocery or drug store or their doctor’s offices.

We are building this organization for all people in the county. We are developing a network to ensure we will be successful bringing about social change.

Our strength is in our diversity. We are Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Unitarians, Pentecostals, Muslims, and Quakers to name a few. We are Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, and Caucasians - all brought together for a purpose.

We are giving a voice to people and to their concerns.

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