February Newsletter: faith250; Ohio Stories of Change; Getting Started Virtual Lab Registration Deadline
“All across these United States, people are choosing hope over despair, healing over trauma, and progress over division. We need to build on this by rallying more Americans to a new moral vision that helps us ‘begin again.’” - Rich Harwood
BE AN AGENT OF HOPE: NEW CIVIC PATH NATIONAL BOOK CIRCLE
America needs more agents of hope. America needs you.
That’s why we’re holding a New Civic Path National Book Circle on June 2 at 12:30 pm ET. This virtual event will help you step forward and be an agent of hope in these divided times. Through small and large group discussion, we will explore how you can put the book’s principles into action to address our country’s deep challenges, reclaim our shared agency, and take real action together.
This isn’t just about reading and discussing a book. It’s about reframing the challenge before us, rediscovering our shared values, and activating ourselves as agents of hope. That’s how we can take practical steps to make America’s next 250 years even better, starting today.
The event will also celebrate this bestselling book’s first anniversary by lifting up stories of what Americans are already creating in their communities by getting on the new civic path. Bring your family, friends, and colleagues. Together, we can get this country moving in a more hopeful direction. Join us—let’s go together.
OHIO STORIES OF CHANGE: AMERICANS CREATING CHANGE TOGETHER
Rich and the team were recently in Union and Logan Counties in Ohio for the exciting release of two new reports: Union County’s Story of Change: Shaping a Shared Future and Logan County’s Story of Change: Building a Bright Future. These reports tell the story of what each community has created over the past two years. We are incredibly grateful to our United Way partners for the critical role they played in these community initiatives.
At a time when so many Americans wonder if change is still possible, Union and Logan Counties demonstrate that it isn’t just possible. It’s already happening.
Union County’s Story of Change
Union County faced a critical juncture: Be overrun by new and growing challenges or come together to forge a shared path forward. Embracing a different approach unleashed chain reactions of change in youth opportunities, healthcare, and the arts. The people of Union County say they’ve created “a new path forward,” “a true community,” and “a community others want to emulate.”
Logan County’s Story of Change
Logan County faced a choice over its future: Stick to the status quo and risk stagnation—even sliding backward—or come together in a new way to forge a bright future. Embracing a different approach unleashed chain reactions of change in health, seniors, and youth. The people of Logan County say they’ve created “a healthier community,” “a community free of stigma around mental health and addiction,” and “a more hopeful and engaged community.”
AS AMERICA TURNS 250, IT’S TIME TO BEGIN AGAIN
Amid the chaos and uncertainty of 2026, we’ve found the words of the writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin especially profound. Just as things looked darkest to Baldwin amid the struggle for civil rights, he wrote these powerful words: “Not everything is lost. Responsibility cannot be lost; it can only be abdicated. If one refuses abdication, one begins again.”
This is the task before us today. To “begin again”—as individuals, as communities, as a nation. Today, we must begin the next 250 years. The good news is that people across our country are open, willing, and ready. As we’ve crisscrossed our nation the past two years on the Campaign for the New Civic Path, we’ve found a growing energy and hunger among Americans to rally around a New Moral Vision. In his latest for The Fulcrum, Rich explores what this New Moral Vision looks like and why it holds the power to galvanize us to “begin again.”
faith250: CIVIC FAITH WITH A CIVIC PURPOSE
The Institute is proud to partner with faith250 this year. It’s an initiative founded by Rabbi Michael Holzman that seeks to build a multi-faith, national network of local congregations to spark a movement that counters the division, contempt, and toxicity currently tearing us apart. And it uses the backdrop of the 250th to engage faith communities about their role in moving our country forward.
Rich recently joined Rabbi Holzman for a virtual discussion hosted by faith250 focused on how we might restore America’s civic culture—and the unique role faith leaders can play in that endeavor. In so many communities today, faith leaders want to work together on behalf of the community. But they often get together without truly working together.
Rather than negotiating over doctrine or forcing people to give up their beliefs to work together, framing efforts around a civic purpose can unlock a new way forward. That starts with understanding what matters to people in a community and working in such a way as to strengthen the community’s civic culture. Rather than diminish the role of faith leaders, this only makes them more relevant, trusted, and valued. It benefits the community and their individual congregations.
We need faith leaders and people of faith to step forward to help us move forward in a more hopeful way. That can start with embracing a shared civic purpose.
REFLECTION FROM THE STUDIO ON COMMUNITY
Harwood’s Studio on Community is our hub for innovation. This past semester, we were honored to have Erika Coon, a graduate student at The Ohio State University, serve as a Studio Associate.
Erika reflected on what she learned at the Institute and how our work challenged her to view our present moment in a new light: “My time at Harwood sparked a new sense of optimism. A realization that people across the nation are yearning for something better.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
Getting Started Public Innovators Virtual Lab | April 2026
You want to change the world. Our Getting Started Lab, a signature offering of The Harwood School, can teach you how. A result of nearly four decades of innovation and learning, this Lab offers the very best of the time-tested Harwood approach in an accessible, high-impact experience. This isn’t your typical approach. And it’s not your typical training. This Lab will help you build capacity and equip you and your team to create real, lasting change. Register by March 9 to secure your spot.
The New Civic Path National Book Circle | June 2 @ 12:30 PM EST
America needs more agents of hope. America needs you. That’s why we’re holding a New Civic Path National Book Circle on June 2 at 12:30 pm ET. This virtual event will help you step forward and be an agent of hope in these divided times. Through small and large group discussion, we will explore how you can put the book’s principles into action to address our country’s deep challenges, reclaim our shared agency, and take real action together. Register now.
The Harwood Institute in the News
As America Turns 250, It’s Time to Begin Again via The Fulcrum
United Way celebrates progress of Harwood initiative via Peak of Ohio
The Harwood Institute: Improving Civic Culture and Rekindling Hope via The Patterson Foundation
Follow our revamped social media presence for hope, inspiration, and connection.
