To paraphrase Shirley Chisholm’s famous quote,“If there’s no seat for you at the table, build your own table.”

I hope you will join us on September 24th for Inside The Nonprofit Sector: From Ideas to Action.

There is a great deal of conversation today about affordability, the housing crisis and economic security, and healthcare.  Yet too often, the people most impacted by these challenges - and the nonprofit organizations working alongside them every day - are not always meaningfully included in the conversations where problems are defined, priorities are established, and solutions are developed.

We cannot achieve holistic physical, social, and emotional health - or true economic sustainability and growth - without ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table.

On June 4th, Nonprofit Westchester began building that table. We convened nearly 200 leaders from the nonprofit, healthcare, business, higher education, and government sectors for Advancing Community Health: Aligning Cross-Sector Action. Together, we examined the interconnected conditions that shape community well-being—from housing, economic opportunity, education, food access, and transportation to technology, social connection, arts and culture, and the environments where people live, work, learn, and play. Most importantly, we focused on identifying collaborative solutions that no single organization or sector can achieve alone.

On September 24th, we will continue that work with From Ideas to Action: Building a Model Healthy Community Together. We will review the recommendations that emerged on June 4, examine Westchester’s demographic trends and community health data, and bring participants into small-group discussions focused on what it will take to build a healthier, stronger, and more connected community for all.

But our next step may be the most important: expanding the table. We will create a platform for the people most directly impacted by the issues we are discussing to share their lived experiences, perspectives, priorities, and ideas. Data can tell us what is happening. Organizations and institutions can bring expertise and resources. But the people experiencing these challenges can help us understand why they are happening, what is missing, and what solutions are most likely to make a meaningful difference.

We are excited to continue building this work with our colleagues across the nonprofit, healthcare, higher education, business, and government sectors—and, increasingly, with the residents and communities whose voices must be central to shaping Westchester’s future. This is the purpose of Inside the Nonprofit Sector: to bring sectors together around data, insights, dialogue, and collaborative action to address our most pressing community needs.