Hello everyone, I truly hope the holidays provided you some fun, family, and rest. It’s unfortunate how our new year was launched with the tragic event in New Orleans, but my hope is events like those will be limited this year and not become more commonplace. Building community means that you are building hope, at least for us, it is. But hope isn’t enough. We also want to create opportunities that offer not only hope but pathways to prosperity in many ways. This is a big part of DRIVE’s vision, pathways to prosperity.
In this month’s edition, I’m going to share a vision of Fresno coming from a DRIVE perspective and, if I’m being honest, from my own perspective. I hope you can resonate with the vision I share. If so, you’ll see we’ll need you to be a part of the solutions to the issues we want to address.
Who is DRIVE? Well, everyone reading this is a part of DRIVE. Folks that haven’t even heard about DRIVE are also a part of DRIVE. Why do I say that? Well, DRIVE is about our Economy, but it’s also about Housing, Education, Health, and so much more. Most people will say DRIVE is an economic development initiative, and you’d be right. But I could easily make a case that it’s also about the other areas I listed above. Whether you are a student, an employee at a business, a business owner, or even retired, you are impacted by the economy, and health, and education and housing. We all are. With DRIVE, it’s an “all hands on deck” approach. DRIVE can’t do this without you.
In community,
Artie Padilla