Bradenton CCRA's 'God idea' draws strong civic engagement at town hall meeting

BRADENTON -- When the Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency created its revitalization plan, an idea to create a community alliance was part of it. About 18 months ago the Faith Based Alliance was born.

Attendance has been steadily growing at monthly meetings and the Faith Based Alliance, designed to act as a conduit to direct people who are hurting to the resources they need, held its first town hall meeting Thursday night at the 13th Avenue Dream Center in east Bradenton to tackle more serious issues. About 50 citizens attended and split up into small groups to discuss neighborhood safety, education, community services, economic development safety and other issues.

CCRA Director Tim Polk summed up the Faith Based Alliance as more than a good idea, but a "God idea that connects people who are hurting to people who can help. That's a God idea."

Town hall meetings that focus on serious issues of crime, community policing and economic stresses can sometimes be heated as fingers are pointed by people looking for someone to blame. Those engaged with the Faith Based Alliance focused positive energy at real problems, matched those problems with available resources and tried to offer more solutions.

Faith Based Alliance Chairman Don Sturiano, the Bradenton Police Department chaplain and pastor at Kingdom Life Christian Church, said the night wasn't about solutions.

"This isn't us against them," he said. "This is us coming together to discuss concerns and ideas. This is not an evening for final solutions. This is a start."

At the neighborhood safety table, citizens discussed firearm availability and acknowledged a need for more police presence.

Over at the community services table, concerns arose about the rising elderly population and how much more intense it will be in 15 years with Baby Boomers retiring in droves.

The group discussed services and how to ensure seniors can better access them with many technologically challenged and how to teach seniors to be more tech savvy. Issues include a lack of affordable housing, rising homelessness and the challenges of changing the mindset of self-serving neighbors who choose not to get involved in the betterment of their community.

"The goal of the Faith Based Alliance is for us not to come in here and tell people what they should do, but to hear from them and start a grassroots discussion," said Sturiano. "The Faith Based Alliance is not about race. It's not a black thing or a white thing. We are all one in Jesus Christ and through Him we put aside our political and denominational differences and focus on the one mind and one heart of God. That's the energy, the wind behind the Faith Based Alliance's strategy of God's kingdom is love and love will conquer all."

Discussions throughout the evening were focused, engaged, informative, practical and everyone contributed with a lot to say and offer. Polk said it's not surprising people were energized to put in their 2 cents because: "No one has ever asked them their opinion before."

The Faith Based Alliance meets from noon until 2 p.m. every third Thursday at the National Guard Armory, 2100 13th Ave. E. Sturiano said the group will discuss highlights of the first town hall meeting and hope to have at least two town hall meetings a year.

For more information or to get involved, call the CCRA office at 744-2362, ext. 104.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter@urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Bradenton CCRA's 'God idea' draws strong civic engagement at town hall meeting ."