Community Foundation rolls out details for On The Table discussion this fall

Last year, about 6,500 residents sat down across Columbus to have frank discussions about the community’s future.

It’s about time to set the table and have that conversation again. On The Table, which is sponsored and organized by the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Nearly 30 organizations have committed to participate and host tables in this year’s event. That is more than this time a year ago in the run up to the inaugural event in Columbus and the 21 that ended up being a superhost. It includes large employers such as Aflac and Synovus; educational entities such as Columbus State University, the Muscogee County School District and Brookstone School; and churches such as First Baptist Church, South Columbus United Methodist, St. Luke United Methodist and a combine table by St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Greater Beallwood Baptist and Temple Israel.

Those businesses, organizations or individuals willing to host tables can register at OnTheTableChatt.com.

Community Foundation President and CEO Betsy Covington is excited about the promise of this year’s event.

“We know that there are people in our community who understand this,” Covington said. “No one understood it last year because we had not done it before. So, we have 6,500 people who sat at a table and participated in a conversation. That’s super. Now, we have to say, ‘Come back and do it again.’”

Convington is not worried about it being redundant exercise.

“Part of me knows that sounds like you are doing the same thing that you did last year,” Covington said. “But I know that every conversation that happens is going to be vastly different depending on who’s at the table, what you are talking about and where that conversation goes. We want people to go for that rich, deep conversation — even if they participated last year.”

The concept is a simple one. Small groups of six to 12 people gather, break bread and have an open discussions. Last year, tables consisted of everything from people who know each other to complete strangers. It could be breakfast, a brown-bag lunch or a dinner in a private residence and anything in between, Covington said.

Registration for those wishing to participate individually, but not host a table, will open early next month.

“I tell people all the time this is not the Community Foundation’s project, this is the community’s project,” Covington said. “We believe that people are hungry for interaction and closeness and for ways they can better make a difference in our community. And, I think this satisfies a lot of that.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 12:01 PM.