22 Columbus groups commit to be Superhosts for On The Table event

Twenty-two Superhosts have committed for On the Table.

The Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley made the announcement recently.

On The Table is a community-wide initiative happening here Nov. 7.

It is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Support for On the Table is one part of the Knight Foundation’s efforts to help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of civic engagement. The Knight Foundation believes successful communities are equitable, inclusive and participatory.

A news release explained that Superhosts are businesses, organizations and nonprofits from around the Chattahoochee Valley that have agreed to host at least 15 or more tables on Nov. 7, participating in a day of meaningful conversations about our community.

The current confirmed Superhosts are Aflac, Bridge Church, Brookstone School, Synovus, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, Columbus Consolidated Government, Columbus Parks and Recreation, Columbus Museum, Columbus State University, Enrichment Services Program, Greater Columbus Chapter of Young Professionals, Leadership Columbus, Midtown Inc., Muscogee County School District, Rotary Club of Columbus, Safe House Ministries, South Columbus United Methodist Church, St. Francis Hospital, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Greater Beallwood Baptist Church, Temple Israel, Uptown Columbus, and Urban League of Greater Columbus Young Professionals.

On the Table was introduced in Chicago in 2014 by The Chicago Community Trust. Since then, On the Table has fostered civic engagement and generated hundreds of action ideas from hundreds of thousands of Chicago-area residents. Columbus is one of 10 cities across the U.S. selected to replicate the On the Table initiative this year.

Following the conversations, hosts will encourage guests to share the thoughts, actions and ideas that came from the conversation by completing a short survey. The survey responses will be compiled by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE). The survey will ask about items such as participants’ On the Table experiences, their opinions on community issues and the topics their group discussed. Responses to IPCE’s survey provide analysis about the issues and themes emerging from On the Table conversations. The results of the data will be shared publicly and be accessible to the community in an effort to help us better understand our needs and opportunities.

“As a public library, we serve a wide range of constituencies. What we love about On The Table is that it will give us the perfect opportunity to bring these constituencies together,” said Henry McCoy, Programming & Media Content Coordinator at the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, said in the report. “The world needs more conversation now, and we think talking at your library is a perfect way to make this happen.”

Public tables are listed on the website at OnTheTableChatt.com, where guests can reserve a spot at the table.

The Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley is leading this effort in the Columbus area. For more information or to sign up to participate as a host or a guest, Columbus-area residents can visit OnTheTableChatt.com or call 706-718-9565.

The Community Foundation was founded in 1998 to help people with philanthropic interests easily and effectively support the issues they care about. Since then, the Community Foundation has grown to nearly $155 million in assets and has awarded over $140 million in grants through its donor advised, unrestricted, designated, field-of-interest, scholarship, and organization endowment funds.

This story was originally published October 23, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "22 Columbus groups commit to be Superhosts for On The Table event."