Together 2016: It means just that

Earlier this year, a public-private partnership, Together 2016, was launched, bringing together 23 community partners, in a year-long effort to promote the greatness of Columbus to our own community and to the communities we serve. As president and publisher of the Ledger-Enquirer, I am proud to be partnering with our region’s business and community leaders on this venture doing what this community does best: partner together, combine energy with resources, invest in our community and promote our community’s brand and quality of life.

There are two distinct aspects of Together 2016: a one-year media campaign using digital and traditional advertising to generate excitement around Together 2016 and to elevate the brand of Columbus and the surrounding areas; and the creation of a fund that will be used to support community projects using project ideas contributed by the public and by Together 2016 partners.

The 23 partners in Together 2016 represent almost every aspect of our community: large corporations, small business owners, non-profit agencies, educational institutions and philanthropic foundations. Each partner has made a significant financial investment that supports the media campaign and the project fund. For a list of all 23 partners, please visit our website (www.buildingabettercolumbus.com). These partners have a long track record of investing in and being dedicated to our community, our people and our future.

In March of this year, we launched a four-month comprehensive media campaign encouraging members of the community to contribute project ideas for Together 2016. We received close to 200 submissions! The Together 2016 board is committed to finding the right project that will symbolize the spirit of Together 2016 — working together. We want the chosen project(s) to be visible, long-lasting, memorable, symbolic, sustainable and accessible. In addition, we are considering projects that are historically significant, educational, family-friendly, or linking or expanding an existing project. We want to maximize the impact of the project(s) as best we can, and with a $200,000 budget. We know it’s going to be good, but it won’t be a cure-all. We are not considering projects that are commercial ventures, religious or political projects, social services or duplicative efforts that someone is already working on. Project ideas that aren’t selected will be sent to a non-profit agency, organization or governmental entity that we think might be a better fit. We’re hoping that this will generate even more ideas and involvement in making sure even more good things continue to happen in our community!

Since June, Together 2016 has been hard at work researching, identifying resources and potential partners, developing project estimates and timelines, analyzing and deliberating the project ideas. We will be announcing the project(s) in early Fall, so check our website (buildingabettercolumbus.com) frequently for details.

Like us on Facebook and visit our website to keep up-to-date with the positive news in our community; and participate in the discussion about what makes our community great and how all of us … together … can help make it better!

This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Together 2016: It means just that."