Community Corner

Bloomingdale Patch to Highlight Stories on the Changing American Dream

We'll be focusing on how our neighbors, business owners and civic organizations are coping during this tumultuous economy.

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Bloomingdale Patch readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities.

At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams, which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breaths, deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills.

In Bloomingdale Patch, we've witnessed businesses such as , Cork & Olive and Joel's Steakhouse closing their doors, unable to attract the number of customers needed to thrive. We've also witnessed new businesses opening, eager to come up with new, innovative ways to meet the demands of their customers, like Russian immigrants Tony and Ella Zhukovskiys, owners of the newly opened on FishHawk Boulevard, and who started their own business when Ed was laid off after 30 years.

Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We've witnessed government cutbacks that have affected where children spend their time after school and whether nonprofit groups can continue serving their clientele. We've also seen bold new volunteer efforts aimed at helping the neediest in our community like the , who are now in jeopardy after losing their warehouse space, and the , which works works throughout the year to make sure underprivileged children in our community have a Christmas.

And we've seen residents like who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Bloomingdale Patch go to the heart of your American Dream.


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