Welcome
The Grow Better Project – Background
Madison, like many communities, has suffered during the pandemic, although stories abound of neighbors helping neighbors and local organizations stepping up to address needs in the community. As the worst of the pandemic now seems to be easing, the Madison Rotary is leading an effort determined to help Madison “grow better” for all of its residents.
As a part of its regular strategic planning process, the Rotary, with Borough officials, organized a Community Needs Assessment to examine ways that community services could be improved to make Madison even better than before the pandemic. The Rotary brought together Borough officials including from the schools and public safety areas, local merchants, churches, community groups and representatives of those in the Borough for whom English is a second language. This diverse group identified several areas in which, working together, the Borough and community groups could help Madison to become an even more engaging, welcoming environment for families.
The broad areas of focus for the Grow Better effort include
(1) making Madison a vibrant community for all,
(2) creating a centralized, online source of information showing all of the resources available within the town, both with respect to traditional government services and with respect to services provided by volunteer organizations,
(3) expanding mental health services,
(4) embracing diversity,
(5) enhancing volunteerism, and
(6) better coordination of basic services for those in need.
In order to coordinate the efforts to address these needs, an Oversight Committee has been formed, chaired by Carol Martorana, President of Madison Rotary. Commenting on the Grow Better effort, Martorana said: “The Rotary’s core mission is to make the world a better place through community service. The Grow Better process fits that mission perfectly and we are delighted that Rotary can help guide and coordinate these efforts. This will be a long-term, multi-phase project, and the Rotary Club will be there every step along the way to make sure that progress is made on the many areas of focus identified in the Grow Better discussions.”
Inquiries about the Grow Better efforts, as well as interest in participating, can be directed to our email at madisongrowbetter@njrotary.org.
In our ongoing effort to keep the community informed regarding the Grow Better project, see monthly updates at the links top left of this page.