Community Corner

Dispatches from Douglaston

Patch will feature a new series of stories on the American Dream and what it has come to mean for our readers.

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our 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 Bayside-Douglastonwith 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 breath 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.

We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

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

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Douglaston neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there has been a debate about the education system. Locally, community leaders, elected officials, parents and teachers have fought to ensure that District 26 schools receive the fair share of resources.

Nationally, there has been a debate about which government-building efforts are "shovel ready." In Douglaston, residents and community leaders have called for upgrades of Shore Road and a stretch of Northern Boulevard between Alley Pond Environmental Center and the Douglaston Parkway.

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 Douglaston go to the heart of your American Dream.


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