More than 500 civic leaders gathered in Winston-Salem on Sunday to launch Forsyth Strong, a new organization focused on tackling issues including housing, education and mental health.
The group's inaugural meeting at Emmanuel Baptist Church drew more than 1,000 attendees, according to organizers. Representatives from religious congregations, neighborhood associations and nonprofits filled the sanctuary, united around a mission to strengthen civic life by leveraging what organizers call "people power" across Forsyth County.
Strategy Team Member and Parkway United Church of Christ Pastor Craig Schaub says his role is to help train residents turn their values into action.
"Folks from City with Dwellings, parents of exceptional children, people who are looking for affordable housing, are at the very center of this work," says Schaub. "They are trained on how to act, and then some of the rest of us come alongside them to put into place very concrete solutions to big problems that are vexing for our community."
Education, affordable housing and mental health were among the issues on Sunday's agenda. Forsyth Strong publicly called on city and county leaders to commit to several initiatives, including hiring 60 additional exceptional children teachers over the next three years, investing in a $1 million annual housing stability fund and expanding access to clinical mental health services in underserved communities.
Schaub says these challenges are not new, but the difference on Sunday was the presence of elected officials and civic leaders willing to publicly engage with the group's goals. One by one, in front of hundreds of constituents, officials including Mayor Allen Joines and Council Member Vivián Joiner verbally committed to meeting with leaders of Forsyth Strong within the next 90 days.