Community Corner

Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

What are the issues and struggles that Red Bank and Shrewsbury residents face every day?

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

Every day, the national media is filled with stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. Changes seem to come at a dizzying pace. 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.

We don't think there's one vision of the American Dream, but many, and a multitude of people are finding their own way. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs, senior citizens taking in boarders help pay their bills and local business people struggling to survive and thrive. We also see displaced professionals trying to change careers, jobless people approaching the end of their unemployment benefits and volunteers who see trying times as a call to engage more, not less, in their communities.

Find out what's happening in Red Bank-Shrewsburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here in Monmouth County, Patch has recently reported on a whose dedication to helping people has prompted him to also serve as an emergency medical technician and volunteer firefighter, a to raise money for breast cancer research, a outreach to the homeless and an who brings hospital patients a creative respite from their illnesses.

The common thread in stories like these are the people in our towns who are working to fulfill some portion of the American Dream for their neighbors, their families and themselves. These are the kinds of stories we plan to continue telling in "Dispatches" and we invite you to help. Let us know about the issues, struggles and successes in your communities and the people touched by them.

Find out what's happening in Red Bank-Shrewsburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Please email me at edward.vanembden@patch.com with your suggestions


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