Participants in the ongoing City2City Greater Springfield Initiative and those interested in becoming involved will be welcomed at a gathering to be held at the restored Paramount Theater on Main Street in Downtown Springfield on Friday, July 15, starting at 3 p.m. The event is being hosted by Herbie Flores, a C2Cer and President of the New England Farm Workers Council, the agency that recently acquired the Paramount.

Attendees will learn more about City2City, hear progress reports from those who participated in last fall’s visit to Winston Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina and gain information about the planned trip to Grand Rapids later this fall.

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Recommends Visit to Grand Rapids

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, through the Bank’s Richard Walker, has been instrumental in helping to launch the City2City Greater Springfield initiative. The goal is to connect leaders from our region, through a site visit, to a city and metro area designated a “resurgent city” by the Fed.

Springfield area leaders will be invited to join the next City2City trip to resurgent city Grand Rapids, Michigan November 29 to December 1, 2011. Participants are responsible for the cost of travel and accommodations. The City2City planning committee handles all logistics and meetings and presentations from leadership in Grand Rapids.



Grand Rapids has a diverse population with many of the same challenges faced in the Springfield metro area. The community undertook a long range planning process in the early 1990s and key players in Grand Rapids’ revival were Grand Valley State University and a consortium of philanthropic organizations that launched Grand Action. More details on the City2City visit to Grand Rapids will be forthcoming in future postings.