We Believe in Harnessing the Collective …………. Power of our Community’s Dreams

……….. ………. Dream It. Share It. Be It.

The Imagination Installation Project is about building Imaginariums: places where people can record their dreams and discover what others have shared.

We do this by collecting “Imagine When … ” statements from everyday people in Forsyth County, North Carolina and sharing them through public art installations, and our web site, Facebook & Twitter pages and Imagination Events.

Join the Imagination Movement:

Click here to get on the Imagination e-list so you can dream big with us and receive fun e-mails

Follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

Visit our web site ImaginationInstallations.com

History: On August 30, 2011, Cheryl Schirillo brought together a grassroots group of entrepreneurs, artists, business people, educators, designers, and community leaders started meeting in downtown Winston-Salem, NC to brainstorm the Project.  As of November  over 200 people are directly involved in the project and we’ve collected thousands of dreams.

To read about the first Deep Dive/brainstorming meetings Click here to see highlights.

Our Slogan: .………………………….  ……………………..  ………………………………………………….. Dream It. Share It. Be It.

Goals: ……………………………………………………………………………..

To showcase the incredible people, projects and organizations in our community.

To become a nationwide model for results-driven imagination.

To connect people with common goals and interests.

To build Dream Maps of Forsyth County (data visualizations on our web site)

To populate the city with both physical and online venues (art installations, web site, imagination events) that serve as a conveyners for the community.

Look below to see how our first group of dreamers completed the sentence ”Imagine if …”

Imagine if everyone felt safe to share their dreams. ~ Tammy Caudill

Imagine if we really knew our neighbors. ~ Gail Fisher   …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Imagine if I had time to breathe. ~ Jim Toole    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . .      . . . . . .    . .

Imagine if we lived without fear. ~ Jan Detter   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . .      . . . . . .    . .

Imagine if biking to work were the new normal. ~ Cheryl Schirillo

Imagine if every human being knew their true value. ~ Amanda Zabel

Imagine if different aspects of culture really could connect. ~ Carol Strohecker

Imagine if all points of view were honored. ~ Robin White Star

Imagine if people actively choose to hope. ~ Kathryn Mobley

Imagine if you could put the world on hold without any consequences.

~ Connie Chesner

“Imagine if we could do exactly what we wanted all day, each day, without stress, anxiety or fear, and get paid a good salary for simply doing what we love and are gifted at.  Imagine!” ~ Cyndi Briggs

Imagine if everyone had a friend. ~ Tina Stearns

Imagine if all cars were electric. ~ Johnathan Schirillo, 13 yrs. old

Imagine if you had as many words for love as the Eskimo’s have for snow. ~ Connie Chesner

Imagine if W-S had public health so effective, and health care costs so cheap, that companies were eager to do business here and other municipalities traveled from across the country to study our success. ~ Jim Toole

Imagine if there was no more hunger in the world. ~ Cheryl Lindsay

Imagine if there was no terminal illness. ~ Julie Crayne

Imagine if we were a connected and caring community. ~ Teddy Burriss

Imagine if everyone felt loved. ~ Debra Chiarello

Imagine if … imagine if those two words could change the world.

~ Tammy Caudill

Click here to get on the Imagination e-list so you can dream big with us and receive fun e-mails.

Folks from the Triad Tribe (like “too cool for school” Audrey pictured above)  have started dreaming about roving Imagination Installations for Winston-Salem.

Our next meeting is December 2 at noon, location TBA (First Friday’s at noon are our standing monthly meetings.)

The first Deep Dive/brainstorming meetings happened in August  Click here to see highlights.

Click here to get on the Imagination e-list so you can dream big with us and receive fun e-mails.

Look below to see how our first group of dreamers completed the sentence “Imagine if …”

Imagine if everyone felt safe to share their dreams. ~ Tammy Caudill

Imagine if we really knew our neighbors. ~ Gail Fisher   …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Imagine if I had time to breathe. ~ Jim Toole    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . .      . . . . . .    . .

Imagine if we lived without fear. ~ Jan Detter   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     . . . . .      . . . . . .    . .

Imagine if biking to work were the new normal. ~ Cheryl Schirillo

Imagine if every human being knew their true value. ~ Amanda Zabel

Imagine if different aspects of culture really could connect. ~ Carol Strohecker

Imagine if all points of view were honored. ~ Robin White Star

Imagine if people actively choose to hope. ~ Kathryn Mobley

Imagine if you could put the world on hold without any consequences.

~ Connie Chesner

“Imagine if we could do exactly what we wanted all day, each day, without stress, anxiety or fear, and get paid a good salary for simply doing what we love and are gifted at.  Imagine!” ~ Cyndi Briggs

Imagine if everyone had a friend. ~ Tina Stearns

Imagine if all cars were electric. ~ Johnathan Schirillo, 13 yrs. old

Imagine if you had as many words for love as the Eskimo’s have for snow. ~ Connie Chesner

Imagine if W-S had public health so effective, and health care costs so cheap, that companies were eager to do business here and other municipalities traveled from across the country to study our success. ~ Jim Toole

Imagine if there was no more hunger in the world. ~ Cheryl Lindsay

Imagine if there was no terminal illness. ~ Julie Crayne

Imagine if we were a connected and caring community. ~ Teddy Burriss

Imagine if everyone felt loved. ~ Debra Chiarello

Imagine if … imagine if those two words could change the world.

~ Tammy Caudill

Join us and share your “Imagine If …. ” dreams by adding a comment below.  It’s easy, just click on the “contribute” button at the bottom of this column to add your voice.

If you’re new to Bridges here’s a bit more info on how to post/comment:  After you click on the “contribute” button at the bottom of this column, just type in the white box (of course you have to sign in first at the bottom of the page).  If you don’t have a free Bridges account yet, no problem, it takes about 30 seconds.  To register click here: http://mybridges.net/register

We’re dreaming and scheming about roving Imagination Installations for Winston-Salem.

Check back here often for updates and the evolution of this idea inspired when @KristenDaukas sent me the following Tweet on August 17, 2011:

@CherylSchirillo this reminded me of you today. The imagination room @fwmsh  http://ow.ly/i/fRJm (credit for above photo goes to Kristen via this ow.ly post. Isn’t it an awesome shot?!)

Join in the conversation and brainstorming here on MyBridges.  Just click on the “contribute” button at the bottom of this post to add your voice.

If you’re new to Bridges here’s a bit more info on how to post/comment:  After you click on the “contribute” button at the bottom of this column, just type in the white box (of course you have to sign in first at the bottom of the page).  If you don’t have a free Bridges account yet, no problem, it takes about 30 seconds.  To register click here: http://mybridges.net/register

… What’s Important to You?

I was meeting with a group of friends today and we were talking about work and the rest of our lives.  None of us work traditional 9 – 5 jobs, and the lines between work/play and friends/colleagues are many times fuzzy.

We started wondering how much work was too much, if we were short-changing ourselves on play and rejuvenation, filling the tank so to speak.  We were almost defending our downtime, or the non-traditional ways we liked to recharge which sometimes required quite a bit of energy – like weekend retreats. Then the conversation took a turn to talking about what was most important to us in our lives.  What qualified something as work anyway?  Did it have to involve getting paid?

What’s work, what’s play, what’s relaxation? What’s important?

After meditating on all this for a while I asked myself the question, not “what’s important to me,” but “When do I FEEL important.”  Here’s what I came up with.

To be honest, I mostly feel important when I’m getting feedback from others that they think what I’m doing is significant, or big, or dynamic.

But what’s true for me is that the things I do that are most important are many times small things … although they might be small pieces that add up to the BIG things (like founding Bridges Connecting Communities) that get noticed.

For instance, when I post a beautiful quote or photo on my Facebook page, many times that is the thing that get’s the most feedback, or even more special to me, the thing that prompts people to say when they see me in person … I so love what you share on Twitter/Facebook, it makes me FEEL so good.

When I’m really present when I hug my son and can feel him melting into the love … that’s important.

When I see that my flowers in the back garden are parched and I water them … that’s important.

When I exchange a moment, a smile and a laugh with the spunky black checkout girl at Whole Foods, that’s important.

When I think about the fact that I just wrote “black girl” and I wouldn’t have written “white girl” as a qualifier … that’s important.

It’s important that we’re finally getting to the place in our culture that we see those racial differences, or tags, we give people unconsciously.  Yes, the big things like the speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., and the marches of tens of thousands he inspired, are important.  But the tens of thousands of small indignities that preceded MLK’s stand, and the tens of thousands of moments of grace, understanding and compassion that have followed “I Have A Dream”–  those moments, while much smaller perhaps, are just as important, perhaps more so.

But really, important is just a word.  It’s the act, the feelings, the understanding that’s truly important to me.  Not the label.

So Bridge Builders, what’s important to you in your life?  When do feel you’ve struck a good balance?

(To make a comment click on the “contribute” button below the bio)

Cheryl Schirillo is an internet entrepreneur, pr/marketing consultant, mom of two teenage boys, scuba diver, swing dancer, ultimate frisbee player, StoryLine creator, and founder of this web site, Bridges Connecting Communities (www.MyBridges.net)

MyBridges.net is a news & events web site for the Triad … a Community Blog if you will : )

Share your news, stories and photos in our News StoryLoop: http://bit.ly/c7H9TL
Connect with new people, patrons and/or clients …
Discover a whole new side of your hometown.

Build a Bridge, Make a Difference!

Winston-Salem, NC’s newest piece of public art is a huge glass quilt of words that also features audio-storytelling components. The World Wall is a community manifesto written by inner-city teen authors from Authoring Action who worked in partnership with renowned mosaic artist Jan Detter to bring the project to life.  Volunteers from StoryLine, a project of the ECHO Council, also recorded audio conversations that are incorporated into the experience via cell phone.  The art installation is 15 feet wide by 8 feet tall and is being mounted on the outside wall of the popular restaurant Breakfast of Course (Mary’s Too!) located on Trade Street between 7^th and 8^th Streets (723 Trade Street Winston-Salem, NC, 27101). The Word Wall is made painted re-cycled safety glass shelving, dominoes, mosaic glass tiles and the creative wisdom of our community’s Youth.

Photos, a list of people & orgs that made the Word Wall possible, and links to print and online stories here:  http://bit.ly/mKr4KD

Unveiling: On Friday, June 3, 6:30 pm The Mayor and other community leaders, African drummers, local artists, school-aged children and project volunteers gathered in the Arts District to see The World Wall unveiled.  Spoken Word Shout Outs by Authoring Action Youth, singing and the StoryLine Bus, were also part of the celebration.

The Word Wall is the brainchild of Authoring Action (formerly the WS Youth Arts Institute), a local non-profit that changes the lives of youth through arts education and the power of creative writing. Authoring Action commissioned renowned mosaic artist Jan Detter to bring the project to life.  StoryLine, a project of the ECHO Network, has also been involved by recording the Youth’s stories, and those of the community leaders and artists involved.  Phone numbers you can dial are next to the World Wall  to allow viewers to hear audio StoryLine conversations about community.

The Word Wall: “Believe in the amazement of your own voice.”  Bridges’ Video about the creation of the Word Wall:

For more information about Authoring Action visit http://www.authoringaction.org or contact Executive Director Lynn Rhoades, lynnroades@msn.com, 336-749-1317.

Presenting sponsors for the Word Wall  include:  The Arts Council of WS/Forsyth, The Millennium Fund, Bridges Connecting Communities (www.MyBridges.net), and The ECHO Network.

Look below for samples of the powerful words Authoring Action’s teen leaders have created to “rock your world.”  Click on “contribute” to add your voice.

It’s time for a fresh start and new beginnings.  Look below to read both personal and professional New Year’s Resolutions from the #TriadTribe.  Even better, set a new intention for yourself, or our community, and share it here.  Intentions are something new, fun, dynamic you’d like to bring into your life in 2011.

Want to chime in below, make a comment, and share your voice?  It’s easy.  If you have a Bridges account just sign in and then click on the “contribute” button below and type in the white box. If you don’t have a free Bridges Account yet, no problem.  When you hit contribute you’ll be prompted to set one up.  Just takes a minute.  We look forward to hearing from you!

C.H.A.N.G.E. wins the Grand Prize In Compete for Your Cause

Winston-Salem, NC, June 23, 2010: Supporters for C.H.A.N.G.E. (Communities Helping all Neighborhoods Gain Empowerment), came out in force on June 23, 2010 to help the organization take home the Prize Pot in the final hour of Compete for Your Cause. CHANGE won $6,800. El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services and The Forsyth County Humane Society came in right behind C.H.A.N.G.E. in votes. Compete for Your Cause raised more than $12,000 for close to 100 local non-profits.

Compete for Your Cause is a community-wide fundraiser for non-profits in Forsyth County sponsored by The Winston-Salem Foundation and hosted on the new web site for social networking in Forsyth County: Bridges – Connecting Communities ( www.MyBridges.net ). Each non-profit that participated in the event will receive $5 for every vote that was cast in its name. The organization with the most votes at 5:13 pm on June 23 won the Prize Pot.

“Our Mission is to create Bridges between people in Forsyth County and the causes they care about. MyBridges.net, our social networking web site, has only been up and running since April 23, so it was exciting to make our mission a reality by helping our community’s non-profits raise much needed funds this summer,” states Bridges’ Founder, Cheryl Schirillo. “Compete for Your Cause also generated a lot of excitement and awareness for our local non-profits, which is an added bonus. We are grateful to The Winston-Salem Foundation for serving as the sponsor of this first-time event.”

Compete for Your Cause kicked off on May 17, 2010 and ended on June 23, 2010. Individuals purchased $10 Raffle tickets for their favorite non-profit in Forsyth County online at www.MyBridges.net. The organization that they chose automatically received $5 and 1 vote for each $10 raffle ticket bought in that organization’s name. The other $5 went into the pot for the Grand Prize. On June 23, the organization with the most votes won the Grand Prize. The competition was free to non-profits.

Compete for Your Cause is the brainchild of Cheryl Schirillo, Founder of Bridges – Connecting Communities ( http://MyBridges.net/ ).

Bridges’ is a social networking web site that connects people to what they care about in WS/Forsyth. It’s Facebook meets LinkedIn, meets the heart and soul of the community. During online events, Bridges encourages face-to-face gatherings – transforming the faceless Internet into an exciting bridge to real life.

www.MyBridges.net is a new way for folks to connect to their hometown and make it a better place to live. It’s an online community, a forum of people who want to be “in the know” about issues that matter and who want to use that knowledge to make a difference. Facebook connects you to your friends from high school and college. LinkedIn connects you to business professionals. Bridges connects you to the topics and events that are shaping our community, and to people who are involved in dynamic projects, causes and movements. From education and politics to featured non-profits, volunteer opportunities and major events to farmer’s market schedules and lifestyle news, it’s never been easier to find a cause that fits your interests, to make a difference — no matter how big or small – with just the click of a mouse.

Users who set up a profile on www.MyBridges.net can share what types of topics, issues and causes matter to them. Each time they visit the site, they will have access to multiple ways in which they can connect and create change for the better in the community around them.