Guest Post+No Strings Attached Giveaway: Jan Thrope on finding Champions of Change

Inner Visions: Grassroots Stories of Truth and Hope
by Jan Thrope

I can't think of a greater joy than sharing with you some wonderful things happening in the world! Today's guest post is by an amazing woman who, no strings attached, looked beyond the poverty and gloom of inner city Cleveland ... and came up with this positive, hopeful and profoundly intimate book. Thank you, Jan, for joining us today! 

Read through and a No Strings Attached giveaway for two books (1 US, 1 Can) is at the bottom, hopefully a book that will be shared around by many!


Inner Visions; Grassroots Stories of Truth and Hope
by Jan Thrope

Cleveland may have been designated the poorest big city in the United States but that was before residents found a way to move beyond pain, to passion and purpose. With the hope of changing the long-held perception that Cleveland is dying and its residents are broken, I wrote Inner Visions; Grassroots Stories of Truth and Hope. It is a non-fiction photographic journal that shows and tells the challenges faced by those living in the most impoverished neighborhoods and it highlights the “Champions of Change.”

Image from Inner Visions website

This is not a photographic coffee table book about gloom and doom. Nor is it written as an intellectual essay chock-full of poverty statistics. Rather it contains deeply personal proses collected from the inner city residents with whom I have had the privilege of forming enduring relationships. They are an integral part of a powerful grassroots movement that is taking hold and breathing new life into these urban neighborhoods. Their stories provide examples of how the visions within us are so much more powerful than the despairing sights around us. Change happens not by doing more of the same but by looking within and creating new opportunities. These residents teach us that our most neglected resources are our human resources that we have overlooked and undervalued. They show us that everyone has a skill to share, a role to play and the ability to make miracles happen in the community.

I didn’t set out to write this book. The process was jump-started when a boy I was tutoring was overcome by fear. Each day on the way to school he witnessed things that were so frightening that he became incapacitated. I started exploring his neighborhood to find the source of his anxiety and to discover ways to keep him safe.

Image from Inner Visions website

Driving up and down some hidden streets of Cleveland often with a camera held low through an open window, I was initially struck by the brutality and hopelessness pervading the streets. Yet as soon as I began talking with residents they shared their vibrant, creative ideas for improving the area. They are the source of boundless energy, talents, and innovative projects that are bringing real hope to Cleveland. Their triumphs need to be broadcast so their projects can be emulated.

Inner Visions of Cleveland is a non-profit that was formed to support the projects that are being initiated and led by visionary residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland. We are dedicated to discovering, supporting and promoting their initiatives. We meet people where they live and connect them with whatever resources they need to help their projects grow and flourish. Sometimes that means introducing one neighbor to another, so they can share their talents and supplies. Other times it means bringing people from opposite ends of the economic spectrum together to work on projects. We believe that we are each other's missing piece. Once all the missing pieces are reconnect, then we can all be whole.

100% of all of the proceeds from the book goes to support Inner Visions of Cleveland projects.

• To learn more about Inner Visions of Cleveland go to www.InnerVisionsofCleveland.org.
• Please share your ideas with us by joining a conversation on our blog: blog.innervisionsofcleveland.org 
• Follow us on Facebook - Inner Visions of Cleveland  

About the Author
Jan Thrope is a social worker, a community activist and the Founder of Inner Visions of Cleveland. She lives with her husband Geoff in the Greater Cleveland area. They have two grown sons.

2 copies! 1 US / 1 Canada. (US/CAN only) 

This is a no strings attached giveaway. Leave your email address and indicate whether you have a US or Canadian mailing address. That's all you need to enter!
However, I would love to hear what you think about this book or what you may have to say, so of course, free feel free to leave any comments. If you decide to "follow" me, it is very much appreciated (check out sidebar). If you have a blog, please leave a link so I can visit you!