Dispatches on the American Dream in Severna Park

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



Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: 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 American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills.

We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Severna Park neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, many large and small companies have either severely cut back their staff or closed their doors altogether, unable to keep up with the economic demands of running a business.

Locally, it is an ever-changing landscape with many small businesses in Severna Park due to the high cost of doing business with high rents and extreme overhead costs.

Meanwhile it's encouraging to see sprouting up in our shopping centers, while some are relocating to more appealing locations and others, like the , are reopening. 

Nationally, funds are tight as school systems grapple with overcrowded classrooms, teachers' pay and funding for modernization and new technologies. Locally, we are seeing funding cuts or no funding at all for some of our aging Severna Park Blue Ribbon schools, which are among the best in the nation.

Continued funding for the modernization of our aging 52-year-old could be an uphill battle when next year's budget time rolls around and will require strong voices to be heard on our behalf at County Council meetings to ensure the next phase of construction stays in the budget.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Severna Park go to the heart of your American Dream.