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April Doner

April Doner is a community connector, artist, and mother who is passionate about igniting the intersection between re-weaving neighbor relationships, strengthening local economies, and healing / reconciling inequities and injustices. She is a Steward at the ABCD Institute DePaul University and, while not practicing neighboring in her own neighborhood, she trains, coaches, and consults in Asset Based Community Development. April also documents local resilience as well as group processes through various creative means including writing, photography, video, and graphic recording. Since 2020, she has curated content for AbundantCommunity.com.
40 POSTS
John McKnight

Peacemaking Powers and the Culture They Create

April Doner -
As we look to the abundance within neighborhoods waiting to come alive, one of the best starting places is to seek out those gifts, skills and talents are possessed by the people who live there. Our first instinct to...
Stories

What Could Neighborhood Health Autonomy Look Like?

Malikia Johnson -
Years ago I saw an acupuncturist who, while sitting with me post-treatment to review her recommendations for an herbal medicine regimen along with diet, sleep, and exercise adjustments, paused for a moment to explain a rule from her tradition:...
Stories

“40 acres and a mall:” Building Black community wealth in L.A.

April Doner -
An emerging co-operative development project in L.A.'s Crenshaw neighborhood is boldly challenging the model of urban development by asserting their vision for a co-operatively owned, community-backed mall that will directly benefit community members and their small businesses, rather than...
Stories

Neighborhood Planning: Doing “With” Not “For”

April Doner -
It is often the habit of organizational professionals who interface with communities to do "to" or "for" local residents. However, when such staff step back from their traditional functions and shift their focus to supporting community members to decide...
Stories

Algerian Women “Start Somewhere” to Create their Own Destiny

April Doner -
"When women decide something, I think they can get to it," says Nadia Aïssaoui, of the Mediterranean Women’s Fund as she tells this story about a group of women living in the mountains of Algeria who chose to come...
Books

“Becoming Joshua” toward Economic Freedom

April Doner -
A path toward racial justice and equity cannot avoid a confrontation of economic injustice. I first heard of Damon Lynch as the pastor who corrected John McKnight's characterization of our communities as being not just "half-empty" as but also "half-full."...
Friends & Neighbors

The Role of Community in Reducing Crime and Securing Peace

April Doner -
In 2020, massive protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis forced the US and the world to confront longstanding racial disparities in violent policing within local communities. As a result, the very role and responsibility of...
Latest Thinking

Kindness as a Stance

April Doner -
http://youtu.be/ZKwQ-w87E2g In an increasingly polarized and politicized world, what is the role of kindness -- and how might it be used to help us revive abundant communities? Recently featured on CBS, "The Antidote" is a new documentary that weaves together stories...
Friends & Neighbors

Learning Tree: Building Capacity Their Way

April Doner -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZvj_jfBpDE&t=155 In the heart of Indianapolis' Clifton-Radar neighborhood, known most often for statistics of violent crime, poverty or need, neighbors are gathering to tell, hear and sing a different story. In this video, enjoy taking in the fruits of 17...
Stories

Wednesday at Broadway: Tacos, Art, Abundance

April Doner -
Being a freelance has unusual perks — like being able to choose your office space for the day on a whim. Lately, I’ve been trying to plant myself in “third places” — spots that lend themselves to interaction among community...
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