Community projects don't just happen.
Great ideas often need help to get them off the ground…
 
Many pieces must come together before cities or towns, non-profits, for-profits, or community activists can realize their dreams. All of these elements require attention to detail, and many can make or break a project. Some people learn on the job. Some could benefit from a more seasoned approach, drawing on the real-life knowledge of someone who knows how to envision, plan, promote and sustain a collaborative undertaking, be it focused on trails, parks, farms, forests, community development or environmental art initiatives.

Alix Hopkins has more than 30 years of experience bringing ideas into reality. She has coordinated visionary projects for municipal governments, landowners and business people, local, state, and federal regulators, all kinds of funders, citizen supporters and opponents, and the media.

The idea of creating a trail network in Portland, Maine, for example, had been around for a hundred years without ever taking form. As the first executive director of Portland Trails, Alix mobilized the leadership and funding to bring this vision to life. Today, Portland Trails is one of the state's most successful and transformative public/private partnerships.

Alix is now helping citizens, businesses, and the City of Biddeford, Maine, realize the full potential of its revitalized riverfront, mill district and downtown by directing the Biddeford RiverWalk Coalition.
 

To inspire up-and-coming community leaders, Alix studied public works projects across the U.S. and wrote a book, Groundswell: Stories of Saving Places, Finding Community (Trust for Public Land, 2005), showing how neighborhood activists achieved their dreams, bringing positive impacts to entire communities. She is presently at work on a new book about similar efforts in the Middle East, where organizers must overcome daunting roadblocks not found in the U. S. These community environmental projects have become quiet but powerful peace building tools because they often transcend borders and cultural differences.

Having served as a staff member, consultant, volunteer and board member to more than two dozen non-profit organizations, Alix understands the complexities of mobilizing resources for projects involving conservation, economy, community development, arts & heritage, and social justice. She can harness the energy that flourishes at the intersection of these elements. If you are getting started, have reached a plateau, or just need new energy and perspective, Alix can help advance your project—moving it from vision to reality.

GIVING LIFE TO GOOD IDEAS
Contact: awhopkins@gwi.net