By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

Common Grounds recently announced “A Contest for Hope,” a community initiative that will provide 12 awards of $250 each to non-profits in the Cazenovia area.

Community members are invited to respond to the question “What is your greatest hope?” by submitting a drawing, picture, phrase, poem, or anything else that expresses their hope.

Three entries will be selected from each of the following four categories: children 12 & under, high school students, college students, and adults and families.

Each winner will be given the opportunity to handpick a non-profit to receive a $250 donation. Winners will also have their entries reproduced as greeting cards and receive boxes of stationary and envelopes from the Cazenovia College Copy Shop to share their hope.

The contest results will be announced in January and displayed as posters at Common Grounds.

Entries should be mailed to Common Grounds Contest, 35 Albany St. Cazenovia, New York 13035, or emailed to [email protected].

All entries must be received by Friday, Dec. 31 for consideration.

“We can benefit from listening to what people of all ages are hoping for; it can make a difference in all of our lives,” said Common Grounds founder Bob Hood. “A young child might respond that they were hoping for a puppy dog, [but] can you imagine how our community and our world would change if we all hoped for and practiced unconditional love?”

Common Grounds is a free-use community space adjacent to Dave’s Diner on the corner of Albany and Sullivan Streets in Cazenovia.

The facility serves as a meeting place and workspace for a number of diverse groups, as well as a venue for various community events.

Common Grounds has also provided support and funding to a number of community organizations, including Cazenovia Welcomes Refugees, Cazenovia Artisans, and CazArts.

According to Hood, A Contest for Hope is intended to unite people, lift their spirits and inspire them to take positive action in their lives and the community.

“I sense that people are tired and feel disconnected from one another,” he said. “We are suffering fatigue from the pandemic, from political divisiveness, and from all of the negative rhetoric we are constantly fed through social media. Social distancing has [also] disconnected us from one another . . . When we feel alone and burdened with problems, we can become discouraged and depressed; we can lose sight of the future we want for our own lives and for the lives of our children. Some people begin to see their cup as being half empty, instead of half full.”

Hood added that he sees the contest as a way to give people the common connection and encouragement they need to take the first step towards bringing their hopes to fruition.

“Focusing on our greatest hope requires stepping back from the people who are spinning stories about all the problems we are facing, and pausing and reflecting on what is important, what matters most, what matters least, and what our hope is for tomorrow,” he said. “If we become focused and intentional about what we hope for, both the pathway and our role in the journey become clear. Hope for me invites taking some initiative to make what I’m hoping for a reality . . . In order to break a habit and form a new habit, a person has to take action. If we are frustrated and dissatisfied with the lack of respect and understanding between people with opposing views, we need to learn and practice how to have a conversation in order to find some common ground.”

A Contest for Hope is presented in conjunction with Common Grounds Live, a new live-streaming resource designed to provide the community with a platform for difficult conversations on controversial topics. The conversations are live-streamed on the “Caz Common Grounds Live” YouTube channel.

Facilitated by Patrick Camilien — assistant director/academic counselor of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at Cazenovia College — the initiative aims to build community and foster respectful dialogue while also creating a platform for people to engage in braver and safer conversations.

Common Grounds Live also functions as a platform for local musicians, entrepreneurs, artists, and anyone else interested in sharing their unique perspective.

For more information, contact Camilien at [email protected].