Groundswell's annual Rural Renaissance Roadshow brings together rural leaders from across the U.S. to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and bring resources back to hard-working communities. The Roadshow equips attendees to build strong, local, clean energy futures through inspiration, education, and hands-on sessions, including opportunities to learn more about funding and technical support. This year, we’re heading to Opelika, Alabama, where attendees will spend two and a half days connecting and seeing the work in action.
On Wednesday, April 30, at noon ET, join Groundswell and experts leading groundbreaking efforts in the Southeast for a dynamic conversation on the community-strengthening power of resilience hubs during the first part of our 2025 Rural Renaissance webinar series.
During the April 30th webinar, Resilience by Design, Matthew Wesley Williams (Senior Vice President of Community Development, Marketing, and Communications at Groundswell), MahoneyOne CEO Mandy Mahoney, Jayceey Sebastian (District 4 Councilman, City of South Fulton), and Southern Company Principal Engineer Brooke Williams will explore the economic value of resilient infrastructure, how it supports people during crises, and how hard-working communities can build resilience right where they live.
This series kickoff will look at how community resilience hubs—like the one at the Vicars Community Center in Atlanta—are being used to help communities become more self-reliant and independent. These hubs continuously support community resilience and emergency services during crises. This emergency support can prove critical in areas like the Fulton County community—where the Vicars Community Center is located—which is one of the top three counties in Georgia for tornadoes.
This year, the Rural Renaissance webinar series will explore how communities are creating new job opportunities and improving local resilience through smart planning and coordination. Each webinar will provide attendees with examples of successful efforts and guidance on how similar projects can be implemented elsewhere.
