09/30/2026
From Rochester to Pittsburgh! 💚📣
Connected Communities took the Community Quarterback spirit on the road to the 2026 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference!
Four members of our team joined community development leaders from across the country to learn, connect, and share what resident-led neighborhood revitalization looks like in Beechwood and EMMA.
Our team facilitated “Block-Level Strategies for Resident Leadership and Vacancy Prevention,” sharing how our Resident Ambassadors and Block Ambassadors are building trust, strengthening connections between neighbors, and helping turn resident voice into action, from parcel-level decision making and neighborhood planning to housing development, land use, and commercial revitalization.
And the response was incredible. 🙌🏾
After the session, attendees shared so much positive feedback and affirmation about the work happening right here in Rochester. It was a powerful reminder that the lessons being learned in Beechwood and EMMA can help inform how communities across the country approach resident leadership, vacancy prevention, and neighborhood change.
Of course, we had to represent in true Community Quarterback fashion: new jerseys, bright green pom-poms, and all! 🏈💚
We’re returning home energized, affirmed, and ready to keep doing what Community Quarterbacks do best: bringing residents and partners together around a shared vision and helping move that vision into action.
Thank you to the Center for Community Progress for creating space for communities to learn from one another and for giving us the opportunity to share a piece of Rochester’s story.
