We often think of small towns as “under-served.” That includes not having access to resources for community services.

More than 50 percent of Americans live in rural areas or small towns (of less than 25,000 people). We assume this reality is due to minimal population density and small economic base.  Kingston is proving to be an extraordinary exception.

I now have one month under my belt as the new Executive Director for the Village Green Foundation. My charge is clear: work with our partners and the community to raise the remaining $2 million needed to build the long awaited 22,000 square foot community center that will house a new library, a Boys & Girls Club and a Senior Center as well as community space.

The more people I meet and the more I learn about the project the more inspired I am.

I have spent my 30-year-career leading non-profits in a variety of communities. I have always been fascinated by the power of grassroots efforts and can say I have never seen a better example of a group of committed volunteers coming together to address a community need, and in a community of 1,100 people no less.

It is a fantastic project and this is why this campaign will succeed:

Compelling Need: The aging Community Center has failing systems and is not ADA accessible. The cramped library is the smallest in the county. One in four seniors live in poverty and many have become isolated. There are limited after school options for kids.

Committed Leadership: Led by Board President Mary McClure, the tireless board of 12 have hung in there (many for more than 10 years) putting in hundreds of hours and committing significant personal financial resources – fast approaching an astounding half million dollars among them.

Premiere Partners: Kitsap County Regional Library, Boys & Girls Clubs and Kingston Senior Center.

Sustainable Business Model: voters had the foresight to approve a Metropolitan Park District to fund the operating costs of the building — this is huge.

Funding Capacity: The Village Green Foundation has raised $6.3 million from a variety of government, foundation and private donors.

Community Engagement: It is clear the community is “all in” when 500 people (40 percent of the population) attended the kickoff of the campaign on a rainy day in January, and where 200 people come out each year to Pie in the Park to pay up to $1,800 for a pie. Please watch for more information for our next community event, a Scavenger Hunt scheduled for June 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Village Green Community Center is on a roll. We will need the community’s continued support to get us over the finish line. And when we do, we will stand as a hopeful example of what is possible when a small town delivers on a promise and the community wins big.

— Daniel Johnson is the Executive Director of the Village Green Foundation.