Strong communities are built by uncovering and utilizing the gifts of individuals in our neighborhood. We believe in celebrating these gifts as a way to foster connections, empower individuals and unify communities. Unifying Hearts begins by identifying people with talents and passions, and we listen to their stories. After getting to know these individuals, we connect them to other people and organizations who can help them achieve their goals. Finally, we seek to celebrate these individuals and their gifts allowing them to feel visible, heard and valued within their community. The Unifying Hearts process helps people find ways to best utilize their own strengths to build community, friendship, equity, and economic mobility.
Why Use The Unifying Hearts Approach?
Other programs look at the needs and deficits of a neighborhood and often seek to provide solutions from outside the community. We build relationships inside the neighborhood, using local community resources first. This approach, known as Asset-Based Community Development, builds agency within the neighborhood and is much more likely to meet the real needs of community members.
Does Unifying Hearts Work?
This is a model with proven success. It is rooted in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) principles. Unifying Hearts sprouted from lessons taught by De’Amon Harges who began his work 15 years ago. Harges founded The Learning Tree, an association of neighbors who practice ABCD to improve the quality of lives of people, communities, schools and businesses.
The Unifying Hearts Components
Listeners have the gift of loving people. Listeners enjoy hearing individual’s stories and feel enriched through this type of connection. After discovering their neighbor’s gifts, Listeners pass this information along to our Connectors.
Connectors have the gift of social networking. They know a lot of people inside and outside of their community, and they naturally share discovered gifts, talents, and passions of individuals with others who share the same passions.
Celebrators have the gift of throwing parties! They invite Connectors, Listeners and others to celebrate those with gifts that build our community. By sharing a meal or sharing stories, Celebrators promote individual’s gifts.
De’Amon Harges
The Learning Tree, Community Development, Learning, and Education
Listen to a conversation on the power of listening to help build strong towns and our communities more resilient.
Making the Invisible Visible, De’Amon Harges
De’Amon Harges trains 35 attendees on Asset Based Community Development, 9/30, 10/1, 2021. This is Poet, Desimber Rose, spoken word, The Listening Tree.
Dot Russell, Celebrating the Gift of her Biscuit making, 2/2022
Tracey Mulvaney shares her gift of flower design with Unity Health on Main, Sterling neighbor and Iglesia Jesus el Rey (Asambleas de Dios) Church.
UNIFYING HEARTS Advisory Board
Jerry Blassingame, Founder & CEO Soteria Community Corp.
Alecia Brewster, CEO Love First, LLC
Cynthia Mitchel, CES The Palmetto Group, LLC, Aiken SC
Jim Mulvaney, Board Chairperson, Ekklesia Global
Norma Jean Suarez, Executive Director, Unity Health on Main, Greenville, SC
Unifying Hearts in Greenville, SC is an outreach of Ekklesia Global, a faith community and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
There are some people we come across in life who are the embodiment of service to others. They share everything they have and put all of their energy into making good things great! That’s exactly who Tracey Mulvaney is. She’s a connector. With a passion for listening to others and discovering their unique talents, Tracey uses her wide social network to connect people who otherwise might not cross paths.
Tracey is a founding member of Ekklesia and has been integral in its growth. She works diligently to define her ministry and its role in the form of Asset Based Community Development, an approach that uses the gifts and talents already existing in a neighborhood to build it up and create positive change that benefits the whole community. With ABCD in mind, Tracey founded Unifying Hearts to seek out people’s gifts and celebrate them. Tracey believes her life is much richer with the stories of those she has met through Unifying Hearts.
Ekklesia hopes you will be inspired on your own path to God, and if you’d like to join Unifying Hearts, email Tracey.
Thank you to our partners
Elbert W. Rogers Foundation