Community Corner

Keep Dreaming

Patch is excited to inaugurate a new series for our readers: "DisPatches: The Changing American Dream."

It seems to become clearer every day that our nation is in economic trouble. We see the stories on the national news about debt, downgrades, plummeting stocks, interest prices and such, but most of us feel the impact in much more personal ways. Unemployment, foreclosures and rising prices hit closer to home than debates in Washington.

At Patch, we want to facilitate a conversation about these issues on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us. Our new "DisPatches" series will look at what has changed in our economy and how ordinary people are adjusting to the new reality.

Everyone chases the fabled American Dream in their own way. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

Find out what's happening in Dale Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Dale City neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

When we have a conversation about or we see on Minnieville Road, it gives us a chance to advance our understanding of these issues on a local level.

Find out what's happening in Dale Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"DisPatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Dale City go to the heart of your American Dream.


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