August Ely for Ely Monthly Gathering: Join the Conversation

One of the best parts of Ely is the passion people feel for it. Many of us have felt that love/hate relationship with social media (and maybe even with the What's Up Ely Facebook Group). It can feel overwhelming to live in a town of 3,200 people, but have a Facebook group with over 30,000 people in it. We all know that posting events or questions there can invite comments from current, seasonal, and former residents.

But that's the best part of the group too - 30,000 people care that deeply about Ely.

Ely for Ely was formed, in part, by knowing how many passionate people there are that love Ely. They love the work we do, the organizations that make our town amazing, the social events that make the town feel alive. That work, we know, comes at a cost. One of time, volunteerism, labor, and often, burnout.

Ely for Ely wanted to change that. We wanted to get people in the same room to converse about Ely's needs from an organizational and business perspective. And then work together to solve them.

That work is hard. The directions we initially thought were needed haven't always been right, but the conversations and community that have come from them have been.

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After almost 2 years of Monthly Gatherings, planning meetings, and Annual Workshops, we can define Ely for Ely as:

What we do: We convene Ely-area people to foster connection and collaboration to increase capacity and bridge across silos for positive impact. 

Where we are in the process: We are imagining what’s possible in terms of how we can work together, and what positive visions we can develop and work toward. We are inviting people into the conversation, gathering information, and exploring ideas.

Where we want to go: We seek to create a clearly defined, positive vision for the future of Ely wherein there is a role for everyone who wants to participate.

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During the first track on Community Leadership, we saw passion and excitement around solving the challenges facing our community. With over 100 nonprofits supporting the Ely Area, it can feel like a never-ending fundraising, volunteering, event planning cycle. We know we're at our best when we work together, so we knew that the people in Ely, the leaders, business owners, volunteers, and excited community members would know what we needed.

For the most part we were right. The conversations have been excellent. We know that our leaders are experiencing burnout, that we need more volunteers and better systems for ensuring their success, and new people stepping up into leadership roles. But in these conversations something else happened; a metaphor formed to describe the struggle to know where to start in an engaged and active community, how to level up from there, and how to move on to new opportunities.

That discussion illuminated a need for an on-ramp of sorts, some wayfinding for those on the road, and off-ramps to help the leadership cycle continue. This became the theme of the second discussion, further showcasing the strength of the metaphor, adding nuance to the challenged with each stage, and giving shape to the actions that are needed to create a stronger road.

Tomorrow is the August Ely for Ely Monthly Gathering. The community has shown up, ready to openly discuss, learn, and grow together. The room is filled with people who want to do the work of finding answers, even if it means giving up some of their free time. At the monthly gathering on August11th, we will discuss the ways in which the wildfires have impacted our community and neighbors, then end with some action items you can do to tell the sotry of Ely in this moment. We invite you to participate in this conversation in the comments here, or by coming to the meeting on Tuesday (7:30am at the Ely Folk School).

Boundary Waters Connect has been working toward many of these goals and needs for 5 years. And we will continue.

But we don't have all the answers.

Part of the magic of Ely is that we are willing to co-create our town, see needs and find ways to fill them, and seek ways to come together. Ely for Ely is an example of that. It's an example of a town that opts-in. A place filled with energy, community, and agency; a place that works to stave off burnout while acknowledging that many of us are wearing too many hats, a community wanting to help new residents find their space.

We know this journey has been challenging. We know BWC is not the first to do this work. We know we will not be the last. We are thankful for the part we play in the story of this town that we and 30,000+ others love.

Although we don't have all the answers or even all of the next steps, we're inviting you to continue this journey and work, because these conversations are the first steps toward solving many of our challenges.

So, thank you all for joining us as we figure this out, for talking, answering questions, coming to monthly gatherings, Tuesday Groups, and annual workshops, for doing the work along the way and ensuring these 100+ nonprofits, 200+ businesses, and the community of Ely benefit from all that is within our community. We're excited for the next stage.

Our meeting in August is focusing on the wildfire impacts to our business community and neighbors. We know the conversations that have already happened and the ones we have yet to have are important and needed. We're not stopping those conversations, only taking a moment to acknowledge the current events impacting our community.

The intent has always been to have these conversations and use the action items in our Boundary Waters Connect work plans in 2026 and beyond. We've started planning our 2027 work with the Ely for Ely action items and goals in mind. These monthly gatherings have been invaluable to the work of Lacey and I . Hearing directly from our friends and neighbors about the work, challenges, and successes you face has helped us find ways that BWC can support the work already happening. Ely is an incredibly resourceful community. We are thankful to be one of the resources available to the people who make this community home.

In September, we will transition to the next track, Community Wealth. That does not mean the conversation on community leadership or business success ends, it simply means we get to sit with what we have discussed while we address community wealth. This next monthly gathering will be working toward a directive for Boundary Waters Connect to start addressing the challenges we know exist. Come be part of that conversation. Come work toward the Ely you want to see and live in. Your voice and presence are welcome and wanted.

See you on August 11th at 7:30am at the Ely Folk School. We're glad you'll be there.