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NEWSLETTER
Joy in Community + A Gift for You
As our team at Groundswell closes out this year, we’ve been taking time in community with one another to celebrate all the ways we’ve been able to keep serving our neighbors.
December 22, 2025
PODCASTS
The Groundswell Way: Episode 4, Part One – Moving at the Speed of Trust, with Special Guest Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community
What does it really mean to build resilience in the face of climate change, water scarcity, and centuries of under-investment? In this powerful episode of The Groundswell Way, host Matthew Wesley Williams sits down with Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community—a visionary leader stewarding bold solutions rooted in ancestral wisdom and sovereign innovation.
The Groundswell Way: Episode 3 – Resilience by Design: Investing to Rebuild Rural America
Are you passionate about rural innovation and community impact? The latest episode of The Groundswell Way podcast is a must-listen! In this episode, Tony Pipa of the Brookings Institution leads a dynamic conversation with Al Puchala (CapZone), Kyle Bridgeforth (Bridgeforth Farms), and Chéri Smith (Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy).
The Groundswell Way: Episode 2 – The Westside Resilience Corridor: A Two-Part Episode
Westside Atlanta churches are carrying forward their civil rights legacy together, building local resilience with Groundswell and key partners.
The Groundswell Way: Episode 1 — Spinning Plates in a Hurricane with Special Guest Michelle Moore
We’re excited to announce the launch of The Groundswell Way podcast, a new series that explores what resilience means for communities across the country, and how neighbors are coming together to co-create solutions that work.
The Groundswell Way Series Trailer
The Groundswell Way is a podcast about building community power through community development for wholistic resilience. Hosted by Matthew Wesley Williams, Senior Vice President of Community Development at Groundswell, this series dives into what resilience means, and what it really takes to build the everyday conditions that are built under blue skies and proven in storms.
BLOG POSTS & NEWSLETTER
Joy in Community + A Gift for You
As our team at Groundswell closes out this year, we’ve been taking time in community with one another to celebrate all the ways we’ve been able to keep serving our neighbors.
A Letter of Thanksgiving
Every other Thursday, our team here at Groundswell gathers for Thankful Thursdays. We all join in and share one thing we’re each grateful for that week. Sometimes people give thanks for each other or for our partners or for provision, and sometimes it’s for health and family. One of the things that has struck me about our Thankful Thursdays this year is that, even in the midst of the hardest weeks, we have been overflowing with gratitude.
Opening Celebration of Local Leadership, Rural Power, and Tribal Sovereignty
Two weeks ago, Groundswell hosted our third annual Rural Renaissance Roadshow in Auburn and Opelika, Alabama. Themed “Resilience by Design," The Roadshow brought together 200+ people involved in resilience projects across East Alabama, West Georgia, the greater Southeast, and communities nationwide.
The Groundswell Way Podcast | Episode 2: The Westside Resilience Corridor
What does real resilience look like when a community comes together to design its own future? In this special episode of The Groundswell Way podcast, we travel to Atlanta’s historic Westside, home to the legacies of civil rights, faith, and community power, to explore the Westside Resilience Corridor: a living model for resilience, self-determination, and collaboration.
Join Rural Leaders for Insight, Resources at the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow
Starting on November 10, you are invited to join rural leaders from across the U.S. to meet with change makers and rural leaders who are actively building more resilient communities during Groundswell’s Rural Renaissance Roadshow in Auburn and Opelika, Alabama.
Rural Renaissance Roadshow 2025: Building Resilience and Getting Good Stuff Done Together
The countdown is on! In just 18 days, rural leaders, innovators, and community champions will gather in Opelika, Alabama for the Rural Renaissance Roadshow (Nov. 10–12, 2025) – and we want YOU to be a part of it!
Invitation from the CEO: A Call to Unity
It’s a tough time to talk about unity, but that word has been on my heart since the beginning of this year. We all know “a house divided cannot stand,” but how can we begin to put the pieces back together again?
Groundswell’s Rural Renaissance Roadshow to Kick-Off with Celebration of Rural Communities Featuring Nashville Musician Jervis Campbell
The Auburn/Opelika community will play host to an exciting kickoff event as acclaimed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jervis Campbell takes the stage at Auburn University’s Alfa Pavilion on November 10, setting the tone for Groundswell’s 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow. This highly anticipated gathering will bring together 200 leaders and innovators from across the region to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and fuel the growth of hard-working rural communities.
Centering People in Resilience: Reflections from My Summer with the CRHI
Across Indiana, communities are facing the realities of more frequent flooding, heat waves, and other climate-related impacts. This summer, I had the privilege of being a McKinney Climate Fellow with the Environmental Resilience Institute in partnership with Groundswell. My work centered on advancing the planning of Community Resilience Hubs across the state—spaces designed not only to serve as refuges during power outages and emergencies, but also to strengthen and support communities in their daily lives.
Launching the Westside Resilience Corridor: Building Community Power on Atlanta’s Westside
Four historic churches in Southwest Atlanta are coming together with Groundswell, Georgia Power, the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), and the City of Atlanta to launch the Westside Resilience Corridor — a groundbreaking collaboration to strengthen community resilience, expand access to clean energy, and lower energy costs for local families.
VIDEOS
2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow: Closing Remarks
Experience the inspiring conclusion to the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow. Join Groundswell CEO Michelle Moore as she reveals the story and vision behind one of the event’s primary graphics—a symbol of hope, community, and progress for rural America. Hear directly from attendees as they share reflections about how the Roadshow impacted them and their communities, fostered new connections, and sparked innovative ideas for rural revitalization. Don’t miss this powerful closing moment that celebrates the spirit and achievements of the Roadshow!
2025 Rural Renaisssance Roadshow: Welcome to Opelika
Groundswell’s annual Rural Renaissance Roadshow brings together rural leaders from across the U.S. to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and bring resources back to hard-working communities. The Roadshow equips attendees to build strong, locally led futures through inspiration, education, and hands-on sessions, including opportunities to learn more about funding and technical support. This year, we’re heading to Opelika, Alabama, where attendees will spend two and a half days connecting and seeing the work in action.
2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow: Rural Resilience & Renewal
Join us for a keynote panel by speakers who have a resolute commitment to rebuild Rural America, which they explored together as the lunchtime keynote panel at the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow. Tony Pipa (Brookings Institution) will lead Al Puchala (CapZone), Kyle Bridgeforth (Bridgeforth Farms), and Chéri Smith (Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy) spoke in this discussion titled Rural Resilience & Renewal: Maximizing the Opportunities amid Turbulence & Uncertainty.
EVENTS
2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow
Groundswell’s annual Rural Renaissance Roadshow brings together rural leaders from across the U.S. to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and bring resources back to hard-working communities. The Roadshow equips attendees to build strong, locally led futures through inspiration, education, and hands-on sessions, including opportunities to learn more about funding and technical support. This year, we’re heading to Opelika, Alabama, where attendees will spend two and a half days connecting and seeing the work in action.
PRESS RELEASES
Groundswell Honors Rural Leaders with 2025 Rural Power Awards at Rural Renaissance Roadshow
Tonight, at the opening celebration of the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow, Groundswell proudly announced the winners of its Rural Power Awards. The 2025 awards honored three extraordinary leaders whose community-led work exemplifies tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and long-term resilience in rural America.
Groundswell’s Rural Renaissance Roadshow to Kick Off with Celebration of Rural Communities Featuring Nashville Musician Jervis Campbell
Press Release
The Auburn/Opelika community will play host to an exciting kickoff event as acclaimed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jervis Campbell takes the stage at Auburn University's Alfa Pavilion on November 10, setting the tone for Groundswell's 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow. This highly anticipated gathering will bring together 200 leaders and innovators from across the region to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and fuel the growth of hard-working rural communities.
Westside Resilience Corridor Launched to Strengthen Community, Increase Energy Efficiency and Expand Energy Access
Press Release
Today, four Southwest Atlanta Churches – West Hunter Street Baptist, Providence Missionary Baptist, Community Church Atlanta and the Vicars Community Center, and Atlanta Good Shepherd Community Church – announce the launch of the Westside Resilience Corridor to strengthen community resilience in Westside Atlanta by aligning their ministries and partnering with Groundswell.
Groundswell Issues RFP for Solar Developers to Expand Community Solar Across the Southeast
Press Release
Groundswell, a nonprofit that builds community power, has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking experienced solar developers to advance the Southeast Rural Power, Solar for All program.