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The Flourishing Community

A Story of Hope for America's Distressed Places

Published by Forefront Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

Brad Ketch's The Flourishing Community is a story of defying the odds, fighting for change, and bringing hope to the poorest community in the state of Oregon.

An early-morning knock on the door changed everything for Brad Ketch, who was insulated from the struggles of his neighboring community outside of Portland, Oregon.

When Brad’s eyes were opened to the poverty in Rockwood, he knew he had to find out why. Whereas many organizations focus on relief for distressed communities, Brad learned that what Rockwood needed was a holistic approach, encompassing both relief and development from within. He founded a backbone organization that would act as a support for the work that his Rockwood neighbors were already doing. The result is a place that is now flourishing.

In what amounted to a one step forward, two steps back journey, with resistance from officials and property owners, Brad and those he partnered with took on the task of serving his neighbors, ridding the community of bad players, and providing ways to sustain a thriving community. Along the way, unbelievable events and fascinating people entered the story and drove it to its exhilarating conclusion.

In The Flourishing Community, you'll see that it is possible to create this kind of change. It is never easy, but it is always worth it. Every city in America has a Rockwood, and this book provides a guide for those who want to get to work. After reading this book, you will be like Brad after answering the knock on his door: never the same.

About The Author

Brad Ketch has traveled, lived, and worked globally on poverty, justice, and reconciliation initiatives. He has dug deep into the poorest community in Oregon for the last ten years and has witnessed its rebirth. For twenty-five years he had a thriving career in technology, culminating in his role as CEO of a publicly traded semiconductor company. But in the recession of 2008 his company failed and he was financially wiped out. Not deterred by this reversal, Brad and his wife Lynn Ketch did a mid-career switch and fulfilled their long-held goal of entering into poverty and justice work internationally. They moved to Asia, and he became the CEO of a major charity that served 100,000 ultra-poor people every year. They returned to the US and dug deep into the poorest community in Oregon and have witnessed its rebirth. He has harnessed together both the “bottom-up” and the “top down” approaches to community transformation and has shown that it works. His organization is now in the top 5 percent of nonprofits nationally. Brad is now sharing his experience and his knowledge with communities across America who want to begin a journey of transformation.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Forefront Books (January 10, 2023)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781637631607

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