Liz Bucheit, born in Decorah, Iowa, now a resident of Lanesboro, Minnesota, is an artist, a goldsmith, and an award-winning designer of exquisite jewelry.

When you walk through the door at Coffee on the River in Lansing, Iowa, you’re immersed in a feeling of historic warmth.

Angel’s House of Healing in La Crosse, Wisconsin, provides support for women going through transformation after addiction and trauma.

Karen & Jim Gray are community-builders par excellence, with Ye Olde Gray Barn being just one project they’ve been involved in over the years.

Mary Mulvaney-Kemp builds community in Viroqua, Wisconsin using RedLou Library to get books to those who might not have access otherwise.

Phil and Heidi Dybing live in Lanesboro, Minnesota, where they strive to build community through communication.

For author and activist Bobbi Rathert, adventure's always on the brain. She’s been a “wonderer and wanderer” her whole life.

Ryan and Allie Palmer have been “building” things together for 30 years. In Lanesboro, Minnesota, they continue the tradition.

Little hearts, crocheted with love through Kathleen Jensen's The Little Heart Project, are spreading messages of hope and light to all.

Kara Maloney says community building is about a lot of different things, but most of all, it’s about showing up.

Paul Reardon's Old Fashioned Gravel ride is bringing people to this gorgeous area to visit, enjoy, and ride with some awesome people.

A main street barbershop is so much more than a place to get a haircut. Dave Dudek, a barber who’s been cutting hair in his hometown…

Decorah music educators Nicole and Matt Cody see firsthand how music can act like a glue, binding a community together in harmony – both figurative…

Nathan Davidson uses the power to music to build community throughout Southeast, Minnesota, one gig at a time.

The six owners of the Bridgeview Plaza had a space to fill – a really large one. Their solution was The Blue Zone.

Local businessman Charlie Dee of Holmen, Wisconsin, along with First Free Church in Onalaska have been creating a community of helpers.

It is said the art of teaching is in leading others to discovery. And Molly Holkesvik, longtime English teacher at Decorah High School, has helped…

Community-building happens in all kinds of places. Even an old garage, like Ernie’s Station, owned by Ernie Johnson of Whalan, Minnesota. 

Alison Bunge Leathers is a boomerang, returning to Southeast Minnesota to live and build community with her family.

Gold Heart Tattoo owner Missy Hoch is evening out the male dominated industry of tattooing with her brand of female energy.

Laura and Andy Patten founded County Seat Laundry in Viroqua, WI, with the simple promise of making people's wash day better.

The Bronze Dragon is a one-of-a-kind, welcoming place for people who don’t or can’t drink, that is safe for the queer community, and accessible for all.

The Cresco Theatre and Opera House is so much more than a hometown theater.

Julia Borgen of Lanesboro, Minnesota, loves community. She won’t tell you that you should love it, too. Julia just does it.

From her big smile and zealous laugh, to her colorful outfits and statement glasses, anyone who comes across Rev. Laura Gentry can feel her warm energy and contagious joy.

Jeff Abbas builds community - and lives his dream - through agates, photography, and sharing both with others.

Colleen Foehrenbacher is building communit(ies) in Bluff Country through leadership at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center and beyond.

Community builders use many tools. Norb Kelly of Lanesboro, Minnesota, uses traditional tools: A saw, a hammer, a screwdriver.

Westby, WI, is host to an annual woodcarving event, founded by John Sutton, that brings craftsmen and visitors from all over the Midwest.

Decorah’s Jane Kemp is a fierce advocate for community causes, and a big believer in working hard to get things done.

“I believe that each of us as humans shine in our own way,” says Marnie Hofmeister-Pooley, owner of Let’s Shine Coffee in Hillsboro, Wisconsin.

Shaundel Spivey co-founded BLACK - Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge - to empower and elevate the black community in the La Crosse area.

Whalan, Minnesota, artist Diane Knight turns curiosity into art & community building. Learn more about her methods here!

Nancy Sojka helped found the Northeast Iowa Quilters Guild back in the late 80s, in a small-town bar, drinking… coffee. 

Jane Peck’s love of long ago is making a difference – today – in Lanesboro, Minnesota through the History Alive Lanesboro organization.

Sarah Johnson founded The Joy Labs, in Winona, MN, where she experiments with joy and art, and builds community.

Viroqua, Wisconsin’s Historic Fortney Building is being revived by the Wrobel family, and they’re building community along the way

Terri Wolfgram "pedals literacy" and builds community through her mobile Little Free Library, Paperback Rider, based in La Crosse, WI.

Stephanie Fromm talks fast and works faster, and she can't help but build community here in Northeast Iowa.

Maryann Baldwin of Lansing, Iowa, loves planting the seeds of community - like Lansing Office Works – and then watching them grow.

Even though Brooke Pfeffer doesn't think of herself as a Community Builder, she definitely does just that in Lanesboro, Minnesota.

Amanda Goodenough works hard in the La Crosse, Wisconsin, community to create a better awareness around racial justice and responsibility.

Adrian Lipscombe, owner of Uptown Cafe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, launched a black farming initiative, 40 Acres and a Mule, in 2020.

“My wife and I believe that the more people you can help in a community, the better everything else turns out," says Pete Espinosa.

Luke Zahm pursues his passion for food & cultivates identity for the Midwest as a chef, at his restaurant, Driftless Café, and now through Wisconsin Foodie.

Greg Wennes, a recovering alcoholic himself, helped found Sunrise Care Facility in 1988. It was among the first of its kind in this part of the Driftless.

“I got this.” It’s a phrase Shannon Dallenbach Durbin has found herself saying a lot. Usually it’s for something creative.

Roxanne Schnitzler and Jessica Rediske run Red-Roxy Quilt Co. in Decorah, and foster a growing community of crafters in the region.

There’s some serious pep in Adam Wiltgen’s step as he leads a tour of the arts campus in Lanesboro, a small, but vibrant, community in Southeast Minnesota.

Building community is the most important thing we can do. Connecting with others helps us connect with our humanity, and realize we're all in this together.

Meatball suppers, spaghetti feeds, pancake breakfasts: Fundraisers are a beloved Midwestern tradition. Spring Grove's Red's IGA takes it a step further!

NE Iowa RC&D's Lora Friest says she never tires of visiting with people about their ideas and helping them realize that they can actually achieve them.

For Decorah Fire Chief Mike Ashbacher, it’s the thriving group of volunteer firefighters and the service they provide that helps him build community.

Community Builder: Lissa Carlson / Coulee Parenting Connection By Aryn Henning Nichols • Photos courtesy Lissa Carlson Originally published in the Fall 2017 Inspire(d) When…

John Condon has shaped an industrial tech program at Decorah High School that focuses projects less on the individual and more on the wider community.

DecorahNow.com is a staple in the Decorah community, and builders Liz Rog and Brad Crawford have still bigger dreams for the future