Corridor Community Action Network (CCAN) started as a Facebook group in August, 2019. Our vision was to provide a place for people to find out about all of the different ways to help our community including:
- Blood drives
- Calls to action
- Donation requests
- Fundraisers
- Letter writing and phone call campaigns
- Rallies
- Volunteer opportunities
It quickly grew into a social justice network connecting various charities and organizations across the corridor, allowing them to provide mutual support to each other and the community at large.
CCAN’s daily posts give its members a list of at least 5 actions they can take that day to make a difference in the corridor. These are an eclectic combination of events and activities that address issues such as:
- Community crisis
- Environmental stewardship
- Food security
- Harm reduction
- Health care
- Immigrant aid
- Shelter
- Tenants’ rights
- Workers’ justice
A weekly highlight post features one specific organization, providing more information about it and helping the public understand more fully each group’s missions, impact, and needs, and how to get involved. Recent highlights have included The Emma Goldman Clinic and The Catholic Worker House.
As CCAN continues to expand, we will keep adding features that improve knowledge and strengthen community.
In addition to networking existing organizations, CCAN has brought people together to respond to immediate community needs, such as cleaning up offensive chalk graffiti in the middle of the night and sponsoring a family for the holidays.
As connections grew through CCAN, we began to entertain the idea of bringing this network together, offline. The resulting event is the first CCAN-Con, on January 5th at the Iowa City Public Library. The convention provided community members with an opportunity to interact with representatives from over 20 local organizations and find out how to help causes that matter to them.