April Doner

April Doner is a community connector, artist, and mother who is passionate about igniting the intersection between re-weaving neighbor relationships, strengthening local economies, and healing / reconciling inequities and injustices. She is a Steward at the ABCD Institute DePaul University and, while not practicing neighboring in her own neighborhood, she trains, coaches, and consults in Asset Based Community Development. April also documents local resilience as well as group processes through various creative means including writing, photography, video, and graphic recording. Since 2020, she has curated content for AbundantCommunity.com.
47 POSTS

Neighborhood Planning: Doing “With” Not “For”

It is often the habit of organizational professionals who interface with communities to do "to" or "for" local residents. However, when such staff step back from their traditional functions and shift their focus to supporting community members to decide...

Algerian Women “Start Somewhere” to Create their Own Destiny

"When women decide something, I think they can get to it," says Nadia Aïssaoui, of the Mediterranean Women’s Fund as she tells this story about a group of women living in the mountains of Algeria who chose to come...

“Becoming Joshua” toward Economic Freedom

A path toward racial justice and equity cannot avoid a confrontation of economic injustice. I first heard of Damon Lynch as the pastor who corrected John McKnight's characterization of our communities as being not just "half-empty" as but also "half-full."...

The Role of Community in Reducing Crime and Securing Peace

In 2020, massive protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis forced the US and the world to confront longstanding racial disparities in violent policing within local communities. As a result, the very role and responsibility of...

Kindness as a Stance

http://youtu.be/ZKwQ-w87E2g In an increasingly polarized and politicized world, what is the role of kindness -- and how might it be used to help us revive abundant communities? Recently featured on CBS, "The Antidote" is a new documentary that weaves together stories...

Learning Tree: Building Capacity Their Way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZvj_jfBpDE&t=155 In the heart of Indianapolis' Clifton-Radar neighborhood, known most often for statistics of violent crime, poverty or need, neighbors are gathering to tell, hear and sing a different story. In this video, enjoy taking in the fruits of 17...

Wednesday at Broadway: Tacos, Art, Abundance

Being a freelance has unusual perks — like being able to choose your office space for the day on a whim. Lately, I’ve been trying to plant myself in “third places” — spots that lend themselves to interaction among community...