Lancaster Snapshot is an online initiative designed to encourage Lancaster County residents to share photos of people, places, and things they hold dear. "We are deeply interested in connecting people across any number of demographics," said Aaron Spangler, communications manager with the Lancaster County Community Foundation (LCCF). "This idea was hatched in the midst of COVID-19 when we were literally and ideologically separated from each other," he added, noting the project is focused on people introducing themselves by providing a snapshot as a way to a shared connection.
"We wanted to tap into the humanness of each other," said Tracy Cutler, executive vice president of LCCF.
Those who wish to take part may visit http://www.lancastersnapshot.com, where they will be asked to submit answers to up to five questions using photographs. Spangler noted that participants may answer as few or as many questions as they wish. The questions are: Where do you live? What's your favorite spot in Lancaster County? What's one of your favorite things or possessions? What keeps you hopeful? What's something you want to last forever?
"The idea was to keep the questions open to get a varying degree of interpretation," said Spangler, who noted there is space for a short caption. "There is no one way to answer these questions." Participants will be able to visit the site, which includes a map of the county, to see their answers along with the answers of other participants. "You can zoom in (on a map) to see people's entries," explained Spangler, who noted that place specificity was important to see not only faces, but where people are in the county and the community.
Cutler explained that the program, which went live on June 11, will run for about 12 weeks. On a regular basis, LCCF will choose random participants to receive $500 to invest in a cause or project that is important to them. "It may be something they shared in their snapshot or something else they care about," said Spangler. In the future, the organization hopes to make the site even more interactive so that participants can communicate directly with each other.
Cutler explained that it is a mission of LCCF to help achieve goals that are on the hearts of the people in Lancaster County. "We are connecting and investing in things people care about so those things can continue in the long term," she said, noting that the project encourages reflection on things that are really important to people. "Our role is coming alongside people to help support their passions," she explained.
Spangler noted that the project takes a different approach to fostering connection. "What's unique about Snapshot is that we're focusing on the ways that we care about the community," he said. "It's not just my interests, but these are the things I want to sustain. That's a stronger way to start relationships." He stated that he has been impressed by the positive way community members have reacted to Lancaster Snapshot. "(It keeps me hopeful) when people say, 'I would love to connect with the community,'" he said.
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