Patch Examines Changing American Dream

We're excited to introduce a new series for our Patch readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying economic times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams. Looking out across nearly 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and local people who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there's been talk over recent years about small-business owners in the U.S. and what our government and community as a whole can do to help them succeed. Nothing defines the American Dream more than a person starting their own business. In Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, small businesses are crucial to the look and feel of the communities, as displayed in Patch's "Locally Owned" series.

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system and its funding. Locally, the school districts Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills sends its kids to, Districts 86 and 181, are a big reason so many families seek to live in the area. Even so, Patch has had to report on how the districts have had to tighten their belts and find ways to cut budgets without cutting curriculum. 

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills go to the heart of your American Dream.