DisPatches: The Changing American Dream

We're excited to launch a new series: "DisPatches: The Changing American Dream." 

American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying. National debates over unemployment, foreclosures, debt, government and private enterprise touch on fundamental ways that we see 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 is one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams that a multitude of people are working toward.

Looking out across nearly 900 Patch sites, we see businesses 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 locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the local level, we want to know where we, as Rockville neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, a presidential election season is upon us, with candidates debating how best to forge our country’s financial future. Locally, candidates for mayor and the Rockville City Council are debating how best to budget for the city's future.

Nationally, there's a debate about our education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, our county’s prized public schools are serving a changing student population with their first new superintendent in 12 years.

“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 Rockville go to the heart of your dream.

This is a unique moment in the history of our country, and Patch is uniquely positioned to explore and amplify the stories that capture that moment.