We all know someone who has returned to Buffalo, to stay, after a life somewhere else.
In November, 2009 my own return to Buffalo, was not so much as part of a strategy, but more like a son returning to his home in the face of an economic downturn, with the hope and dream of a purposeful reconnection.
I was fortunate enough to find work which matched my skills as a facilitator in business improvement and a meaningful initiative for my free time that contributes to a continued Buffalo economic recovery. I thank my lucky stars! I found my purpose.
Through connecting with actors, corporate business people, politicos, community activists, sports enthusiasts and culturally concerned individuals with similar interests in increasing the quality of life in Western New York, one story revealed itself as much as any other: People are coming back home, to Buffalo, after years away, by choice!
There are as many reasons to return to Buffalo as there are people returning. This silent minority, bucking the statistical trend intrigued me. It seemed that no one else had laid claim to telling this story, so I embraced it as a challenge. Along these lines, I’d like to ask you, Buffalo Rising Online Reader, who you know who has come back to Buffalo.
Maybe it’s you?
I’d like to interview you or your friends and families who came home to find out why. What’s this draw that Buffalo has? Who are they, what do they do? Where have they been? What have they learned on life’s journey and how has that reaffirmed their desire to come back to Buffalo? What is that special, unique thing that Buffalo offers that can be found nowhere else? I want to know!
My intent is to sit and speak with dozens of individuals and families to capture what it is about Buffalo that made it worth coming home to. What’s the secret? What’s that intangible force that draws us to come back?
Reply via email to yellowstone_mike@yahoo.com and we’ll set in motion a process to answer this question. The answers will be collected, recounted and then we’ll bind them all into a grand story in October, 2011.
So, tell me, who we should I talk to first? Who must we speak with? Who is the biggest fan of Buffalo you know to come back and re-invest in a future here? Let’s tell the story of what makes Buffalo so great and encourage others to come home and celebrate who and what we are…
Photo: Following wedding on the steps of the Karpeles Manuscript Museum. Summer 2010