Earlier this month, Commongrounds’ teaching kitchen hosted a mash-up of two community events: Commonplace Coworking’s monthly “Waffle Wednesday” and Rotary Charities’ quarterly “Connecting with Changemakers.” It was a natural pairing, as each aims to foster cross-pollination and collaboration between socially-minded community professionals in the Grand Traverse region.

The Changemaking-meets-Waffling was a rousing success, and it wasn’t just because the waffles were delicious and the coffee was plentiful (though that definitely didn’t hurt). Events like Connecting with Changemakers and Waffle Wednesday create a welcoming, community-centric environment where authentic conversation and genuine connection are not only likely, but practically guaranteed.