Tim Harty, The Business Times

Porcia Chen Silverberg is a flaming extrovert. By the way, that’s her self-description.

“I love talking to people. I have no problem making connections, but that’s who I am,” she said.

She also knows many people are not built that way.

“They’re not extroverts. They’re very cautious when it comes to meeting new people,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean an introvert can’t create meaningful, productive connections with others for the benefit of their community.

That’s why Chen Silverberg created her business, Connect for Good, and in January it debuted a monthly luncheon that’s a start down the road to bigger and better things.

She sees people of all ages and from all walks of life building relationships that in turn lead to collaboration.

She sees everyday people who may not have seen themselves as leaders stepping into community involvement “in ways that feel approachable and meaningful.”

She sees welcoming spaces “where participation feels possible, not overwhelming, and where curiosity is enough to get started.”

And she sees more people, who care deeply and are ready to contribute their time, talents and insights, getting connected to nonprofits and helping them grow stronger.

Those things can bring about what Chen Silverberg said is Connect for Good’s ultimate goal: “To foster a more connected, caring and compassion-powered community.”

LET’S HAVE LUNCH AND TALK

Connect for Good’s January and February luncheons reached their maximum attendance of 50 people and the March luncheon was just four people shy of maxing out again.

It costs $35, and people are parting with the cash and participating in ways that Chen Silverberg knows make a difference. She knows, because she’s done this before. In Denver. In California.

“I’ve done this type of work for 25 years,” she said, adding, “I know that’s what I was meant to do.”

Chen Silverberg moved from California to Grand Junction in 2021, and she didn’t see anything like the organizations she ran previously.

“I know there are lots of great service clubs, like Kiwanis, Rotary, and there’s not a shortage of that, but those are weekly meetings and, you know, a big commitment to become a member. Then, I’ve been to networking groups, and I just didn’t see anything in our community that offers a place, a space where people feel welcome and can come together, because I really believe in collaborations.”

That’s where luncheons come in. They’re the start to relationships and subsequent collaboration.

“We need to build a relationship in order to build trust and in order to build collaboration,” Chen Silverberg said. “You know, you just don’t walk up to a stranger and say, ‘Hey, let’s collaborate,’ right? There’s just no such thing. It takes a long time to build that trust, so everyone feels comfortable to really create long-lasting, authentic and sustainable collaboration.”

Several attendees who have been to multiple luncheons say Connect for Good is off to a good start with its approach.

“It’s a really great, relaxed format that’s facilitating deeper conversations with our community,” said Laurel Cole, executive director of Mesa County Habitat for Humanity and a newly elected Grand Junction City Council member. “It’s a really wide range of different people in the community coming together to talk through some of the positives and areas of challenge in our community. And I think that it’s like the basis of a format that could bring together people who wouldn’t normally be together to think outside the box for some solutions.”

Shelby Burroughs Pryzgoda, director of TRiO Upward Bound at Colorado Mesa University, witnessed “an eagerness in the community, whether it’s with business professionals, folks in the nonprofit world, folks in the government realm that want to connect to really make Grand Junction the best place that it can be.”

She said that was “super inspiring,” and she met people who are excited to work with students.

“I have the privilege of working with young students in the high school level and helping them go to college,” Burroughs Pryzgoda said. “I met so many people that are interested in wanting to help our students and connect them with internships or teach them something that they’ve learned from their time in their career, and that’s really invaluable, because you can’t put a price tag on people’s experience.”

NETWEAVING, NOT NETWORKING

The early feedback in Grand Junction excites Chen Silverberg, who was thrilled to add, “I’ve had people say, ‘You know, it’s remarkable to me that I come to this thinking it’s a networking event, but I didn’t hand out my business card once.’”

That means they already realize there’s something more to Connect for Good.

Chen Silverberg said another luncheon attendee told her, “I see older people, I see younger people, I see liberals, I see conservatives, I see nonprofits, business, government, all in the same room and feeling good about it.”

And Chen Silverberg added, “You know what? That’s the essence. That’s what we’re creating here.”

Her term for what is transpiring is “netweaving,” and she explained it: “I feel like we’re not networking, because networking implies: What’s in it for me? Netweaving, it’s about: What’s in it for us? What can we do for each other?

“You know, we’re weaving people, connections, resources and lots of possibilities.”

Chen Silverberg said that’s what Connect for Good is striving for.

“My agenda is: I want a better community,” she said. “I want us to be connected. I want us to have compassion. 

I want us to be engaged with our community.

“Because, you know, I think that’s one of the one of the secrets to a happy, fulfilling life is when we are thinking bigger than ourselves, when we are giving back and contributing to something bigger. I believe we need that to really have a very holistic, meaningful, fulfilling life.”

MORE THAN JUST LUNCHEONS

The monthly luncheons are a good start, and Chen Silverberg wants to build on it with other events.

For starters, Connect for Good will will host “Board Connect,” a nonprofit board fair, on May 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Art Center of Western Colorado, 1803 N. Seventh St. Attendance is free to community members looking to learn more about board service and opportunities at 25 nonprofits that will be at the event.

Later in the year, likely November, Chen Silverberg envisions Connect for Good hosting an all-day conference.

“I’m looking at new programs all the time,” she said. “This conference (idea) came out of the last luncheon. Somebody said, ‘This is so great. I wish we didn’t have to end it.’ So that gave me the inspiration.”

The luncheons are 90 minutes, and “the energy is so good in the room,” Chen Silverberg said. “So, OK, we’ve got to extend this deliciousness, right? Let’s do an all-day thing where you have a chance to talk to more people, maybe have deeper conversations without rushing off, you know?”

She also wants to try something in Grand Junction that she wanted to do in other cities, but never did.

“I think I’m finally going to do it this time,” Chen Silverberg said. “I want to create some potluck dinners or some dinners and maybe happy hour. 

“I’m just looking at creating more and more opportunities for people to connect because not everyone can get away during lunchtime. I realize that. So, depending on what people are looking for and if I can, I would love to help create more opportunities.”