A series of community service events and conversations are scheduled for the Grand Valley as part of an effort to promote connections and understanding.

The Mesa County Week of Service & Understanding is set for May 31 to June 3.

Activities will include food preparation and distribution with Mutual Aid Partners, gardening in the Discovery Garden at the Mesa County Libraries Central Library, a Colorado River cleanup, a Grand Junction City Council meeting, shooting at the Cameo Shooting and Education Complex, a pub crawl and Junior College Baseball World Series game. 

With the exception of the baseball game, most of the events will be free and open to the public. 

Space is limited for many of the events, however, and participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration and more information for all the events — including dates, times and locations — is available at . 

The project is a continuation of work involving local nonprofit and community leaders and Ben Caron, executive director of The Caravan of Compassion.

The Caravan is a national initiative to cultivate community, coalitions and compassion. The project began as The Re: United States Project in 2020 and a series of facilitated Zoom events that brought people together across ideological, cultural and geographical differences during the 2020 election. 

The same organizing team is now traveling across the U.S. over the next five summers to weave together the social fabric of the nation one conversation, one event and one community at a time.

“It’s amazing what is possible through the simple act of having a respectful conversation,” Caron said. “These types of experiences — being of service alongside our neighbors, talking about our lives with one another, breaking bread and sharing a drink at the local pub — this is what communities used to do naturally before we became polarized into warring factions.” 

“We believe that we all benefit from getting outside our bubbles. It takes courage to push past our discomfort or fear to get to know people who are different than we are. If we can learn to see each other as human beings again, worthy of dignity and respect regardless of our differences, there’s no limit to the problems we can solve or the innovations we can create together,” Caron added.