Building the Future Together
This article was written by 2025 Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute class member Aaron Perri of Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of when South Bend's River Lights first illuminated the St. Joseph River, coinciding with the city’s 160th birthday. The awe on people's faces when those lights first turned on wasn’t just about the dazzling colors or technological marvel. It was a visible symbol of what happens when a community begins to believe in itself again. Just as importantly, it showcased what’s possible when private sector innovation, civic leadership, and philanthropic generosity come together with bold intention. As someone fortunate enough to have chaired the committee behind that project, I saw firsthand that collaboration wasn’t an extra ingredient to our success; it was the very foundation.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work in philanthropy, government, and the private sector. When I briefly transitioned into business a couple of years ago, I heard quips like, “you went to the dark side.” Though meant as a joke, it revealed a deeper misconception. The truth is none of these sectors can succeed on their own. Lasting change requires philanthropy, business, and government to work in true partnership, each bringing its unique strengths and building authentic relationships.
River Lights was more than a public art installation. It became a civic landmark shaped by trust and collaboration. Philanthropy helped fund it, private enterprise brought innovation and technical skill, and government cleared the path and rallied public support. That alignment wasn’t a bonus—it was essential. In fact, each of the hundreds of programs, events, and projects I’ve been involved with have drawn on this kind of partnership. And now, in a time of heightened political division, our communities need this collaboration as much as ever. We each have a role to play in finding common ground, strengthening relationships, and helping one another move forward.
Leadership today is not only about being a good steward of your own organization. It’s about helping build stronger connections between organizations, creating a civic fabric that no single entity could stitch together on its own.
Broader Implications: A Framework for Future Solutions
Consider some of the most pressing issues facing our communities today. Developers cannot solve the affordable housing crisis alone. It requires nonprofit advocacy, philanthropic support, and government incentives. Climate resilience won’t be achieved by grant funding alone. Business innovation and municipal policy must complement those efforts. Education reform cannot rest solely on legislation. It demands philanthropic investment in new models and private-sector engagement to ensure students are prepared for the future economy. No single sector can move the needle alone; each must contribute its strengths within an integrated framework.
A compelling case study I recently discovered through my participation in the Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute involves the transformation of the 38th and Sheridan neighborhood in Indianapolis. Recognizing the blight, historic underinvestment, and social inequities in the area, the City of Indianapolis, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana and Cook Medical partnered together to create authentic, systemic change. Goodwill, through its workforce programs serving reentry citizens, immigrants, and those facing health challenges, joined forces with Cook Medical, a private-sector leader committed to community investment. Together, they created an ultramodern medical equipment manufacturing facility—owned and operated by Goodwill but expanding the capacity of Cook Medical. Beyond that, Cook and the City helped build a new Goodwill-operated grocery store in an area once considered a food desert. Cook is now helping to address the severe lack of safe and attainable housing by developing much-needed housing options for its employees. Unfolding in real time is a legitimate transformation of this neighborhood.
What stands out about this model is not just the transformation itself, but how it was achieved. One entity's need often became the opportunity for another's mission to expand, creating a flywheel of progress. This didn’t happen by chance. It was built on years of smaller collaborations and trust that allowed each partner to swing big together. The coalition model that emerged here relieved any one partner from carrying the full burden. Each organization brought different strengths and goals but shared a principled commitment to collaboration. That clarity of purpose allowed them to thrive where they added the most value—and produced results no single entity could have achieved alone.
Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized.” The ongoing transformation at 38th and Sheridan is a testament to that spirit: an ambitious vision realized through bold, integrated partnership. This exemplifies how philanthropy, business, and government can transcend their traditional roles—not as isolated resources called upon only when needed, but as a deeply integrated force working in concert for the common good.
Complex issues like health equity, workforce development, and social cohesion will require not either-or thinking, but both-and collaborations. Public-private-philanthropic partnerships must evolve from project-based alliances into system-level strategies. While not the focus of this particular article, a final component not to be overlooked in this mix is an engaged citizenry. Active participation from within our communities helps to hold these sectors accountable, ensuring that collaboration remains authentic and inclusive.
The 38th and Sheridan collaboration reinforced for me the lesson that the strongest communities are intentionally created through more than a single planning effort, election cycle, or project announcement. They are shaped through patient, persistent partnerships where egos are checked, trust is built, and collective outcomes are prioritized over individual accolades.
Conclusion
The challenges ahead are too complex, too interconnected, and too urgent for any one sector to solve alone. If we want our communities and economies to thrive, we must intentionally create spaces where philanthropy, business, and government intersect with shared purpose.
In a world often divided, let us remember: the most lasting progress is not forged in isolation, but through collaboration and common resolve. Our future won't be shaped by one sector rising above the rest. It will be built shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. The River Lights—and the transformation at 38th and Sheridan—both remind me of this enduring truth: lasting change requires all of us, working together.