My role in the Felt Estate Restoration Project, the role I consider most important to the overall success of the project, to the community of Laketown Township, and to myself personally, is not the role of Project Manager, but that of Resident Dreamer and Determined Idealist. Reality will always check the grand hopes of the serious dreamer, but that does not diminish our need for dreams or dreamers. In fact, in order to promote belief in a project such as the Felt Estate Restoration Project, the Idealist must offset the sometimes overwhelming realities of a small budget, state rules and regulations, public scrutiny, and the general pessimism of “it’s never been done before.”

    I take this job very seriously. The resolute optimist fights every day to inspire dreams and dreaming in a society of dream-impoverished individuals. But it is a good fight, and a worthwhile one.

    I separate the dreams I have for the Felt Estate project into two groups: Tangible Dreams (ones that can be visibly proven with empirical evidence); and Intangible Dreams (all the stuff you can’t see). The Intangible Dreams, the ones I believe are equally, if not more, important, are listed below. I hoped to

1. create an opportunity for citizen involvement in a community project
2. provide citizens with a sense of efficacy
3. give the community a unifying goal
4. create an opportunity for new friendships
5. provide an example of generosity and community involvement to our children
6. inspire other people to dream and believe
7. gain a better understanding of myself and others (and an opportunity for them to do the same)
8. teach others about history and the importance of preservation
9. give of myself to something greater than myself, and in doing so inspire others to do the same
10. create an atmosphere where creativity and love were spoken fluently.

    We realized all of these goals beyond my wildest expectations. Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow through this project.