Book excerpt: Brad Ketch's The Flourishing Community is a story of defying the odds, fighting for change, and bringing hope to the poorest community in the state of Oregon. An early-morning knock on the door changed everything for Brad Ketch, who was insulated from the struggles of his neighboring community outside of Portland, Oregon. When Brad’s eyes were opened to the poverty in Rockwood, he knew he had to find out why. Whereas many organizations focus on relief for distressed communities, Brad learned that what Rockwood needed was a holistic approach, encompassing both relief and development from within. He founded a backbone organization that would act as a support for the work that his Rockwood neighbors were already doing. The result is a place that is now flourishing. In what amounted to a one step forward, two steps back journey, with resistance from officials and property owners, Brad and those he partnered with took on the task of serving his neighbors, ridding the community of bad players, and providing ways to sustain a thriving community. Along the way, unbelievable events and fascinating people entered the story and drove it to its exhilarating conclusion. In The Flourishing Community, you'll see that it is possible to create this kind of change. It is never easy, but it is always worth it. Every city in America has a Rockwood, and this book provides a guide for those who want to get to work. After reading this book, you will be like Brad after answering the knock on his door: never the same.