CY 101: Founding Stories

City Year is a culture of idealism. Contributing to that idealism are a collection of stories and quotations from many people and cultures that we call our “Founding Stories.” These stories, and their messages, are woven into the fabric of City Year and serve as a foundation for our day to day service.

These stories illustrate the civic values that guide us, set our course, and remind of us of the fundamental motivations of the organization. The stories have been collected over the years as they came to City Year’s attention and were an obvious fit with our culture and mission.

The Founding Stories, are:

Be the Change
The Beloved Community
The Bridge Builder
Cathedral Building
Everybody Can Be Great
It Takes a Village
It’s in Your Hands
The Lighthouse
The Long Walk
Love and Joy
Moccasins
Never Doubt
Night into Day
The Rabbi’s Gift
Ripples
Sand into Diamonds
Seven Generations
The Starfish Story
Stone Soup
The Traveler
Ubuntu
Up the River
Water