Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of ordinary people dared to write extraordinary words:

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

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Note that it starts with "We."

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The Declaration of Independence was never solely about breaking away from something; it was about coming together for something. We inherit both the promise and the challenge of that unity. Today, we are more diverse than ever, in terms of race, faith, background, and opinion. Yet the task before us remains the same as it was in 1776: to find common ground strong enough to carry us forward together.

 

Unity does not mean uniformity. It means choosing to see each other as fellow citizens first. It means remembering that independence was never meant to be lived in isolation, but in community.

 

The Boulder: Hands On Rock Sculpture is especially appropriate for this year. It represents all of us. It symbolizes those who settled in Boulder, who may not have seen eye to eye on everything, but who worked together to create this community.

 

All over the United States this year, states and communities are finding ways to honor and celebrate this milestone.

 

A group of us came together and proposed the idea of a service initiative: "Give Boulder a Hand." The goal is to complete 250 hours of service—just service to one another and our community.

 

Members of the Boulder Ward and the Boulder Wellness Network have come together to propose a service initiative called "Give Boulder a Hand." The goal is to collectively complete 250 hours of service each month—serving one another and our community.

 

The challenge invites community members and guests to work together in the greater Boulder area by collectively contributing 250 service hours per month. Participants can complete their service hours either independently or in small groups. To log their hours, participants should fill out the yellow tracker cards and submit them in designated drop boxes located around town, or they can use the online tracker.

 

Service activities can encompass a wide range of tasks, including assisting a neighbor with a project, setting up a stage for a community event, providing meals for those in need, delivering firewood, driving a friend to a medical appointment, supporting the wildfire council, tending to trees in the park, or engaging in any other acts of service that benefit the community.

 

As we celebrate this milestone, let us honor the courage of the founders by renewing their vision—by choosing unity over division, hope over fear, and the common good over narrow interests. That is how we keep the spirit of 1776 alive.