WEST PARK, Florida — A community initiative launched in 2025 has grown into a broader effort to reconnect residents of Carver Ranches and the wider West Park community through dialogue, collaboration, and improved access to local resources.
By Carl Perkins
The effort began when representative Izegbe Onyango of A Little Help Never Hurts (ALHNH) reached out to Angine Moss Founder, CEO of Hosanna 4 Youth about bringing the Community Connectors initiative to West Park. Moss connected with Commissioner Dr. Katrina Touchstone, who viewed the initiative as a valuable opportunity for the community to reunite amid tensions created by West Park Governance and citizens. Touchstone and Moss contacted approximately 10 active community members whom they believed would be committed to the program’s success.
The group held its first meeting at the Hacienda 4 Youth headquarters during the first week of July 2025. About five participants officially joined the effort, leading to the formation of the Carver Ranches West Park Community Connectors. Touchstone said she believed it was essential to establish the program in West Park to help bridge divisions and reconnect residents with their neighbors and officials in city government, to create a sense of transparency and trust back into the city. In partnership with A Little Help Never Hurts (ALHNH) and the Children’s Services Council (CSC) of Broward County, the Community Connectors have linked residents to local resources and initiatives. The group has also promoted open dialogue, strategic planning, and ideas to support children, families, and senior citizens.
Through the partnership, Community Connectors have hosted several community discussions and provided residents with opportunities to submit ideas for funding local projects. Organizers said the goal is to support projects that can help the community reconnect and thrive. The initiative has taken on additional significance as West Park moves through a tense election season marked by political disagreements and concerns about the direction of city leadership. Against that backdrop, Touchstone organized a community forum on October 15, 2026, at Carver Ranches School. The forum was designed to move the conversation away from political conflict and toward the practical needs of residents.
Participants discussed trust, transparency, communication, inclusion, and stronger relationships among residents, service providers, elected officials, and community organizations. Four general questions guided the discussion. Participants were asked how trust and transparency could be strengthened between providers and the community, what new ideas could improve the lives of children, families, and seniors, and how partnerships, communication, and inclusion could be improved through community services. They were also invited to identify the community accomplishments and assets of which they were most proud. Jajuan Burton, a candidate for West Park Commission Seat Two, presented four priorities: modernization, investment in youth, accountable government, and economic growth.
His comments appeared to resonate strongly with members of the audience. Burton called on opposing sides to come together through positive energy, passion, truth, and honest individual conversations. He said those conversations could help rebuild the social connections that once brought residents together in familiar community settings. Residents emphasized the need for balance between citizens and elected officials as the election approaches. They contrasted the city’s political power struggle with the importance of preserving human dignity, suggesting that the tone of public leadership matters alongside policies and campaign promises. The forum offered residents and candidates an alternative to political division.
Rather than concentrating only on disagreements, participants focused on shared priorities, including accountable government, opportunities for young people, assistance for senior citizens, stronger community services, and economic development. Resident Malcom Lane feels by starting with Mary Saunders Park is a great beginning to bringing the neighborhood together. As West Park looks toward its future, the Community Connectors initiative demonstrates that progress remains possible when residents, candidates, service providers, and elected officials come to the table with a willingness to listen.
Unity does not require everyone to agree, but it does require fairness, respect, transparency, and a commitment to placing the community’s needs above political conflict. This community story is submitted for consideration as West Park residents continue working toward dialogue, reunification, and a stronger future and transparent governance.
