Every community is unique, for a variety of reasons.

Tamaqua leaders are looking to explore their community's uniqueness through a new, collaborative effort, the "Dear Tamaqua Project."The first phase will be a yearlong effort to encourage past and current residents to share personal experiences, memories and hopes for Tamaqua's future.The second phase will be a large-scale, public street fair in August of 2015, bringing to life the stories gathered in phase one.Leona Rega, coordinator of the Tamaqua Safety Initiative and the Dear Tamaqua Project, said, "Through our efforts over the past two years, the initiative has noticed an interesting disparity in those who love and appreciate their community, yet have deep concerns about its future because of crime, safety, jobs, family, lack of neighborhood connections and more."The project aims to bring the 'behind the door' private conversations of how people feel about and what they envision for their community to light, and serve as a catalyst for change."Thoughts on the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly parts of Tamaqua are all welcome. All Tamaqua residents are being encouraged to share their thoughts and stories of the community through written word, original music, video, poetry, visual art, etc. Material for the project may be submitted in any medium that communicates a personal memory, a unique Tamaqua experience, or hope for the future. All submissions will be accepted, reviewed and archived for future generations.Local arts professional Kathy Odorizzi has joined the venture, asking: "Why is this community unique and special to so many people and how do each of us fit in to the community?"Odorizzi has connected the Dear Tamaqua leadership with Touchstone Theatre, a Bethlehem-based group with a long history of creating powerful, original, community-based art. Touchstone company members are participating in an "artist in residency program" to assist with gathering the stories and final performance.Tamaqua native James P. Jordan is Touchstone's artistic director and said, "If you would have told me, as a graduating senior at Tamaqua High, that almost two decades later, I would be coming back to lead a project like this, I would have thought you were crazy. But it feels as if I've come full circle, and now it's my chance to do something positive for a place that is such a part of me."Coordinators are hoping for full community participation, from local social clubs, schools, businesses, bars, past and present residents."It's the voice of the people who make a difference in the future direction of any venture," adds Rega. "All we ask is for respectful communication for a better, safer, more connected tomorrow."Entries submitted before May 1, 2014, will be eligible for inclusion in a public presentation at the Tamaqua Summer Fest 2014 on June 15, and the National Night Out on Aug. 5. All entries will help serve as inspiration for the large-scale public spectacle presented in the streets of Tamaqua on Aug. 4, 2015.Physical letters may be mailed to Tamaqua Safety Initiative, c/o Dear Tamaqua, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua, PA 18252. Electronic submission may be entered through the project website at

www.deartamaqua.com.For more information, including how to get involved or to make a monetary or in-kind donation, contact Rega at 570-668-1192 or email

leona@tacp.info.Dear Tamaqua is funded, in part, by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts through a partnership with Jump Street of Harrisburg, a community-based arts incubator and the Local Initiative Support Corporation.A public meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Tamaqua Community Art Center, 125 Pine St. Anyone interested in learning more about the project, lending assistance or participating in future development needs is welcome to attend.