Kerra Thurston, 31, is the interim president of the Resident's Council of Blue Ridge Commons in Charlottesville, Va. Interested in promoting civic engagement as a model for resident involvement, Kerra has created a number of incentives for residents to participate more in the council and in the strengthening of their community. Through raffles of public transportation passes, one-on-one recruitment, special events, communication tools, mentoring, and building community partnerships, Thurston has led more residents to play an active role in the community. “Getting more residents involved is a slow process,” Kerra explains. “But if even only one new resident attends a meeting, it shows me that one more person is involved in making our community better, so I never give up.”

 

Kerra has lived at Blue Ridge Commons for five years. A multifamily community with more than 200 units, Blue Ridge Commons is a neighborhood of Community Housing Partners Corporation (CHPC). CHPC's Executive Director Janaka Casper says about Kerra, “The Resident Council is her pride and joy. She's demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the Blue Ridge Commons community, and every day we grow stronger from her creativity and commitment.”

 

A married mother of four children, Kerra works part-time as a tutoring assistant at Abundant Life Ministries and volunteers with the Junior Ladies of Quality Club.