What's Your American Dream — And How Has it Changed?

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities.

At Romeoville Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills.

We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Romeoville neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, we know .

And the most important person to turn that situation around is not a national politician, but our , who plans to place Valley View among some of the .

Businesses across the country face difficult times too. Locally, many small businesses continue to open, and some businesses thrive. This year, we’ve seen several new ventures, from to , take hold in the community. But others, like the Romeoville Hallmark store, were forced to shut to shut their doors because of the lackluster economy. Still others — like the many vacant storefronts throughout the village — never get off the ground at all.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Romeoville go to the heart of your American Dream. Maybe you created a job for yourself when there was no work to be found. Maybe your business had to shut its doors, and you’re finding new ways to get by. Maybe you’ve found creative ways to cut back and save money that no one else imagined. Whatever your story is, we’d like to tell it.

This is a unique moment in the history of our country, and Patch is uniquely positioned to explore and amplify the stories that capture that moment.