A woman embarking on a journey to visit 50 states in 52 weeks made a stop in Norfolk on Thursday morning.
Dafna Michaelson isn't just traveling for leisure. Instead, the Denver woman is setting out to find those people moving America forward in a positive way.
"I want to see as much of the state as possible and meet people who care about the community and hear what's amazing about the community," she said. "I'm not looking for something to point at and say here's the problem. You guys go fix it. . . . I think what we need to be focusing on are the people who are making a positive difference, a positive change, who care about the community and want to do something to build it up."
The idea for the 50 in 52 project actually came from Michaelson's boyfriend buying a lottery ticket and a discussion about what they would do if they won.
"I said, 'Yes, I'm going to travel. I'm going to go around the country and meet with every governor . . . and I'm going to ask them how they're engaging their citizens to build a community.' That was the start. The next day we did not win the lottery. . . . But I decided that I didn't need to wait to win the lottery to do this. And, furthermore, why start with the governors? I wanted to find the people in America who saw a problem in their communities and figured out a way to fix it or helped other people while helping themselves at the same time."
While Michaelson was spending her week in South Dakota, someone there suggested she contact Chris Amundson of Norfolk, publisher of Nebraska Life magazine.
Amundson told Michaelson about the initiatives of the Norfolk Area Recruiters, a group that was set up to attract graduates from the Norfolk area to return to the communities that raised them.
That piqued Michaelson's interest as she's found other areas struggling with losing rural population as well.
The ultimate goal of the 50 in 52 journey is to build a foundation based on her findings.
"We will reach out to organizations like the Norfolk Area Recruiters around the country that are trying to solve community problems," Michaelson said. "And we'll ask them to submit proposals to us with the problem they are trying to solve. We'll then match them up with people around the country who are solving similar problems, bring experts in that are proven in this area or field, create a business plan, a fundraising plan and launch the initial fundraiser for this group, thereby beginning the process of solving problems in multiple states at one time."
She also hopes to write a book. The working title is, "2009: A Moment in Time in America's History."
The journey, which Michaelson started late last year, has been difficult for the single mom.
"I only travel the days the kids are with their Dad. So that way I am with them every minute that they expect me to be with them," she said. "There's definitely been Mommy guilt."
She has a 6-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter.
While in Nebraska, Michaelson will visit North Platte, Omaha, York, Holdrege and Lincoln.
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Want to learn more?
Visit the 50 in 52 Journey Web site at www.50in52journey.com.
