Letting Love Lead with Mayor Horne of Dungannon, Virginia

Episode 9 Description

In this episode of the Collective Resilience: We Rise podcast, Christine connects with Mayor Horne of Dungannon, VA. Mayor Horne talks about letting love lead in creating change, and is a strong point of inspiration for the We Rise podcast and for Christine. Mayor Horne shares how community members have joined to revitalize the town — often through working regionally, creating safe and enjoyable spaces for youth, and pursuing growth through networking. Coming up against struggles and hardships, Dungannon has shown resilience and perseverance in creating new opportunities and generating the support they need to transform their town.

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Episode 9 Show Notes

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Key takeaways

Creating change for the children

Mayor Horne is a wife, mother of three, and a grandmother of five. She adores her family and has a huge heart for children. When her family moved to Dungannon, Mayor Horne noticed that many of the buildings were rundown, they were without a playground, and few opportunities and activities were available for children.

After the pool hall closed, which had become a haven for local youth in the town, Mayor Horne was asked to join the town council. Just over a year later, Dungannon’s mayor left, and she was asked to run for mayor, which she agreed to do despite her fears of running, and she was elected. She later learned that the boys she’d met and played pool with at the pool hall had become involved in illegal activities since its closing and landed in jail. It was there and then that she made a relentless commitment to revitalize the town and make it a better place for the children and youth alike. 

A young girl asked Mayor Horne, “what’s wrong with us?” Surrounding towns had playgrounds, but there was nothing of the sort in Dungannon. At a town meeting, an eight year old boy shared his desire for a place to play with his friends in town. Listening and holding space for these conversations are what Mayor Horne draws her inspiration and motivation from.

Since becoming Mayor, Dungannon has celebrated the addition of free WiFi, a new farmers market, a more modernized payment system for water bills and taxes, and the new downtown Square, featuring a stage and a fire pit for outdoor gatherings. Beautiful murals have been painted, new sidewalks have gone in, and the addition of zip-lines and a twenty foot movie screen have provided an abundance of enjoyment as well.

Finding the inspiration to continue on

Mayor Horne has been an inspiration to the town of Dungannon, leveraging past setbacks as fuel to keep going. Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic where Dungannon was unable to offer as many activities, she continues to dream bigger, with plans to build a splash pad and an outdoor park for youth to ride dirt bikes and skateboards.

The community around Mayor Horne and her team members have been a core component to keeping her vision alive for Dungannon. Her management team feels the same drive to create change and see growth happen in their town.

Have you dreamed about creating change in your community? Explore what you can do to get involved and make a difference. Even the smallest changes add up.

Mayor Horne draws inspiration from watching the revitalization of other towns throughout Virginia. Dante’s new playground, Cleveland’s first campground, and St. Paul’s new hotel and  Sugar Hill Brewing Company all give her hope as she continues her important work in Dungannon.

An advocate for networking, Mayor Horne understands the importance of connecting with other towns, listening to stories of resilience, and tapping into the “information highway” as she calls it to gain tools and resources.

Dreaming big, securing grants, and taking action

Despite running into legalities, financial setbacks, and planning issues, Mayor Horne sees the potential for Dungannon and continues to drive forward. It hasn’t always been easy, and there have been days where she’s thought about not running for Mayor again, but the kids have kept her going.

Mayor Horne heard about the town of Cleveland receiving a $700k Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Inspired to do the same, she applied for a grant for Dungannon and successfully received the funding.

Now, Dungannon is working to rebuild their country store building and include a housing space in the upstairs for visitors passing through the town. They are also applying for another CDBG grant to aid in another project to replace all of the water lines in town.

As the town continues to pursue these changes, locals are also feeling the momentum and finding motivation. A woman owning a restaurant in town, Midtown Café, has aspirations of purchasing the building she is in and creating space for two other businesses to set up.

Additionally, Mayor Horne sees the value in collaborating with other towns so that all communities can flourish. This could look like building a bike shop in Dungannon to support the dirt bikers that ride through the town of St. Paul. She also sees potential through the Clinch River which runs through many towns, including Dungannon. It is by supporting and collaborating with one another, that Mayor Horne believes all towns will thrive. 

Grateful to folks from DHCD, LENOWISCO, the Clinch River Valley Initiative (CRVI), High Knob Enhancement Corporation, and many more, Mayor Horne feels empowered to continue dreaming big for the town of Dungannon.

notable quote from Mayor Horne

“Never give up. If somebody knocks you back one step, you’re going to move forward, two or three more steps. Don’t let it stop you. Don’t let people’s words go too far into your heart. Take them and listen to them. Take those words, even though it’s words sometimes you don’t want to hear, and make something good out of it, and prove that it can be changed, and that change is a good thing.”