Booster clubs in schools across the country heighten awareness, passion, and support for their sports teams. Frank Peterson, Muskegon city manager, says cities need boosters, too, especially when it comes to changing the perception of your community.

Muskegon knew it had a problem with its image. Citizens just didnt feel good about their city. They also knew that the only way they were going to change that image was Muskegon-centric involving everyone from elected officials and staff to businesses owners and residents. People were challenged to switch from complaining to bringing in ideas for change and promoting the good things happening in the community.

One of the first steps in the process was to encourage city officials and staff to become leaders in the community. Peterson himself got engaged at every opportunity, speaking at Rotary Club events, Divergent Thinking Days, and more. Department heads attended monthly community meetings and brought back amazing answers and feedback. And city employees were encouraged to volunteer throughout the community. To make that easier, the city offered time off for volunteering, flexible scheduling, and potential bonuses.

The city extended its employee engagement by volunteering to be a United Way pacesetter for the first time. Contributions increased by almost 80 percent in just one year. To add an element of fun, employees could vote on which department head would get a pie in the face at the end of the campaign. Peterson put his hair on the line and ended up with a red Mohawk for a week. But the most important part was getting employees on the citys team.

The City Commission also needed to be part of the team. To help establish unity, the commissioners and key staff came together at the Muskegon Museum of Art and set 10 goals that everyone could rally around. The number one goal was to improve the citys image, and for that they needed a rallying cry, a unifying vision.

The 14-point plan that evolved public and private stakeholders and covered everything from beautification to community engagement and marketing. Every good team needs a slogan, and Muskegon was no different. Watch Muskegon became their rallying cry. To encourage community buy-in, they designed eye-catching t-shirts with the slogan. This summer, they sold $20,000 worth of t-shirts at the farmers market, which also gave them a chance to answer questions about Watch Muskegon and recruit new team members. The slogan can now be seen on yard signs, bench signs, sidewalks, and banners all over Muskegon and in surrounding communities. The whole point was to get people to feel better about their community and support its businesses, downtown, and government.

Is it working? Watch Muskegon!