The 'American Dream' Told by North Canton

There is no definition for the “American Dream,” no way to describe it. It is defined through stories, through memories, through hard work and luck. People give it reality. And it changes. 

In North Canton, there are examples of a broken American Dream and a bountiful one. 

We’re still looking for stories to tell as part of the “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream" series, which is built upon the compelling examples you share and snapshots we discover.

Here are just a few "American Dream" stories that were told on other Ohio Patch sites this year:

• — Mentor Patch —  Bashkin Ruko, an Albanian immigrant who became a U.S. citizen opened a new restaurant in Mentor.

• — Solon Patch — Joan Groening of Hands, Hearts & Homes Outreach has been working for six years to collect and provide free furniture for the region's poor.

• — Lakewood Patch — People lined up outside Lakewood's Community Service Center in mid-November to sign up for a Thanksgiving Day food basket, including a turkey, for the holidays. “We’ve never seen anything close to this before,” the center's executive director said.

And, browsing through the hundreds of Patch sites across the country, other towns have similar stories. Foreclosed homes, unemployment, smaller budgets. New businesses, creative solutions, increased volunteerism.

But we want to tell the story in North Canton, and we need your help.

Tell us what issues and what stories in North Canton illustrate the American Dream.

You can contact me via email at Morgan.Day@Patch.com, by phone or send me a message through Facebook or Twitter.