New site LivoniaSpirit.org has Schoolcraft connection

A new website, LivoniaSpirit.org, has given Livonia a virtual downtown, providing a place on the Web that shares the city's community spirit and gives residents and visitors access to timely information about commuity events, destinations and resources.

“We want this site to be first stop for all things Livonia,” said Scott Bahr, who was part of the effort to create the Livonia Spirit Web site. “Livonia is more than just another suburb; we are a town of passionately involved citizens, including many, like myself, who grew up here and have returned to raise their families.”
The site was unveiled during a brief demonstration ahead of Mayor Jack Kirksey’s State of the City Address March 10 at Burton Manor.
The Web site is the creation of the Livonia Community Marketing Consortium, a group of professional marketers and community advocates from several of Livonia’s businesses and organizations -- including Schoolcraft College -- who have volunteered to promote the Livonia community for the past four years. The group spent more than a year developing LivoniaSpirit.org with brainstorming, consultations, and analyzing similar sites in other communities across the country.
The Web site features the following:
  • A community calendar,
  • An interactive city map leading visitors to Livonia’s dining and entertainment options,
  • A resident spotlight sharing stories about the interesting people that make up Livonia,
  • An easy link portal for Livonia’s government , businesses, educational offerings and recreational options,
  • A “Why Livonia?” sections that highlights Livonia’s attributes,
  • Twitter feeds from selected Livonians so users can stay up-to-date on local developments, and
  • A photo gallery where residents can share visuals from their local gatherings.
While out of town visitors will find LivoniaSpirit.org helpful, Bahr said it is also designed to help local residents learn more about their community.
“We have many two-, three-, and four-generation families living here in Livonia,” said Bahr, a 30-year-old married father of four and Stevenson High School alumnus. “People here love Livonia and this site will help more people understand why.”
Many other communities use municipal dollars to fund such local marketing projects, but the Livonia Community Marketing Consortium is a grass-roots effort that promotes Livonia with minimal cost to the city.
“This is a labor of love for the members on the Consortium,” said Dan West, president of the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. “We have so much to offer in our community and we are doing all we can to proactively share that message.”
The Livonia Community Marketing Consortium highlights the city’s long-treasured attributes of families, neighborhoods and central location. Local organizations that have given financial and in-kind resources to the Consortium include: Livonia Public Schools, City of Livonia, Livonia Chamber of Commerce, TRW Automotive, St. Mary Mercy Hospital, Schoolcraft College, Madonna University, Laurel Park Place Mall, and The Livonia Observer.

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