Mention “hub” and you might think about the central part of a wheel, with spokes radiating outward.

But a “hub” can also be a center of activity, and that’s what the Eden Prairie Community Foundation has in mind when it talks about creating more coordination and connection between social services provided by nonprofits and other organizations and the Eden Prairie residents who need those services.

Imagine what gaps could be filled if residents had a greater awareness of what help existed, and service providers could more easily reach people who need help.

The Foundation would like to see such a hub in Eden Prairie, and has a 2020 strategic-plan initiative to make it happen.

Already, the Foundation has assembled a list of 80 local organizations and social-service providers and begun reaching out to learn more about what they do and the obstacles they face. This network of organizations – what we at the Foundation call our “community of practice” – will be asked to collaborate, to bond in ways that make it more likely that services get to people in need.

In fact, the Foundation plans to leverage this collaboration by developing a better mechanism for making those connections. Think about a database with algorithms that help these parties find each other quicker.

And, we’ll promote the organizations who are part of the network, and share their success stories.

After all, this isn’t about the Foundation. It’s about creating a better Eden Prairie by making certain more people get the help they need.

If you are an Eden Prairie social-service provider who would like to be a part of this collaboration, or you’re a resident who simply wants to be involved in the process, please contact Foundation Executive Director Mark Weber at (952) 9494-8499 or [email protected] for more information.

(Want to learn more about the overall Strategic Plan being tackled by the Foundation? Here’s an overview.)