Common Roots Rising is
sharing co-creative culture, regeneration, and commUNITY.
What is Common Roots Rising?
Common Roots Rising is a community collective committed to unifying for the common good through collaboration, cooperation and co-creation.
Why Common Roots Rising?
We started Common Roots Rising to cultivate more connection and relationship and stories for the Common Good.
Our Core Focus
Common Roots Rising is …
co-creating a culture of kindness, belonging, creative expression, and engagement — a culture that is committed to cultivating and nurturing healthy connections with each other and the amazing natural world that surrounds us and sustains us.
Common Roots Rising is building a community connection network for sharing our co-creative culture, regenerative sustainability consciousness and commUNITY. Through stories, interviews and conversations we share our voices, ideas and initiatives supporting our common relationships.
Common Roots Rising is connecting and sharing resources around the Fox Cities. We are focusing on and supporting commUNITY wellBEing, regenerating local, relocalizing our food, connecting and growing mutual aid networks and resources in the greater Fox Cities region.
Common Roots Rising is about encouraging regeneration on all levels — growing healthy, sustainable vibrancy back into all that makes our community thrive.
Learn more about our Connecting, Grounding and Elevating vision. We are imagining and interweaving new stories into Being.
Our Roots
Common Roots Rising began with a spark of an idea that Mark Gehrke shared with a few friends about developing a community conversation networking group to bring us together through sharing common stories and growing common good.
Our first group meeting was held at the end of October 2020 in rural Waupaca County. Our initial core group included Mark Gehrke, Savi Gehrke, Rachel Bouressa, Kari Esbensen, Jane Haasch, and Kayla Van Dyke-Griena. After coming together for a few weekly meetings we decided to create a community survey to learn more about what other people love most about our community and what we could do together to co-create a more beautiful and thriving place to live. That survey from 2020 is here
After a few weeks of meetings Mark decided to start a local online community networking project called Common Roots Rising. The first version of this website launched in November 2020. The first podcast interview was launched January 2021.
In 2021 and 2022 our group partnered with the Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup, creating new cleanup spots along the Waupaca River.
Kayla led our group to Adopt a Trail in Waupaca along the Waupaca River near Brainard’s Bridge Park.
Common Roots Rising and Mark is continuing to support the Greater Waupaca Parks and Trails group with online communication through website development and hosting + support for GWAPT.
After a move by the founders, Mark and Savi, from rural Waupaca back to the Fox Cities, and co-founding, opening Being Collective in 2024 in Downtown Appleton, Mark was re-inspired to redevelop Common Roots Rising, reimagining – transforming the Common Roots Rising website and local community project networking initiatives and focus to the places near where he grew up and calls home, the Greater Fox Cities area.
Reclaiming and Regenerating
In 2026 we are regenerating and regrowing our website project to be more about connecting and sharing resources around the Fox Cities. We are focusing on and supporting commUNITY wellBEing, regenerating local, relocalizing our food, connecting, growing mutual aid networks and resources and more in the greater Fox Cities region.
As this project grows we are intending to focusing on growing our in person connections, community gatherings and regenerative actions and activities within the greater Fox Cities. We are sparking, igniting and uplifting imaginal, co-creative ideas, projects, people and gatherings within our region and working and growing locally together for the common good.
Our Initiatives
We are developing ideas (and looking for collaborators) for collective community activities and actions. If you have ideas and would like to get involved please contact us.
Community Singing
Community Singing – Raise Your Voice! Join Us! Community Singing! We’re all here creating for the common good, bringing people together in heart and song, creating a unifying field of connection and belonging where we can amplify Peace and Love by singing songs that promote harmony, union, and a better world where all humans are embraced, respected, and cared for.
Community WellBeing – Activating Collective CommUNITY WellBEing!
True wellbeing isn’t only a solo activity; it’s a collective collaboration. Embracing community-centric co-creative approaches ensures that everyone is allowed to have opportunities to flourish, grow connections and engage in shared experiences toward a healthier, happier life for all beings.
Growing Mutual Aid Awareness and Networking for Resiliency
We are uplifting grassroots, conscious + caring direct action, mutual aid organizers, localized food growing and garden growing networks and supporting local initiatives and groups focusing on growing community co-creation for the common good and a more beautiful future.
Practice Peace – What we practice, we become
Practice Peace in an invitation, a loving reminder, that our collective focus is a powerful force. When we practice peace (and love…), we actively shift our world for the greater good and grow our community wellbeing. We are currently collaborating with Loving Awareness and Being Collective and World Peace Festival Fox Cities and Peaceful Patriots Community Builders.
Sparking Imaginal Creativity
We are sparking, igniting and uplifting imaginal, co-creative ideas, projects and people within our local region working together for the common good.
Our Collaborators
Would you like to join us in co-creating a more beautiful world? Connect with us and let us know how we can help each other.