On Oct. 21, Covington residents, leaders, business owners and advocates met for Building a Better Covington: But First, Coffee.

The event served as equal parts community discussion (led by representatives from The Center for Great Neighborhoods) and a viewing party for the original Soapbox-produced short film, “Covington On the Rise.”

In addition to punctuating Soapbox’s recently wrapped 12-story On the Ground series, “Covington On the Rise” takes a look at the city through the eyes of its most passionate supporters, many of whom have been empowered by citywide opportunities and programming.

Viewers learned that while Covington’s overall outlook is brighter than ever, some challenging questions still remain. The discussion that followed the screening served to address some of those questions and source ideas from the gathered crowd. Click the above video link to enjoy “Covington On the Rise,” and check out Soapbox on Nov. 7 for a full recap of the community-building discussion, with new ideas and calls to action from a wide array of Covingtonians, all from different walks of life.

You can also click here to read all 12 On the Ground stories, which focus on a range of topics, including education, health and wellness, Covington's small business climate, citywide support programs, new and forthcoming development and more.

The Northern Kentucky Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation is proud to underwrite Soapbox’s On the Ground: Covington series. The Northern Kentucky Fund believes that highlighting the successes and challenges in our community fosters effective dialog and action, creating communities where everyone can thrive. Other On the Ground partners include The Center for Great Neighborhoods, which is working collaboratively toward community transformation with series sponsor Place Matters partners LISCand United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Data and analysis is provided by The Economics Center.