THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON

April 26, 1994

Dr. John I. Gilderbloom
HANDS Project Director
College of Business and Public Administration
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 40292

Dear John:
Thank you for your letter of March 17 and the copy of HANDS On!. I hope your participation in the National Housing and Community Development Conference was successful.
I applaud the work of the Housing and Neighborhood Development Strategies (HANDS) project. It is just this kind of comprehensive, community-based partnership effort that my Administration is trying to stimulate in distressed communities across the country. I am convinced that the most effective ideas for local economic renewal will come from the communities themselves.
Partnerships like the HANDS project that bring all community sectors together -- state and local government, business, universities, non-profits, community-based institutions and residents themselves -- around a comprehensive vision for change are critical to helping distressed communities join the economic mainstream. Again, I applaud the HANDS project for its successes thus far and wish you continued success in the future.
Sincerely,