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Community Corner

Travis Cochran: Finding New Ways to Build Community

Cochran helped start the Farmers Market and now hopes to build a Clawson Community Foundation.

For the past three years, 41-year-old Travis Cochran has been actively working on building the . Now he's trying to help create a Clawson Community Foundation.

Cochran, one of the three recipients of the Clawson Volunteer of the Year Award in March, moved to Clawson almost eight years ago and started volunteering on a large scale in the community when he got involved with the Farmers Market.

When it comes to the Farmers Market, Cochran tends to work on the marketing end by spreading the word, creating fliers and communicating with City Council. He said he has always liked going to farmers markets, mostly because of his love for cooking.

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“I enjoy farmers markets because I like to cook and generally like to eat healthy,” Cochran said.

He said he started working on the marketing side of things because that’s his professional background. He does freelance marketing work for area clients.

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Cochran thinks of himself as a doer.

“There are doers and complainers, and I would say  and I have similar personalities,” Cochran said. “We’re both in that similar doer mentality, where you just do it and don’t complain about it without doing anything.”

Keyes led the initiative to start the Clawson Farmers Market.

The market has been a success, and Cochran is happy to say that his doer mentality has paid off.

“It’s been a labor of love, and when you start something, you want to see it fulfilled and grow,” Cochran said. “I’ve really been very satisfied that Clawson people have come out and supported the enterprise.”

Cochran is focusing a lot of his efforts now on building a community foundation so events such as the Farmers Market can apply and receive grants. Right now, the Farmers Market isn’t able to do so because it isn’t a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. However, with the development of a community foundation, Cochran said anybody with a plan to enhance the community in some way would be able to apply for grants.

What was originally just a goal to receive funds for the Farmers Market is now something bigger that Cochran really wants to see for the Clawson community.

"I can’t say enough about Travis: He's really enthusiastic, ambitious and when he sees a need, he just goes out and makes it happen," Assistant City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht said. "Travis is just a fantastic example of what one person can change in a community just by his own initiative."

Clawson Patch wants to feature more great volunteers in the community. We could use your help in searching for those philanthropic folk. We’re not looking for Hercules or Superman; we’re more interested in hometown heroes. If you have a volunteer in mind, email Local Editor Nicquel Terry at nicquel.terry@patch.com.

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