A number of years ago, I started to become increasingly uneasy about the lack of civility in our society. When I joined the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines as president in 2008, I was in a position to do something about it.

At its core, civility means having respect for another person as a human being, regardless of his or her views, and behaving in a way that reflects that respect.

When I started talking with people in the community, I found there were many others who shared this same concern and passion for bringing civility back into public discourse and our society.

Ambassador Mary Kramer and former Business Record owner Connie Wimer laid the groundwork in collaborating about the need to do something about civility in Greater Des Moines and our state. The Community Foundation engaged them and other community leaders for a brainstorming session on how to address this issue.

We decided to form the “Better Together – Creating Community Through Civility” speaker series to raise awareness of the issue and generate thoughtful conversation and tools to address it.

It made sense for the other partners engaged to come together to lead this speaker series initiative. Character Counts! In Iowa addresses civility every day with the six pillars of character that go hand-in-hand with civility. Drake University has a long history as a leader in handling topics with civility. Interfaith Alliance of Iowa works to promote civility in the religious sector and community.

The response to this series has been phenomenal. We welcomed more than 300 guests June 18 for the first session with Jim Leach, former congressman and current chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On Thursday, we will welcome Bill Bishop, author of “The Big Sort,” at Drake University to discuss how we came to be such an uncivil society. He will specifically share how we sort ourselves into communities of like-minded people, making us so polarized that we can’t understand one another, and he will offer hope for overcoming these deep divisions.

P.M. Forni, an award-winning professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct,” joins us Feb. 3 to share practical tools and the rewards of fostering a culture of civility.

For more information about these sessions, visit www.BetterTogetherIowa.com.

By taking the first step and embracing the chance to resolve our differences with humility and respect, we all can make a difference. Let’s make Greater Des Moines a model of openness and civility.

J. Barry Griswell is the president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.