This poster will reflect on a partnership that has spanned two decades involving university researchers, community members, agency representatives, government funders, and graduate and undergraduate students. The Onward Willow Better Beginnings Better Futures project was part of a provincial government initiative that involved eight communities across Ontario. It was funded as a prevention initiative that was community based and community driven with researchers having an ongoing presence in the community for the duration of the project. What developed at the Onward Willow site was a true collaboration between community members and university researchers that has endured over time. Research focused not only on that mandated by the government, but following the principles of a true collaborative partnership, community driven research became a means to evaluate ongoing programming and meet the needs of the community for quality programs and evidence based practice. The poster will outline how this ongoing partnership evolved.