I would like to alert the “small town” people, who enjoy the many benefits of their town, to take a step out of your comfort zone. While no community is perfect, I see a myriad of positive things going on around me. As a teacher for a total of thirty-eight years, I spent eleven of those teaching in our high school. I participated in numerous programs that benefitted students, inside and outside the classroom. Our current principal is one of the most effective, fair-minded teachers I ever worked with. I look forward to seeing how she continues to move our students forward. I also worked with teachers at elementary and middle schools while I sponsored Junior Civitans to read and act out skits for after school programs. Watching my students and coworkers across our state continue to work hard to make a difference for themselves and for others.
In looking at the needs of people in communities across our country, the real issues have more to deal with alienation, division, and ignorance than with legislation of any kind. I have often cited our town as ‘ahead of the game’ in relational living. Our police department makes an effort to be among the people when there is NO trouble as well as to carefully operate when there is a problem. A community center provides care and encouragement for many children who need it after school while their families try to make a living. Our public library is second to none. We celebrate our veterans. We provide food, clothing, furniture and daily meals for those in need. We fight drug rings. We support our teams from Town Rec to school athletics to race teams. And they support us in turn.
I am well aware there are nay-sayers who would disagree with me, but I have learned to look for the good and support what is working well rather than to complain and point out the negative. There is room for both pros and cons but complaining and blaming without providing a solution is never productive.
So…here’s the idea.
Pick ONE thing in our community to support. Take your children. Leave the electronics at home.
Volunteer to clean up playgrounds and parks or your own street – even just once a month.
Volunteer at the Christian Mission or Feed NC.
Participate in Town Meetings or School Board meetings.
Volunteer hours at elementary, middle or high school.
If you were a teacher (or not), volunteer to tutor struggling students in your area of expertise.
Volunteer to help with special events in our town.
Volunteer to take your vocational skills (especially, as a retiree) to do classroom workshops about occupations or finances or the value of honesty.
Volunteer to read to children at the Library.
Create elementary school teams to beautify – flowers, weeding, trash, painting.
Volunteer at your church or somebody else’s. Call almost any church and find out what they are doing in the community. Join in. Lead a volunteer effort at your civic group, neighborhood or business.
Send “thank-yous” to people who are a doing a good job… or say thank you to vets or acting military personnel, to cashiers, to custodial workers, to the garbage truck drivers. If you really want to get personal, volunteer to help some older people in your ‘sphere’. Entertain a small child in the airport who is driving his parent crazy. I take finger puppets in my purse whenever I travel because I am a “kid” person.
Many studies have found that people who find worth in giving of themselves, wanting nothing in return, are those who find real joy and contentment. That is definitely a win-win.
In many ways, our town is doing things right. How about yours? In your community, make sure you aren’t missing the critical opportunity to make a difference.
Mother Factors 