Community, Community Community

Dear Friend,  Where Did The Week Go? Last thing I remember, we were all having a grand time at the Annual Awards Dinner and Celebration loving on our award winners and Dr. Bob. Next thing I know it's Thursday. BTW, thank you to all of you who could attend, it was great to share a meal and get caught up with so many friends. Y'all make Franklin County AWESOME!

Community I am going to sound like a broken record before this message is completed and for good reason. Community is all we have. We are nothing if we let our community suffer in any way. It is our responsibility to learn as much as we can about each other so that we can continue to build each other up and generate what sociologists, like Robert Putnam, refer to as "Social Capital."  Social Capital comes in the form of energy, enthusiasm, encouragement, cooperation, support and comfort. It can be organized as bonding social capital - that which keeps a group together or bridging social capital - that which bonds different groups together for a common cause. Community Franklin County is a community made up of a unique collection of diverse groups. It is our responsibility to know as much as we can about as many different groups as we can reach. It is only through communication and the gathering of people that we truly get to know what motivates or troubles our neighbors. While membership in individual organizations may be stagnant or in decline, the need for community is more crucial today than ever. We must continually look for ways to meet and understand. Community Beginning immediately, the Chamber will be conducting community meetings. We will be offering a couple different formats. First you will be invited to attend one or more of a series of "Community Matters" breakfast forums where we will learn more about each other and share our concerns. We are still working out the final details so sign up links will be available next week. If you would like to host one contact our office. Second, if groups aren't your thing and you would rather meet one on one - call today (802.524.2444) and we will schedule a time to sit down and share. Our goals is to be a catalyst for community growth and vibrancy. Did You Know? Music was once delivered on a vinyl disc called a "record." You retrieved the music from the disc by placing it on a "record player" which consisted of a turntable and an arm with an acoustic needle that converted the vibrations etched in the disc back into music and sent to an amplifier and out through the speakers. Or something like that. Anyway, it was not uncommon for the vinyl disc to get scratched or cracked in which case the needle would "skip" when it hit the deformity and usually bounce backwards repeating that portion of the song over and over. Thus, when someone repeats themselves over and over, they are often referred to as a "broken record."

Please make a Chamber membership part of your success strategy. Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber in your community.

Dave Southwick