Community Builders II
Weekly update #263 2/2/2025 to 2/8/2025
Last week, I asked about community builders. This week, I want to share about some that I see who are doing just that. First though, let me tell you about some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
The week was the fourth time A Night to Shine with the Tim Tebow Foundation happened here in Seymour. A group of community builders came together to host a local location of this nationwide event again here in Seymour. A Night to Shine is a prom-style event centered on God’s love and honoring and valuing people with special needs. The first event here in Seymour was a drive-thru event due to COVID, but the last three years, it has been a full-on party starting with hair, makeup, and shoe shines all before dinner. Then the dance party and, new this year, karaoke kicked off all before the closing with some words from Tim Tebow and the crowning of the kings and queens. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, and extra thanks to all who put in the hours over the last year getting ready for A Night to Shine 2025.
For decades Leadership Jackson County has been building community by teaching people how to connect. Each year, they break out into small groups to tackle various topics around the county, bringing it all back together for presentations at the end. The culture built via LJC continues to benefit our community long after graduation, with the connection alumni have and the network created. This year, one of the small groups has partnered with the Mayor’s Youth Council to organize the Crossroads of Culture event coming up later this year. The goal of the event is to share the many cultures both within our local community and with others from around the world. Cultures like public safety, charitable organizations, fraternities and sororities, and of course, learn from some of our exchange students about where they come from. To everyone involved, keep up the good work and the event will be here before we know it.
This week, a committee from Seymour Main Street sat down to discuss a possible Office of Community and Rural Affairs grant. Seymour Main Street has been building community around the downtown area for years as they work towards improvements. Currently, they are looking at items from their streetscape study, which was completed a few years ago. While the OCRA grant application is still months away, it takes several steps to get ready and present a winning proposal. Keep your eyes out if you love downtown and want to share your feedback when the time is right for this proposal. Thanks to everyone who is working on this grant and so much more.
Well, I guess I shared multiple examples of local people building community right here in Seymour. With the Leadership Jackson County piece, I shared several other areas of community builders each building their own culture in what they do. For years, I have seen groups come together and change their little piece of the world. Last week, I left you with a quote from Margaret Mead about a small group of citizens changing the world. This week, I want to leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa to remind you to come together and change the world, "I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things."