The vast majority of the people of Starkville have a big heart and want to improve our community. We are blessed with an abundance of churches, support groups, non-profit organizations and community-minded individuals who want to make a difference.
I am convinced that we can do more to impact our city for good by leveraging these community organizations. I feel most social challenges like reducing high school dropout rates and teen pregnancy are most successfully addressed by individuals taking an interest in each other and lending a helping hand.
In Starkville, I’m convinced there are more people willing to address the needs than there are needs to address. We have volunteers, church outreach efforts and citizens looking for ways to pitch in and empower our young people to excel.
As a city leader, I will encourage such involvement by the citizens of our community. Our retirees have so much to offer but are an often overlooked resource. Most of our churches have empty pews and would welcome more who want to come and grow with them. Many businesses are interested in pitching in and encouraging entrepreneurship and employee development. Let’s nurture such good deeds and encourage more of them.
I encourage all of Starkville to look at all of Starkville in a different light. Whether we realize it or not, we’re all in this community together. We will either thrive as a community or we will suffer from our own mediocrity. The choice is ours. Let us focus our enormous talents on doing what is best for our whole city by each of us impacting one citizen at a time.
