Sense of community fosters success

For Springfield and southwest Missouri, it’s all of the above.

The people of the region clearly share a common interest. We are united in our concern for the elderly and less fortunate, in our desire to meet the needs of children and families, and in our acceptance that we must plan for growth and development.

Whether through the efforts of the Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, Springfield’s Vision 20/20 program or the Good Community, we recognize what we have, we value it and we want to keep it alive.

With the support of volunteers and donors, the area’s numerous nonprofit organizations address every human need, from feeding the hungry to providing health services to building affordable housing.

The region’s businesses are generous contributors of money and materials, and even our busiest executives and business owners seem to find time to serve on community and nonprofit boards.

Community foundations are proliferating throughout the region to address local needs with local dollars. Local businesses, governments and organizations daily find ways to leverage limited funds to produce the greatest benefit for the most people.

Ozarks citizens are happy to show up for everything from the United Way’s Day of Caring to AIDS Project of the Ozarks’ Red Ribbon Ride to the latest Habitat for Humanity home-building project.

Whether it’s trail building for Ozarks Greenways or cleaning up streams with the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, residents aren’t afraid of hard work for the common good.

Likewise, the arts flourish in Springfield and the Ozarks, supported by a community that values culture and heritage.

At the same time, our community is not without its challenges. The Community Focus 2004 report identified a number of red flags for Springfield and Greene County, among them children in poverty, a need for more social and health-related services for at-risk children and low per-pupil expenditures in our schools.

But these challenges are not insurmountable. And this community, once aware of a problem, will rise to meet it.

While the region has many tangible resources, it is this intangible sense of community that makes it so successful.

[[In-content Ad]]