How do we come together as a community? I ponder this at least twice a day in different ways as I go about my day at SAGA. There are so many ways you can define community and there are so many ways we can come together. The beauty in this is that we are not confined in how we want to define it and how we want to service our community.
I see it in the collaboration within our staff – the coming together of different mindsets and experiences that enriches the capacity that SAGA has, and it opens us to new levels of success and growth.
I see it in the meetings we hold with our partners and how we all want to help each other out not only in our mission but in the combined interest of seeing the quality of place in Sanford continue to improve.
I see it when volunteering at various times at different organizations. The coming together of different people, those who were born and raised in Sanford, Lee County or Broadway and those who made their home here later in life, who come together to genuinely help in any way that is needed. People who, in any other circumstance, may not speak to one another or have a reason to cross paths, come together to help those less fortunate in our town. There is such beauty in that.
I see it at Depot Park when so many come together to enjoy good music and spend an evening together in harmony. Families, friends, and citizens who may have never come to be in one place before are now smiling, singing along and some, even dancing, relishing in the community they live in.
So, what happens when situations like these bring people together? What I see is a deepening of servant leadership in our community. The pure and honest act of helping others, through membership in civic organizations, non-profits, committees, volunteering, or just simply supporting local, for the simple kindness of the act, allows us to get to know one another better and learn more about the people that make up our community.
The more we learn and live with one another and see how we each have something to give and gain from fellowship – the more our community gains. As we grow, we can still be a small town “where everyone knows you” and that is one of the beautiful things we offer to those living here and what entices many to look at Sanford as their future home. Next time you are unsure of what is going on in Sanford or wonder what the fuss is all about, go out there and volunteer in the many organizations we have helping our community or grab a lawn chair, sit at Depot Park, and take in the beauty of our community life in action.
Susan Gomez
Chamber of Commerce Director