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October is a beautiful month in Texas and the evening of Saturday, Oct. 14 did not disappoint as I attended my first Brunson Night Dinner in downtown Columbus– what fun for a good cause!
Tables were set up in the street, music was playing, and friends were meeting and greeting. The auction items, both silent and live were exciting with a Safari, trip to Wyoming, trip for fishing, dinners out, and even heated stadium seats were among the enticing offerings.
What struck me was the generational diversity of the attendees, from young singles, young couples, retirees (I dare not say old couples!) and those in between.
In a recent conversation there was discussion about sustainability of a communit y requiring mult i - dimensional planning; intentional living that plans for multiple generations and not just one. That is what I saw at the Brunson Night Dinner event and what I see throughout our region. Younger couples and individuals, who made a trek to other, larger cities, but found their way back to the community they grew up in. There were also those who have stayed and in essence deposited seeds that helped keep the community sustainable for the others to return.
Developing a community to be self-sustaining for all ages does not just happen. It takes vision, leadership, hard work, and yes, multi-dimensional planning and participation. One step the Chamber is taking toward this is partnering with Columbus High School to host a Career Fair on Jan. 17, 2024.
We welcome our community businesses to participate. This is an opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs who love what they do, who would like to talk to students about why they chose their career, and what it might be like for the student to work in that field. We are showing students career opportunities right here in their hometown and through the Columbus region.
We want to encourage youth to not just stay in their community, but to also be a part of that community through service. Multiple of our service organizations will attend the Career Fair to talk to students about giving and serving.
The Chamber is also talking to colleges about how we might partner with them to offer various career training right here in Columbus! A goal is to have our own technical training school!
Lots to do, but in our doing, let’s think multi-dimensional.
