What would your answer be if someone asked you to name the greatest resource we have here in Emanuel County? Would you say it’s the thousands of acres of beautiful, green, marketable forests, or maybe the clean, bountiful water flowing beneath us supplied by the Floridian Aquifer, or is it the moderate seasons we enjoy and the sustaining rainfall? All of that is important to be sure and must not be taken for granted, but beyond those assets, there is one that far exceeds the rest. The most vital resource of this place is, of course, “its people”. That is the unique element that gives value and purpose to all the other assets, but surprisingly, that is the one resource we do not utilize or manage as well as we should. I used to enjoy meeting with mayors and other elected officials from across the state to listen as they talked about their towns and counties and the struggles of progress made and progress lost. The stories they told described different objectives, different strategies, different obstacles, and different points of pride, but the one thing they had in common was the firm belief that the more people you were able to involve, whether on your side or not, the better chance you had of accomplishing whatever goal or objective you were after. Participation is absolutely crucial to healthy growth, and very often the spirit that is generated when people get involved is of more lasting benefit than the original goal itself.
Every community in this state has its own special quality, but the unique elements that cause one city or county to move forward consistently and vigorously while others do not, are the energy, the ideas, and the involvement of all its people. Emanuel County has an army of young, middle aged, and older “potential participants” that needs to be mobilized and encouraged to take an active role in the life of their county. That involvement can begin in the simple but powerful act of just showing up and supporting the efforts of civic organizations, churches, schools, government agencies, volunteer committees, and every other public event there is. These organizations, activities, and events should open their doors, invite participation, and once again make public service and community involvement a way of life. That is how you energize a place. A good first step in the “participation campaign” would be supporting the annual county-wide celebration of the Pine Tree Festival on May 3 and 4. We need to emphasize the importance of utilizing our “people resource” to create a better Emanuel County. Think of all the great folks that you know, young and old, who could be making an amazing contribution in the life of this county by just participating. It’s an incredible resource that is right here, right now among us, and it is too valuable and too essential to be taken for granted.
