Resolve to engage in your community
With 2018 looming on the horizon, we know many of our readers will be making New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s the determination to achieve one of those goals that are perennially popular – like lose weight, get in shape, save more money or be more organized – or a more personal resolution, people everywhere are currently reflecting on how they want the new year to be different.
Whether or not you’re making a literal list of “resolutions,” you are likely taking some time to think about what you want to accomplish or how you want to live your life in 2018. If we could make one suggestion, we would encourage you to add “engage in my community” to your plans.
We’re in the business of discovering and reporting the news, but when you boil that down, we’re in the business of engaging with the communities we serve. We are daily committed to staying abreast of what’s going on in Franklin County – so we can help you stay in the know.
It’s up to you what you do with information, but we hope you’ll consider getting involved.
That community engagement could take many different forms.
Maybe you’d like to attend more community events. Maybe you’ve never been to Spruce Pine Day, or the Watermelon Festival, or Relay for Life or a production by the Bay Tree Council for the Performing Arts. Make 2018 your year to support one of these or another great community effort.
Maybe you’ll put your dollars to work at home. Support local businesses and restaurants and be a part of driving the economy in Franklin County.
Maybe you’ll become more active civically. Attend a city council or Franklin County Commission meeting to stay in the loop on what local government is planning for your community and even offer your input during public hearings.
You could choose to support our local schools – a great option if you’re a parent but also if you are a business owner or community leader. Consider attending a Franklin County Schools or Russellville City Schools Board of Education meeting. Support our students in their efforts, whether that’s an art show, a robotics competition or an athletic event. Donate to support one of their causes.
We invite you to engage with the Franklin County Times as part of this effort. Make sure you are informed on the news in Franklin by picking up a copy each week or navigating to www.fct.wpengine.com each day for the latest. Share stories you want others to know about from our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Have an opinion on a story or on something that has happened in Franklin? Write a letter to the editor, and you can share your view with us as well as with your friends and neighbors. That’s one more great way to engage in your community.
It’s easy to live an insular life, swept up in all the details that make life busy. But when you connect with your community, you make Franklin a better place to live. We all have ideas, and we all have the ability to engage in Franklin County in a meaningful way.
Make 2018 the year that engagement happens.
