Beginning on page 8, we are featuring the 13th class of Southwest Washington’s Accomplished and Under 40. The 20 members of this year’s class are excelling in their chosen profession and are actively involved with organizations and initiatives that give back to their communities.
Economic development recruiters and businesses looking to locate their companies describe communities of late as either needing or having vitality. The members of this year’s Accomplished & Under 40 class are textbook examples of how to infuse vitality into a community. Their contributions range from assisting Boys & Girls Clubs to working to preserve the dignity of the seniors in our community – and that’s just this year’s example of what goes on year in and year out. Many members of the 12 preceding classes of accomplished young people remain active in the community, and their collective efforts create a vitality that supersedes what negative news stories might rise to headline the newscast or make a page one story.
Speaking of page one stories, our story about Roma Bergstrom provides a slightly different perspective on a community’s vitality – a perspective that has been decades in the making. Roma was honored Tuesday with the Kyle W. Corwin Legacy Builder Award at the luncheon our accomplished young people were also honored. Having her own consulting business for years and then taking over her husband’s business when he lost his battle with cancer, Roma never lost sight of the need to help make the community a better place by helping those in need.
Heroic community effort
Monday of this week was the end of the annual Community Hero program sponsored by Safeco Insurance. This nearly decade-long nonprofit granting program is advanced locally by Davidson Insurance Associates.
This year, Davidson approached Share Vancouver to be the local nonprofit and ultimate beneficiary of any grant award. Initially, Share was required to nominate someone as their Community Hero. Diane McWithey and her staff nominated me as that person, much to my surprise. Those who know me are well aware that Share has been a passion of mine for nearly 20 years. When I learned that, if successful, Share could actually be the beneficiary of up to $15,000 from Safeco, I agreed to participate. Before any monies would flow to Share, their community hero needed to make the cut and be among 16 finalists in the country. Low and behold, we made the cut; Share earned its first $5,000 and a two-week, online voting contest for additional grant dollars commenced.
Share and I spent a good bit of the past two weeks among the leading vote-getters nationally. What was clear to me all along was now playing out in a national vote: our community is heroic. Seeing an opportunity for Share to earn such a significant gift – an organization who serves the most marginalized of our neighbors – you, our community stepped up. Suffering the need to see my smiling face on the voting page day after day, you voted in enough numbers for Share to have earned a runner-up position worth an additional $5,000.
An often cited reason for companies locating in our region is the vitality of the community and the quality of life they anticipate for their employees. The efforts of organizations like Share and the willingness of so many of you to rally in their support is a perfect example of this vitality. It’s also what makes this community truly heroic.
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