Despite these tough economic times, it is a comfort that the Patrick County business community is blessed with positive leadership that is being provided by the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce. Just a few short years ago, the Chamber was on the verge of having to cease operations. Today, however, thanks to the leadership of Executive Director Tom Bishop and a highly competent Board of Directors, the Chamber is flourishing and is busier than ever before promoting our county to tourists and prospective new businesses and residents and serving its more than 300 members. Although our economy is critically ill, it is encouraging to note that the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce is quite healthy as it works diligently to facilitate prosperity here!
The health and well-being of the local Chamber of Commerce was never more evident than it was Friday night, Jan. 23rd, when it conducted its annual banquet at Rotary Field in Stuart. Perhaps the largest crowd in the history of the event, nearly 150 people, turned out for a wonderfully informative evening of fellowship. Bishop reported that currently the Chamber enjoys a growing membership in the neighborhood of 325. Bishop, in his annual report, highlighted many positive developments that have occured in our community this past year including...the construction of a "multi million dollar" lodge facility now underway at Primland Resort, the start of the $24-million Patrick County Public School renovation and expansion project, the opening a new manufacturing plant by Ariel Machine at Ararat, the openings of several new businesses (Wal-Mart, Advance Auto, etc.), visitation to the county by tourists from at least 40 states and several foreign countries, the increasing popularity of a wide variety of local festivals and fars, to name a few of the economically positive things that are going on in our county. Bishop said the chamber is proud of these and many other signs of community growth despite the economic downturn.
In her remarks to the banquet audience, incoming Chamber President Carol Beasley expressed hope that citizens will continue to work together for the betterment of our community. Mrs. Beasley used the word "Joy" to illustrate how our priorities should be ordered: "J" for Jesus, first..."O" for Others, next...and finally "Y" for You.
I commend Tom Bishop and other chamber officials on the great job that they are doing to promote the county and accentuate the positive at a time when we are all struggling through many negative economic circumstances. Tom is one of the hardest working people that I know (and one of the most underpaid). The business community loves him because he is genuinely concerned with their well-being and our county at large. As our Chamber Executive Director, Tom tirelessly promotes tourism which is a major sector of the local economy with unlimited room for growth. It would be a shame if the Patrick County Board of Supervisors takes away the meager sum of $60,000 (as one supervisor has suggested) that it has budgeted for the promotion of tourism by the Patrick County Tourism Advisory Board and the Chamber. This to me is money well spent.
I personally want to thank Tom Bishop and the members of the Chamber of Commerce Board for their leadership and the light that this organization brings in these dark economic times. The Chamber Executive Board is comprised of Carol Beasley, President...Lisa Martin, Vice President...Janie Lankford, Treasurer. Members include" Rod Barfield, Vicki Hutchens-Bennett, Patricia Crissman, Tim Dix, Kathy Gravely, Kelly Ratcliff, Leslie Shelor, Denise Stirewalt, and Terry Tilley. New board members are Angie Brown, Chris Michalec, and Rick Ward. Tom Bishop is ably assisted in the chamber office by Administrative Assistant Patricia Thomas. If you want to hear about the positive things that are happening in Patrick County, just talk to one of these folks. Not only can they talk the talk in promoting our county, but they are walking the walk in making our community a better place to live, to do businesss, to raise a family and, as thousands of tourists to the county each year learn, a wonderful place to visit! To the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce team I say with pride, "Keep up the great work"! Together, we will work our way through the economic gloom to a brighter, more prosperous future.
Richard
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Our Diversity is Our Strength
The observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States this week provide the perfect time to reflect upon where our country is and where we want the nation to go as a new era in American politics begins. With regard to race relations and civil rights, our country has traveled light years from that day in 1955 when an African-American civil rights activist named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alamama, bus to make way for a white passenger, a prelude to the civil rights struggles of the 1960s that thrust Dr. King to the forefront of the Civil Rights movement.
The inauguration of Mr. Obama as the nation's first African-American is, in large part, a fulfillment of Dr. King's vision for our country when he declared during the March on Washington that "I Have a Dream." Although the election of a black man as president of these great United States is an advance that many African-African Americans and members of other racial groups never thought they would see, much work needs to be done to continue the progress that has been made for Dr. King's "dream" to be fully realized.
To me, we are all children of God, each a unique creation unlike anyone else who has been graced with the breath of life. By realizing that our Lord created us all in His image and likeness, we can begin to understand that every human being, no matter what the color of his skin, his socio-economic status, his religious affiliation, or his political persuasion, is precious in God's sight and created to use the special skills and talents with which we have all been blessed to fulfill God;s purpose for our lives as an integral part of His Master Plan. Despite the many differences that God has given us as individuals and as a humanity, in our hearts we are all the same. We are all closer to each other than we think.
As a new American presidential administration takes office, let's pray that God will guide and direct our leaders in tackling the economic crisis and the myriad of other problems burdening our country today. I pray too that we will set an example for the world and return America to the God in whom our Founding Fathers professed and placed their trust in establishing this great nation. Only when we will give God His rightful place as our first priority both as individuals and as a country will we be able to truly address the challenges that our country faces, move our country forward in race relations, and fully bring to reality the American Dream.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
As we ponder the meaning of those words, let's all strive to lovingly help each other bear our burdens and work together, ever seeking God's direction, to lift our country from moral, economic, social, and political despair into which it has sunk.
God bless American...and you, my friends!
Richard
The inauguration of Mr. Obama as the nation's first African-American is, in large part, a fulfillment of Dr. King's vision for our country when he declared during the March on Washington that "I Have a Dream." Although the election of a black man as president of these great United States is an advance that many African-African Americans and members of other racial groups never thought they would see, much work needs to be done to continue the progress that has been made for Dr. King's "dream" to be fully realized.
To me, we are all children of God, each a unique creation unlike anyone else who has been graced with the breath of life. By realizing that our Lord created us all in His image and likeness, we can begin to understand that every human being, no matter what the color of his skin, his socio-economic status, his religious affiliation, or his political persuasion, is precious in God's sight and created to use the special skills and talents with which we have all been blessed to fulfill God;s purpose for our lives as an integral part of His Master Plan. Despite the many differences that God has given us as individuals and as a humanity, in our hearts we are all the same. We are all closer to each other than we think.
As a new American presidential administration takes office, let's pray that God will guide and direct our leaders in tackling the economic crisis and the myriad of other problems burdening our country today. I pray too that we will set an example for the world and return America to the God in whom our Founding Fathers professed and placed their trust in establishing this great nation. Only when we will give God His rightful place as our first priority both as individuals and as a country will we be able to truly address the challenges that our country faces, move our country forward in race relations, and fully bring to reality the American Dream.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
As we ponder the meaning of those words, let's all strive to lovingly help each other bear our burdens and work together, ever seeking God's direction, to lift our country from moral, economic, social, and political despair into which it has sunk.
God bless American...and you, my friends!
Richard
Monday, January 12, 2009
It Sure is Monday!
Hi everybody. I hope you all got the new week off to a better start than I did this morning. For me, this Monday is living up to its melancholy reputation. If you called me a "knucklehead" right now, I'd probably agree with you. This morning, when leaving home around 5:00 to come to sign the radio station on the air, I accidentally backed into my garage door. ZAP! BOOM!! POW!!! You see, I have a two-car garage and unfortunately when I hit the remote control button to raise the door, I pushed the wrong one, raising the door on the other side of the garage instead of the one directly behind the vehicle I was driving. I learned that grim reality when I heard a CRUNCH when I hit reverse and started to back out of the garage. The door is kind of crumpled to say the least. In addition to having to repair or replace the garage door, my tuck will require a little cosmetic touch-up. I scuffed up the tailgate of my little red Chevy S-10 pick-up (which I had just washed and shined up on Sunday). Yeah, as the classic country songs goes, "It sure is Monday!"
I almost added insult to injury. When I finally got away from my home, somewhat shaken after the garage door drama, and headed along Handy Road on my way to work, I narrowly missed slamming into a speedy deer that dashed in front of my already scarred truck narrowly missing his calling to that great hunting ground in the sky. Wheeewww! A close encounter for sure... but thankfully my little red truck, which has come into contact with more than a few deer over the years as I travel to work in the pre-dawn hours, won't need repairs to the front end (just the rear). I was thankful that, by a hair, I missed the deer but I knew right then and there that this was probably going to be a tougher than usual Monday. One caller to my radio show this morning tried to put a positive spin on the situation, saying that if I had not been delayed by my rendezvous with the garage door, I would probably have hit the deer. Maybe so! I suppose I feel somewhat consoled but I still wish I had my garage door and my tailgate back the way they were! Oh well, mistakes happen (especially for me)...so I'll swallow my pride, put on a smile, and go on with the thought that this day can only get better!
Have a great one!
God is good and, despite the early hardships of this day, I still have many blessings to count!
Richard
I almost added insult to injury. When I finally got away from my home, somewhat shaken after the garage door drama, and headed along Handy Road on my way to work, I narrowly missed slamming into a speedy deer that dashed in front of my already scarred truck narrowly missing his calling to that great hunting ground in the sky. Wheeewww! A close encounter for sure... but thankfully my little red truck, which has come into contact with more than a few deer over the years as I travel to work in the pre-dawn hours, won't need repairs to the front end (just the rear). I was thankful that, by a hair, I missed the deer but I knew right then and there that this was probably going to be a tougher than usual Monday. One caller to my radio show this morning tried to put a positive spin on the situation, saying that if I had not been delayed by my rendezvous with the garage door, I would probably have hit the deer. Maybe so! I suppose I feel somewhat consoled but I still wish I had my garage door and my tailgate back the way they were! Oh well, mistakes happen (especially for me)...so I'll swallow my pride, put on a smile, and go on with the thought that this day can only get better!
Have a great one!
God is good and, despite the early hardships of this day, I still have many blessings to count!
Richard
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