Be the change you want to see
Published 10:23 am Thursday, November 14, 2013
Behind most successful community projects — whether it be a charitable effort or a restoration project — you can bet there was an devoted group of individuals who did a lot of work for very little praise or compensation.
In Lawrence County, that fact couldn’t be more true.
Tuesday, several of those individuals were praised at the Lawrence County Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards dinner.
Jessica Cornett, recognized as the 2013 Young Professional of the Year, and Dave Milem, honored as the 2013 George Patterson Community Servant, are two shining examples of people right here in our community who have strived to make Lawrence County a better place to live with their volunteers efforts of raising money for underprivileged children or historical restoration projects.
Similarly, a few businesspeople who have worked tirelessly to improve the economy of their communities and provide good jobs were also honored: Jim Earl Jr., 2013 Business Person of the Year, Ron Lyons 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year, and Bill Dickens, 2013 Small Business Advocate.
A lesson can be learned from the honorees — if you want to change your community, you must take an active role and lead the way.
These people didn’t wait for someone else to act. They stepped forward devoted their time and resources to make change happen.
And although these honorees didn’t seek out accolades for their deeds, they certainly are deserving.