In this job, I meet and have conversations with a lot of people I’ve never met before. One of the things I ask most often in these situations is, “Are you a native of this area?”
I ask that for several reasons. Sometimes I find a person is from a part of the state I used to represent in the Senate. Sometimes I find a relatively new Hoosier. And it always breaks the ice. But in White County last week, I heard an answer that brought a smile to my face.
One of the leaders in White County’s Hometown Competitiveness program responded to the question by saying she was born and raised in Monticello, but she left after high school. It wasn’t until several years later she decided to return to her hometown.
That’s the type of story that keeps me interested in developing even our most rural cities and towns, and it’s the type of story that makes the Hometown Competitiveness program a success. HTC is about the spirit of continuous improvement for a community. It doesn’t involve a lot of grant dollars to construct buildings or roads like many of our programs do, but it builds leaders and an atmosphere of progress in a community. (Read about another HTC success in Ferdinand, Indiana below).
White County HTC has one of the most successful leadership trainings in the state, helping adults to be strong, civically engaged contributors in the community. They also have programs I’ve never heard of before, like a Youth Chamber, training up the next generation of leaders.
Keeping your hometown competitive in a global economy is very, very difficult. The fact is, not every child will want to stay near where they grew up. But those who do want to stay should never be forced away for lack of opportunity. We’re happy to have partners in White County living that out every day.
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