Be thankful for all the good in the community

Since it's Thanksgiving week, let's take a minute and note the reasons our community should be thankful. Believe me, I will omit some things from the list but you can include your own.

We can be thankful for the abundance of clubs and service organizations that work tirelessly to provide financial assistance and manpower for others. I hesitate to even mention a few for fear of not listing all. But the American Legion was in the paper this week donating to a Thanksgiving meal for the elderly. The Rotary Club just completed a successful annual auction to benefit Sikeston charities. The United Way is well on their way toward achieving their 2006 goal. The YMCA is well over half-way toward an amazing $6 million project that promises to be the focal point of countless community activities. This week alone, a half dozen or so churches and organizations will be sponsoring special Thanksgiving meals for those who might otherwise not be included in the holiday.

We have a city council who is taking an active approach toward improvements and not a reactive approach. The council and administration recently led the charge against a dramatic increase in train traffic through our community. And through their rental ordinance and the formation of the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, the city has been successful in removing some of the eyesores and criminal haunts that have plagued our community for years.

We can be especially thankful for our Public Safety Department who day and night tackle the ongoing problem of crime in our community. The Public Safety men and women have a dedication to address the drug problem that strikes every community and there is solid evidence of their success in this arena. As a community, we almost waited too long to address the issue of violence and drugs in certain neighborhoods but those days are far behind us.

We've taken it on the chin in some ways with the loss of jobs in our community - like countless others - but we've also seen the expansion of some local industries and our city has dedicated the resources and personnel to continue to fight for jobs. Many communities have simply given up - but not Sikeston!

We can be thankful for a group of young men like the Sikeston Jaycees who give more money to more local charities than you can list on this or any other page. We simply cannot overstate what this dynamic group means to our community.

We can be thankful that our school system is progressive and expanding under firm and qualified leadership. St. Louis schools this week are battling the state trying to avoid a state takeover because of declining scores, high dropout rates, etc. That won't happen here and for that, too, we can be thankful.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote praise concerning a young woman who appeared before our city council and warned against the lack of parental responsibility that resulted in roving bands of youths committing acts of vandalism. Above all else, we can be thankful that we have citizens willing to voice their concerns and urge actions to improve our hometown.

And let me end with a little self-serving thanks. We can be thankful that we have a local daily newspaper that is absolutely dedicated to improving our community, toward turning a spotlight on problems and suggesting areas of improvements. We may not always get it right, but I'm thankful - and you should be too - that we try.