Last week the Poplarville Chamber of Commerce recognized outstanding members of the community at their annual awards luncheon.
In November, the Greater Picayune Area Chamber of Commerce will present similar awards.
The local chambers do more than just promote the economic growth of their respective cities, they also take note of the Pearl River County residents who go out of their way to help their fellow community members.
One of the awards honors the volunteer of the year. A volunteer is someone who gives freely of their time and resources without expecting anything in return. There are many people who volunteer their time in this county. For example, the many people who have helped out during this week’s crisis at the SPCA.
There is also an award for citizen of the year, someone who provides leadership in the community.
The chambers also recognizes firemen and policemen. These first responders put their lives on the line everyday for the citizens they serve. It is wonderful to see them acknowledged.
This event is a great way to promote a unified sense of community.
It also provides the youth of the county with positive community role models.
There is more to a city or town than businesses and their owners.
A community is made up of many facets including the residents that go out of their way every day to help their neighbor or a stranger they meet in the grocery store, the fire fighters who risk their lives to run into burning buildings to save people and the police officers who patrol the streets night and day to ensure that we can safely walk the sidewalks and go to bed at night without worry.
I would like to issue a big thank you to the chambers of commerce for saluting the people and businesses of Pearl River County.