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by Rusti Leivestad, Thompson Falls Mayor

What is community?

Definitions…a social unit with a shared socially significant characteristic. It’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter – caring about each other. Strong communities have a sense of purpose. They promote engagement. They can be rural, urban, or suburban.

Community values; respect for the rights, differences, and dignity of others; honesty and integrity in dealing with all members of the community; accountability for personal behavior.

Some other words that describe community: participation, trust, curiosity, compassion, commitment, connection, service, and it starts with us.

So, a couple of years ago some of us attended a meeting about Neighborhood Watch. Within about 6 months we had contacted others in our neighborhood and formed our group. It’s quite simple and very flexible. Our group has achieved a sense of cohesion, that community spirit I write about in the above introduction. A woman who has lived there the longest claims she feels closer to her neighbors than any time prior.

The big concerns about crime are not limited to the big cities. We see it in our own city/county. It doesn’t really take much to share information that helps your neighbors know if strange cars are in your area or let someone you trust know that you will be gone and watch for packages, feed your critters or some other neighborly thing. We are a community, and we do care about each other while respecting their rights, differences, and privacy.

One last comment, the last City Council had concerned residents talking about traffic on Main Street. Many drivers are not observing the speed limit. A suggestion was made about getting blinking lights at each end of town to tell drivers their speed to get them to slow down. The next day, a group had formed to raise funds for this. It is still in the planning stages, and might take some time to reach their goal, but it is community in the best sense of the word.