When you reach the age of full retirement, you have a lot of time for retrospection and introspection. Heavy on my heart recently has been the current status and future of our special community.

I arrived in Kinston in 1974 and have treasured every opportunity that my family has experienced. I have gained lifelong relationships and have, hopefully, had a positive impact through my involvement. My faith and supportive church family have inspired me to grow inwardly and serve outwardly. I have had many mentors that have inspired me to areas of service and leadership.

During my latter years at Caswell Center, I had the privilege of attending an international volunteer conference with my Director of Volunteer Services. I had the special privilege of hearing one of my heroes, John Lewis, the civil rights leader and tenured US Congressman. His topic was “get in the way”. The focus was the fundamental and essential need for true leaders to “get in the way” of barriers that keep your community from being the best it can be for all citizens.

There are key barriers to community improvement such as discrimination, apathy, lack of critical services not provided by government, lack of financial support to underfunded local nonprofits, and on and on. The effort to address these barriers may seem cumbersome, but certainly worth the effort to “get in the way”.

It is possible to “get in the way” by volunteering with some of our fine nonprofits that seek to address the issues of quality of life for all our citizens. The Lenoir-Greene United Way can direct you to agencies that address homelessness, hunger, domestic abuse, support for persons with disabilities, mental health support, drug and alcohol abuse, youth development, poverty, and so many other needs experienced by our neighbors in the community. There are also opportunities in the arts, music, and drama that enhance our quality of life, especially for our young people.

The next area to “get in the way’’ is one that is paramount to the quality of life in our community. That is being involved in the political system of our community. Can be as simple as voting! The voting record of our community is deplorable to put it mildly. Too few people are electing our officials whose decisions can make or break the present and future quality of life in our community.

The second opportunity is to become aware of how our elected officials are meeting the critical needs of our community. Voters should ask questions such as:

Do we have a strategic plan?

• Are our elected officials engaged in our community to seek feedback from our citizens?

• Are they prepared for meetings and staying informed of critical community needs?

• Are they responsive to inquiries and suggestions from citizens?

• Are they investigating how other communities are addressing similar challenges?

Are they placing diverse and informed citizens on committees and commissions, plus so many other areas that make them more productive leaders for our community?

Another area so crucial to having a healthy representative style of government is for more of our citizens to run for political office. We simply need more candidates that can share their passion and vision for the city and have skill sets they have that can enhance the council’s decision-making process. We must have more choices at election time for us to discern who can best serve our community in this critical role.

We have three council seats that are coming up for reelection in November and we, as citizens, must determine whether those serving are doing the necessary job to continue and whether there are other persons who can be more effective in this role. Let’s all of us “get in the way” of the political apathy in our community by becoming more informed citizens or even running for an elected office.

You need to recognize that “getting in the way” does necessitate your time and resources. However, I have found that you are rewarded in so many ways for this commitment. Also, sometimes asking the right questions creates tension among those in leadership roles but it is a way to ensure transparency and proper stewardship of entrusted funds and responsibilities. Great leaders welcome this kind of inquiry.

The true litmus test of a community is whether it is seeking creative options to address the needs of ALL of its citizens. We are a blessed community in so many ways but must work hard to ensure these blessings for generations to come.

I have often said that volunteerism is the rent we pay for the privilege of living in such a great community. I plan to continue to “get in the way”. How about you?