In just a few days, the Crestview News Bulletin and other GateHouse Media publications in Northwest Florida will set aside a little extra time to celebrate community. We hope you will, too.
Notice we didn’t pledge to celebrate the community. That’s because we’re not going to heap praise on individual towns or cities but on the idea of “community” itself.
We hope to highlight the sense of fellowship, friendly association, shared goals and voluntary assistance that arises when people choose to live in a particular place. That place may be Crestview Baker, Holt, Laurel Hill, Milligan, or any of the incorporated and unincorporated areas in between.
Whether you live in an apartment and your neighbor is on the other side of the wall, or in a farmhouse and your neighbor is across an open field, you feel — and benefit from — a sense of community.
Yes, benefit. Among the hallmarks of a community-minded region are the charities, nonprofit organizations and fundraising events that help people, provide comfort in times of need and often change lives.
There are scores of them, many geared specifically to aiding children, senior citizens, abused women, military personnel or abandoned pets. Invariably, they do a lot with a little.
There are charity wine auctions that benefit organizations helping children.
Some of the ones in North Okaloosa County include Sharing and Caring, the Baker Block Museum/North Okaloosa Heritage Association; Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs; Common Ground Community Garden; the Crestview Area Sister City Program; Young Marines; and more.
Sorting them out is one aim of our Celebrate Community project. Over the next few months, we’ll take a look at local charities and nonprofits that are dedicated to making our communities stronger.
Along the way, we hope you’ll find inspiration in some of the groups we’re showcasing. Perhaps you’ll gain insight into the concept of community. Perhaps you’ll want to contribute. Either outcome will be worth celebrating.
In the meantime, like our Celebrate Community Facebook page, where you will soon find plenty of content about worthy Northwest Florida causes.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Celebrate North Okaloosa County's community organizations with us