By Dawn Burleigh

 

In our daily lives, it is easy to just say we are too busy to add one more project to our already full schedules.

Sometimes, you just have to ask if it is possible to squeeze in one more hour for something that you are already passionate about.

Last week I mentioned the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce theme for the year, Be the Change You Want to See. Keeping the theme in mind as one overlooks the bulging day planner, one can find a glimmer of hope for the hour needed for a project you desire.

Finding the time is just the beginning of the journey. As with any trek, once the idea is born you still have to take that first step for it to become a reality.

For my current project, it was searching for just the right pattern to use for the first doll dress.

After days of indecisiveness, I understood I was falling into the trap of great ideas without results. I needed to take the first step, or in my case, the first stitch.

While not everyone is as enthralled with crocheting and quilting as I am, there may be an idea you have been tossing around.

What change do you want to see? How can you make the change happen? How will it benefit the community?

Sometimes the first step towards a positive change is something as simple as staying in Orange County to shop instead of traveling over the bridges to another county or state.

Recent sales tax revenue figures show that is exactly what more people are doing – shopping Orange County first.

Keeping our money locally is also helping our neighbors rebuild following Tropical Storm Harvey. Neighbors such as the electrician whose house flooded and still needs to work to pay the bills, the teacher who is helping a child overcome a challenge in the classroom, the dance instructor who is keeping the dancers focused.

Maybe the type of business you need is not located in Orange County. What then? Is it one you would be able to open and operate? A locally owned business is a step towards change.

It may start with one employee but can grow to employ many.

Gopher Industries started as a small locally owned business with a small handful of employees and now employs triple as many.

The hospital may have been one of the largest employers in Orange at one time, but, what is to stop another company have having the title?

Mary Ekene, in recent columns, has focused on new businesses in the area. These are neighbors who took the leap of faith.

Maybe starting a business is more than you are comfortable with at this time. There are many organizations in Orange County, which operate through the generosity of volunteers. The chambers rely on volunteers to help make large events such as the Riverfront Festival happen.

Chris Kovatch, in today’s column, talks about volunteering as a foster parent. Not an easy step to make but one that is full of rewards and fulfillment along the way. Being able to help just one child now makes a huge difference in the child’s life later.

Orange Christian Services is run on volunteers, as are many of the organizations funded through United Way of Orange County.

The Service League of Orange members are all volunteers as are those involved in Orange Community Players.

Large or small, there is an organization in need of your special skill sets. The more volunteers, the more a group can accomplish in the strive to make a difference.

What change do you want to see?

 

Dawn Burleigh is editor of The Orange Leader. She can be reached at dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com