How many times have you seen it in the newspaper? Some representatives from this organization smile for the camera with representatives from that organization, and they toot their own horn and each other’s as they talk about how they’re going to do something great together for the benefit of the community.
And then, later on, we often wonder what ever became of all that warm and fuzzy chatter.
That train of thought comes to mind today, in the midst of two collaborations that involved numerous agencies, organizations and groups, collaborations that involved a lot more than talk, but some real action that benefited or will benefit many.
One involved the Parks and Recreation Club Kid program. The Center for Adult Learning at UMC worked with faculty members and staff at the university to set up a handful of fun and educational activities that would expose the elementary-aged kids on multiple occasions and in a variety of settings to a college campus and many of the cool things it has to offer. They learned about nature, the planets, athletics, to name a few things, and last week built and blasted off their own rockets from a practice football field at UMC.
The second involves a simple structure, a concession stand, that wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of people getting creative and working together. With an assist from old equipment at the former arena facilities in town, the Crookston Youth Soccer Association, UMC, Crookston High School and Parks and Recreation joined forces, and the result will be a permanent concession stand at the still pretty new soccer complex northwest of the high school.
The thing is, with both of these successful collaborative efforts, you never saw a lot of back-patting and positive chatter before anything tangible actually took place. Everyone did the important preparatory work behind the scenes, and the result was, well...real results. There was talk, and then there was action.
Congratulations to all involved in both initiatives, which benefit the community in a variety of ways.
