Which is greater? Leaving a community in hope of greatness, or staying and creating greatness? An interesting question. Yesterday I attended a press conference where the Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, the Honourable Doug Horner, presented Red Deer College with a substantial grant from the Alberta Government. $18 million.
I’ve been around RDC for a long time – they are one of my longest standing clients. I’ve seen them working on the “Building Communities Through Learning” capital campaign to raise funds for a major expansion, in fact, we designed the Case for Support Document for the campaign.
At the press conference, kudos were passed around liberally to the boosters that have worked for years to achieve the goals of the expansion. Many of these men and women could A) have higher paying jobs with more glory in larger centres, or B) will never get recognized at all for their efforts. But they stuck with the campaign, and saw it through.
It occurred to me that these people are real heroes in our community. Bob & Jane Unknowns who have stuck with their collective visions to create greatness where they are, not where they might someday be. Congratulations are in order for all the campaign team!
It’s a testimony to the power of little people with vision, and achieving greatness. I think it’s something we should all hope to achieve someday. The biggest opportunities in our lives are probably right down the street, in the communities we live in, just waiting for us.