By RICHARD HILDRETH

For the Reporter

I have long believed that civic engagement needs to be at the heart of every community.

Active, engaged citizens not only provide needed services, it makes a community stronger and more resistant to many of the problems we face in today’s world.

A citizen who is involved in their community already has demonstrated ownership of their community and is more likely to work to prevent crime, clean up a vacant lot or help their neighbor. This is what small towns are all about.

Governments do not always truly allow communities to grow. Typically they look at a community backward, as a glass half full and then look for programs they can build to fill up that glass. Instead we need to look at our communities as a glass half full and by developing the resources we have already in our communities, the skills and efforts of our citizens and businesses, that glass will fill itself. Not only is this model more cost effective, but it becomes more sustainable.

In Pacific, we have tried to be that second model of governance. Five years ago we created Pacific Partnerships, a group of citizens and business who work together to make our community stronger and build community engagement.

Since that time they have become a separate non-profit organization and grown from a handful of volunteers to a great organization running events such as Pacific Day’s, community garage sales and our tree lighting.

Behind the scenes they do so much more being involved with cleaning up our parks, bus tickets for low-income citizens, youth and seniors and just helping that neighbor down the street. In other words Pacific Partnerships helps develop all of the things that we see as important in a small town and a strong community.

I do not bring this up as a way of saying our city has done great things. Honestly, the most important thing I have done as Mayor to promote this type of engagement is to get out of the way. I bring this up in hopes that you will get involved yourself. As we start into our centennial year I hope you will honor all of the history of our community and all of our future by getting involved.

Visit their Web site (www.pacificpartnerships.org), go to a meeting and ask how you can contribute. What can you do to make our next 100 years better than our past 100 years?

Sale’s on

The Pacific-Algona Two-City Garage sale will be held Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This always has been a great event and an opportunity to turn old items into cash.

For more information and registration forms, go to Pacific or Algona’s city hall, Pacific Post Office or the Pacific Algona Community Center. Maps will be available Friday.

All proceeds benefit the Pacific-Algona Community Center.

Are you prepared?

The cities of Pacific and Auburn, in conjunction with the White River Citizen Corps Council invite you to sign up for CERT.

Community Emergency Response Team classes will be held Sept. 23-Nov.8. Classes are held Tuesdays from 6:30-9:30 p.m., and on two Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.

CERT teaches you to not only be better prepared, but how you can protect yourself, your family and your neighborhood when disaster strikes. Classes include emergency preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical, light search and rescue and organization.

More information can be found at https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/

Pre-register for a course by calling 253-876-1925 or online at www.auburnwa.gov/disaster.

Richard Hildreth, the Mayor of Pacific, can be reached at 253-929-1108 or pacificmayor@aol.com.