Yakima has struggled with a gritty reputation for years. We've been known for drugs, rampant crime, crushing poverty. Local government is always good for a complaint or two. Sometimes it is hard to see the good for the graffiti that mars downtown and neighborhoods alike.
But the good, the positive, the hopeful is out there. We just have to see it. Head to a park on a summer evening. You'll find them full of families, with young people playing touch football or Ultimate Frisbee, or a musical group entertaining the crowd.
Visit the Red Cross on a blood drive day. Volunteers are literally rolling up their sleeves to make sure there is a safe blood supply for people in need.
Organize a Block Watch and see how many of your neighbors are just as concerned as you are about improving safety close to home.
As you drive past, notice the houses where avid gardeners live, making beauty for others to enjoy.
Listen up. You'll hear people singing at churches, community bands practicing and performing and young musicians honing their skills. You can even hear the economic good news as construction workers put up new buildings and houses.
A community is made up of people. We have our share of people who make the negatives seem more widespread than they are, but we also have a good solid base of people who do care, who work in small and large ways to make this a better community.
They may be Search and Rescue volunteers or Camp Fire leaders or church youth group leaders or coaches or artists, but they are out there, quietly working for those of us who call Yakima home.
It isn't a Pollyanna attitude to suggest that while we focus our energy on fixing flaws, we take time to reflect on everything good about our community.
E-mail
Print
Comments
Weather/Forecast
