In November, Business Week magazine announced its list of the “Best Places to Raise Your Kids,” naming Blue Springs the number one city in Missouri to raise a family, with Lee’s Summit and Joplin listed as runners-up. This unsolicited honor speaks volumes about the great community in which we live.
What is it that made our community rise to the top of that list? Criteria included school performance, number of schools, household expenditures, crime rates, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters and diversity, with the greatest weight given to affordability, safety, and school test scores.
However, there is much more to this story than just the statistics. Our citizens, not only in Blue Springs but also throughout all of Eastern Jackson County, are actively involved in their community. Volunteers are the heart and soul of community service, and many local non-profit organizations rely on their commitment and generosity. People serve their communities as elected officials and on the many boards and commissions that are integral to local government. Parents and other volunteers support sports activities available to our youth. Community service organizations such as the Community Services League, Rainbow Center, Hillcrest Ministries and StandUp Blue Springs provide services to those in need within our communities.
Foundations such as Truman Heartland Community Foundation and Eastland Community Foundation provide opportunities for philanthropists to concentrate their resources and provide funding to the many non-profit organizations throughout the area.
The Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce’s annual leadership class, in conjunction with Home Depot, Haldex, Randy and Jan Castle, MarKirk Construction, the Blue Springs School District, Hy-Vee, Betty’s Restaurant, Costco, Adams Dairy Bank, Sonic, Lamar’s, MAC Corporation and Architectural Ornaments, joined forces this past Saturday morning to renovate the patios at St. Mary’s Manor. Individuals and businesses working collaboratively make our community a special place to live.
Each year the Heritage Philharmonic holds a competition for local young musicians. The winners will perform with the philharmonic this at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Blue Springs High School performing arts center. The members are volunteer musicians from our community, and the orchestra provides opportunities for these musicians to hone their skills and share their talents with the community at large. Led by a volunteer board of directors, the orchestra provides the community a cost effective opportunity to enjoy a diverse variety of fantastic music.
These organizations, and others like them, are the lifeblood of our towns. By investing our time in these organizations, and making a commitment to the success of our communities, we continually set the bar a little higher, and we strive to reach it. By participating in the process, by giving of your skills and passions, you will reap benefits tenfold.