Organizing a community

Today, making the ten minute trip north from our place to the monthly Community Task Force meeting in Lacoochee, I loved the slightly rolling land, now brown and sere from recent freezes with an occasional blooming fruit tree here and there.
Turning off the main road, I can imagine that I have somehow found myself in the outskirts of Belize City, that place even the guide books tell you to avoid. Crossing the railroad tracks, the town looks particularly grim. It is just beginning to rain and everything I pass seems dispirited. There are clumps of trash plastered along the road, a few young men with extremely low riding pants lounging under the trees, a few rangy dogs, and some left over evidence of meager life lived here.
I turn in to the school compound, a cheerful beacon, and go into the office to get my visitor badge and have some cheerful chat with Annette who runs the front desk.
I have come to love these meetings. For so many years of my efficient life I have run meetings, and all issues are quickly addressed, no running over the margins.
This is a whole different deal. We begin by serving ourselves from a big pot of soup. (If you're vegetarian, ladle it off the top and if you want the chicken, dig to the bottom.) Everyone takes a place at the tables in the multipurpose room: the officer friendly from the Sheriff's department who runs the Boy Scouts, the earnest man who runs the Boys and Girls Club, the enthusiastic woman from United Way, whose mission is to get funds for Lacoochee, the retirees who run a food pantry from a local generic church. I see that the long-winded guy who runs the neighborhood watch program is absent today. The school/community liason person is there. I love Andrea, so devoted to the cause.
But the big star is Ms. Marler, the principal of the school. Karen Marler is a native of Lacoochee and came back to run this struggling school. Her heart and expertise is in community organizing. "Everything is about the kids," she always says. I used to think, when I was first a volunteer in this school, that something was lacking in the leadership of this school. But I didn't understand where she was coming from.
This day, she is full of her experience in taking a busload of local officials and executives who may be able to invest in this community on a tour of the town. She is lovely in a Dolly Parton sort of way and she has that chewy Florida accent. Talk about a steel magnolia! She seems to have no limit to the time she spends with our group, but she gets everything done, and everyone at the meeting leaves inspired. We have decided to do a community garden, we know where to get grants for the cheerleader costumes, and benches for the football players. Marler listens!
I am humbled by it all. When I think of all the small groups like this who are meeting around our country and who are doing just these things, I am amazed and heartened.
The poster boy in the picture is one of many I have known here at Lacoochee. Most of the kids are Hispanic. He, and all the rest deserve the best!
One of the best things about this day was meeting a young teacher (third grade), Ben Aguilar, tall and handsome and brown like my nephews. He was the brightest and best in Lacoochee when he was a kid. He went on to college and felt called to return and teach there. He runs an after school program in drama for parents and kids. I signed up as a volunteer! How could I not? Stay tuned.