We are in an extraordinary moment, one that has called into question so much of our daily lives. While I have grown more comfortable with the dynamism of working with others in the last seven years of my community development career, even I have been thrown off by the gravity of the current moment. However, over the last several weeks I have been so heartened by our community’s response, finding certainty in the strength of the amazing people and partnerships that we’ve built over the last several years across our region.
Our community is a resilient one, having persevered through countless economic and societal hardships over its lifetime. These ups and downs, these boom and bust cycles, can easily engender a cynicism hard to overcome. I must admit in the early days of this crisis I was most scared of partnerships and collaborations breaking down under this immense strain. That fear has been completely unfounded and in fact, our community has risen to meet this moment in incredible ways.
Our work over the past five years around workforce and business development, work that can easily be lost during responding to a crisis, has been reaffirmed by our tireless leaders across education, economic development, and private industry. This work has never been more important than in this present moment to give us hope, and to encourage to look toward the future in optimism. The certainty and trust that our community has established is allowing us to not only meet this moment, but to ensure that all of our communities will weather this storm and we will emerge more resilient as we face the future.
Brent Baker
Director of Workforce Solutions
E: bbaker@greaterpeoriaedc.org
T: 309.696.4733