Like many of you, I attended some of the City’s seasonal events during the past few weeks. I felt compelled to take a moment to recognize local businesses and City staff who worked tirelessly to make everything an authentic, fun and safe series of special times.

First of all, Small Business Saturday – thank you to the dozens of businesses who participated in Small Business Saturday by creating fun and enticing reasons to shop locally and keep our sales tax dollars right here in Corsicana. This event grows bigger every year. This year, it was bolstered by a sophisticated 64-page magazine showcasing Downtown shopping. Called Interurban, its pages revealed everything that can be purchased Downtown within walking distance of your parking spot. While I feared for the overuse of our credit cards, acknowledgement goes to Karie Denny and her talented creative team for producing a publication which rivals that of any major city or shopping district.

Our Annual Tree Lighting had the largest attendance in my memory. Thank you to Sharla Allen and her team at the Parks & Recreation Department of the City for the wonderful decorations in Pocket Parks, throughout the City and park areas, and the installation of our three-story Christmas tree. Thanks to Chief Paul Henley and the Fire and Rescue Department and Chief Robert Johnson and the Police Department for their street management and safety measures, and Karie Denny and Main Street for the music and fun along Beaton Street at the event. This year’s fireworks display was bigger than ever, thanks to Sharla, Karie, Paul, Robert, their staffs and volunteers.

In the middle of all of this was the Corsicana Bowl, a Division II football game bringing teams from Kansas and Arkansas. Bands, cheer teams and family traveled here and enjoyed part of our Downtown events before and after the Bowl game. I was proud to be part of the warm welcome our hotels, Chamber, Corsicana Bowl volunteer committee and Corsicana ISD Athletics created for these two teams. While it appeared to be just another football game to many, to some players, it was the last time they played college football—something I can relate to—and the last time their family might see them in a football uniform—something I am not looking forward to anytime soon with my own family football player.

The Festival of Lights parade organizers estimated that 7,000 people witnessed the 368 entries, not counting livestock, that joined the almost two-hour lighted procession.

Last weekend, children in Corsicana were treated to three free Christmas movies at the Palace Theatre, another winning Main Street program. They received free popcorn, gallons of hot chocolate, and jingle bell bracelets as they were leaving the theatre. This indicates a Mom was involved in the timing.

Now we turn to the joyful and loving presentations we see at our places of worship, our schools and our non-profit organizations. We greet family at airports, or bundle everyone into cars for holiday road trips. I wish the spirit of the season could stay with us all year.

Many of my letters to citizens end with an invitation to let me know what we can do better and any other ideas. This time, I think our celebration of Christmas was just perfect.

Merry Christmas. Thank you for your loyalty to Corsicana and to the Corsicana Daily Sun which allows me to share my views.

The next Economic Development Partnership Meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday,
December 4, 2018, in the Nancy Roberts Meeting Room at the Corsicana Public Library, 100 North 12th Street. Those interested in this economic development cause are invited to participate.


AGENDA

Reports

• Economic Development - John Boswell
• Housing - Aric Bonner
• New Business - Jeff Lyons
• Downtown - Karie Denny
• Marketing Update - Susan Wilson
• Good News - Mayor Don Denbow

Discussion of Future Topics

It seems this time of year has greater needs than we have days to give to service organizations and volunteer efforts. If this sounds familiar, you may want to take a look at this list of businesses and efforts that could use your time, your talent, or your resources, and not just at the holiday season, but year-round.

Consider volunteering
 
Two places that may not quickly come to mind is the Corsicana Public Library and the Corsicana Visitor Center. The Library has many ways to get involved. You can assist with computers, help out with large programs for children, shelve books, help set up for crafts and décor, join the FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY, work in The Next Chapter Bookstore, or provide financial resources for an event.

Just as often as travelers stop into the Visitor Center for maps, brochures and directions, they ask questions about history. The Center needs volunteers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people, have great interpersonal skills and enjoy sharing their knowledge of Corsicana’s history with visitors from around the world.

Helping students

A personal favorite of mine, the Corsicana Education Foundation’s efforts to raise funds give back to the students and staff at Corsicana ISD through innovative teaching grants, student and staff incentives and recognition programs. No amount is too small. And through VOICE, Inc., students learn about health and wellness, drug prevention, have a safe place to spend some summer days and can apply for college scholarship funds, among other vital programs available through the organization. YE, Corsicana High School’s Youth Entrepreneur program, is developing tomorrow’s business leaders. Local business owners can invest in this program with their time and talent, and will reap the benefits years to come with our future workforce.

Donating food, clothing and more

If you are an empty nester who misses the days when the whole family would gather around for the holidays, Mosaic might be the volunteer effort you are looking for. Mosaic is a national faith-based organization serving people with intellectual disabilities. Many of the people they serve attend their Day Center and return home, but some reside in group homes here. For those folks, Mosaic provides a family atmosphere including holiday meals. From an Easter meal for four to a Thanksgiving dinner for forty, Mosaic is humbly grateful for anything you can provide, and they will make arrangements to pick up your cooked meal. The Martin Luther King Jr. Center is holding a holiday bake sale on Wednesday, November 21 to raise money for their scholarship fund. The timing is just right to bake an extra dessert to donate or stop by and purchase an item to go with your Mosaic meal donation.

While Mosaic’s clients receive some financial assistance, it’s never enough to take care of their needs. Some things people forget about is high cost of personal hygiene items, underwear and socks we don’t think twice about. The next time you are shopping, buy a few extra items to donate to Mosaic.

Compassion Corsicana is a ministry serving all of Navarro County with Family Services, a Life Recovery Center, House of Refuge Center and of course, the Navarro County Food Pantry. Their new resale store in Downtown generates funds from donated items to support their programs. Please consider donating used clothing, furniture, housewares and home electronics to their store, as well as volunteering. Volunteers provide teaching and mentorship, sales floor merchandising, meal preparation and serving, and transportation. Your organization may volunteer as a group for a specific time period, and you can donate on their website for a one-time donation or a recurring donation.

A little from each of us makes a difference

We’ll soon hear the bell ringers at store entrances. Please consider donating on the way in, and on the way out, dropping your change into the red bucket. The Salvation Army of Corsicana does many great things for our community that are easy to overlook. Join Friends of the Army and change lives every month, or consider a one-time donation this holiday season--$2.37 will feed one person a hot meal.

Support local businesses

Think twice before leaving town with your Christmas gift list. Business owners invest heavily in our city and they depend on all of us to support them. In doing so, we are also investing in our city, because for every $100 spent locally, $45 is spent again here, compared to only $14 reinvested when spent in a big box store. Instead of shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, make plans to shop on Saturday, November 24 during Small Business Saturday. More than 40 businesses are planning special events, discounts and activities to encourage us to shop small.

Corsicana Public Library – 903-654-4810
Corsicana Visitor Center – 903-654-4840
Mosaic Corsicana – 903-874-3364
Martin Luther King Jr. Center – 903-467-7156
VOICE, Inc. – 903-872-0180
Corsicana Independent School District – 903-874-7411
Compassion Corsicana – 903-874-4971
The Salvation Army of Corsicana – 903-874-7131