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MIKE WALTON |
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| home town generosity |
| Posted: December 21, 2010 |
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| This is the 4th month for me as the Executive Director for the Kendallville Area Chamber of Commerce. Since I did not grow up in Kendallville, I would like to make a few observations about the people of our fair city. Like a lot of small towns, there are a few people who just seem to know everyone and everything that is happening. Getting to know some of these people has helped me get up to speed much faster than if I had to knock on doors. Information is the main thing we offer at the Chamber and people’s willingness to keep us up to date has been refreshing. We have people stop by almost every day offering ideas, people to contact, and resources that are available. But the most impressive characteristic of the people of Kendallville is the generosity in helping those in need. The Christmas Bureau has operated out of the Chamber for almost 20 years. This year Anita Hess and Kristen Johnson mobilized a small group of volunteers to help collect and distribute Christmas gifts for almost 1000 children in Kendallville. These kids may not have gotten anything for Christmas if hundreds of other people in town hadn’t opened their hearts and checkbooks to buy those gifts. More than one parent had their children bring in toys they purchased with their allowance to help make a less fortunate child’s Christmas brighter. Kudos to these parents because it’s their children that are learning the value of giving back to their community. There is a good chance these children will also be the benefactors sustaining the Christmas Bureau for the next 20 years or so. The Christmas Bureau had all of us experiencing a wide range of emotions every day. Some of the stories we heard just broke our hearts. An hour later, someone would come in and say they want to adopt a family in dire straits. They would proceed to spend as much as $1000 on medical care, food, clothing, as well as toys for the young children. Most of us will never experience the desperate needs we saw over the last 6 weeks. But I can tell you I am so proud to represent a community with so many people willing to step up and make a difference. These are tough economic times for most of us, but it is reassuring to know there are still people in Kendallville who will not let the truly needy suffer unnecessarily. And this is just one organization. There are many more, too many to list here, that are providing services for the elderly, the unemployed, the physically and mentally handicapped. Each organization relies on the generosity of gifts from businesses and individuals to provide these services. As we come out of this recession, and people get back on their feet, there will be dozens of grateful families that have experienced the meaning of Christmas in 2010. You never know, these families(and their children) may be the ones contributing to the Christ Bureau in years to come. Good job Kendallville! |
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| ABOUT MIKE WALTON |
| LOCATION: Kendallville, IN |
Your Chamber is led by Mike Walton, Executive Director. He has 30+ years in business in Northeast Indiana with expertise in sales and marketing, and technology applications. As a business consultant, Mike has over 10,000 contacts with area businesses.Mike and his wife, Sherry, reside in... <read more about Mike>
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