Janet Swain
Growing up here we didn't have a lot of activities to participate in. In college I thought golfing, bowling, soccer, swimming and tennis were only for city kids. It looked very interesting but I wouldn’t try. Why? I was afraid. We talked about the basic fundamentals of some of these sports in school but we didn’t really know about it. Art was something I really didn’t appreciate until college. Art appreciation really changed my view of the world around me. We had art classes in elementary school, but in the early 80’s it was taken out of our school. Exposure is everything.
Returning to Greensboro was not something that I was looking forward to. Don’t get me wrong, Greensboro is a nice and safe place to live. The problem was when we moved there, my children could no longer participate in certain activities. I could drive 45 minutes one way to Tuscaloosa several days a week, but that is just a little too much. It would be nice if we could have it here. Then it would be a choice for all the parents to have for their children.
We need a specific place with a specific price that is large enough to have several activities going on at the same time. I’m sure teachers will be glad to come. My father is a musician. He could teach music there. We might have someone who is a voice coach or someone that makes jewelry or pottery who can teach there. The person next door may be able to teach. You never know what talents are here in Greensboro. If we had a Hale County community center, it would be owned by the community. It would belong to all citizens of Hale County, not just one particular group. It has to be in a central location, maybe someplace like 69 going towards Tuscaloosa. Anywhere else will be territorial, and people won't want to participate.
A lot of churches already have plans and budgets to have multi-purpose centers. The churches could use their centers for specific events, but they could also put their input and support into a city or county center. There’s nothing wrong with having something for your congregation since we have nothing now, but it would be nice if the community could come together and build a community multi-purpose facility.
If everyone in the community actually sat down together it could only create a positive change. At this point we are not going to grow unless everybody comes together. A lot of times you have to put things in the past behind you. We should not forget, but rather learn from it. Greensboro has the potential to be an awesome little town where people wouldn’t mind coming back to stay.
Janet Swain
Employment Training Specialist, HERO. Greensboro, Alabama
Outsidein. A Community Space for Hale County
outsidein: a community space for hale county. build space with your voice.
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