Our Future Looked Us in the Eyes and Demanded Action

Post by Tom Collins

I've taken the weekend to begin digesting our 2008 Eyes on the Future event. With over 1500 people signed up and a large percentage of them actually showing up, many of those who spoke remarked on what an encouraging sign that is about our region's future, despite the obvious and enormous challenges.

We heard powerful messages from state leaders Gov. Patterson and Dennis Mullen, to local leaders Maggie Brooks and Bob Duffy, to an array of business leaders, Dick Kaplan, Lauren Dixon, Robert Offley, Gerald Ostrov, Michael Reed, SBC's Tom Ioele and GRE's Mark Peterson, to Drs. Donald Bain and John Martin representing our local colleges and universities, along with numerous attendees who stepped up to the microphones to contribute questions and ideas.

Yet, here's the message I can't get out of my head:

"Make me come home!"

At least that's what I took away from the speech by Jennifer Jones, HF-L, student member of the EOTF Planning Committee. What she actually said was (from my notes), "... everything I want or need can be right here ... and I want to come back after college."