Arrived!

It was over 10 years ago (10 years and 5 months) that I arrived in Springfield in a beat up RV that was out of gas.  I was homeless, unemployed and back then, a fully active alcoholic.  My life was unmanageable, as they say in AA meetings.

I wanted it to be different, I made a conscious decision for it to be different, and it has been different for a long time.  Thanks to my Katie and the Missionaries and Church folk who have aided me in gaining and keeping my sobriety.

But when do you get to unfurl the “Mission Accomplished!” sign?  When can you say you’ve “arrived”?

There are many such mile markers on the way to being able to say you’ve “arrived”, of course.  And in some sense, it’s a purely arbitrary decision, and a personal one that you get to decide for yourself.

Was it when we incorporated as a bona-fide non-profit?  Was it with the first house bought and renovated?  The second?  The first guest aided?  The 40th?  Will it be even later, in the future, when we get our 501(c)3 status approved?  (A future much closer now as we are moving toward securing that!)

Any of those points could have been selected.  And I’ve felt the joy of those previous “arrivals”!  And I know I’ll feel the joy of the 501(c)3 “arrival” when that comes!  But all along I’ve had something else in mind as the ultimate mile marker.

Membership in the Chamber of Commerce.

As a child, I was raised in an upper-middle class environment, my father was an insurance executive with State Farm, my mom did Hospice volunteer work, there were bake sales, business trips, a bi-level house, blah de blah!  The church we attended weekly without fail was one of the prosperous Methodist ones where everyone there is some kind of businessman, entrepreneur or professional!

So you can see why I’d be the kind of kid who knew what the Chamber of Commerce was and is!

I hadn’t thought of it in the years since I left at 17 to join the Air Force.  Why would I?  It’s not like I had a business.

But there I was ten years ago, back in my town of birth with nothing and no one.  I knew I wanted a non-profit one day, though I still had myself to heal.  I knew I wanted it to be a going concern, I knew I wanted to succeed in ending my own relapses, and I knew I want to help others who had walked the same sorry path.  I knew what it was like for me to try to climb back up and I wanted to be in a position to aid others in that.

And for my own goals of success, for my own idea of what I wanted for my own life, I knew even then what the total opposite of being a homeless unemployed alkie was.

And that was to be a dues paying member in good standing of the Chamber of Commerce.

And now?  Now, this 20th day of February, roughly ten years later, I’m pleased to announce that we at the Liahona Mission belong to the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce!  Or simply “the Chamber” as they call it!

Why is that a thing?  Why did I want that so bad?  How is that the opposite of being homeless?  Isn’t just having a home and a job and being sober the opposite of all that?

Well, yes, in general a home, and job and sobriety are the opposite, and perfectly fine for most people.  But for me personally, I think that a bit more than that is “opposite”.  Having a home and a job and being sober are great things, of course.  Crucial things, in fact!  But that’s not the furthest you can go as a member of your community, and only the furthest point away is truly “opposite” enough for me!

And for that you need to belong to the Chamber of Commerce.  The Chamber, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is a group of business owners great and small who are bound together by two common elements.  The first is shared by everyone, even the homeless.  The second is shared by very few, even the well off.

The two elements are these:

“The desire to have their community grow and prosper.  AND the desire to make that their personal responsibility.”

And that is what membership in the Chamber is in two sentences.  If one is running a corporation or company, a coffee stand or a mega-conglomerate, and you agree with those two sentences, then membership is a must.

Ever drive past any of the numerous vacant lots and abandoned homes and think, “Gee, something should be done about that?”  The Chamber is made up of men and women who agree, and who work together to grow Springfield’s economy so that such can be solved.  

Ever hear of burdensome regulations and policies hampering and hindering the growth of local businesses - and thus jobs?  The Chamber is made up of citizens who are well aware of that problem and who work to help others find their way through those treacherous waters.

Ever read about how different communities offer different tax breaks and incentives and such to attract more businesses to their town and thus create even more employment opportunities?  Yes, that is again what the Chamber looks into and advises upon, for whatever town it is in.

Do you wonder about who advocates for beautification and better roads and well lit streets and easier traffic patterns and environments more conducive to business and jobs and prosperity in general?  The Chamber, the Chamber, the Chamber, and also, the Chamber!  

Political leaders may be elected and be paid, and they may at times work to solve such problems, but members of the Chamber are those who took it upon themselves to pay to get together and work together to solve those same problems!

As they know that a better town is not only great for everyone here, but for attracting more people here, and leaving - as each generation of members in the Chamber does - a better place for those who come after them.

Because at root, that is the only thing any Chamber of Commerce does - inherit a community and work to make it better for the next generation.  The Chamber is the caretaker of the community, and they invest their own time, talents and money to that end.

And now we get to be a part of that!  

And that is what I count as having “arrived”!  When not only do we have our own business up and running, not only are we helping others, but that we can now be a part of a greater effort, and join in the ranks of all the other responsible local businesses!

If that’s not being “arrived”, I can’t think what is!