One of our vision statements is to have and convey a culture of pride and respect, with a reputation as a great community in which to live, work and play. Community pride looks different to everyone. It can be involvement in planning a community-wide event, attending a school program, donating to a local charity or taking care of your lawn.

Recently, I talked with the new City Administrator Jessica Kinser about her experiences in Marshalltown. As a new member of our community, she has the unique perspective of seeing everything with a fresh eye. One of her first impressions was that Marshalltown is a community that collaborates and works together to find a solution. A community that isn’t reliant upon local government to solve all the problems. A community that isn’t afraid to devote the time, resources or money to help a cause.

Another one of her observations was how much philanthropy plays a role in our community. She talked about projects that have and will be done only because of groups, organizations or individuals who are willing to donate for the benefit of the greater good. She referenced the impressive goal for the United Way campaign. A goal that may be much lower in other communities our size. This year, the United Way campaign reached 97 percent of the $797,000 goal. Jessica is right; the generosity in our community can be seen if we just look around.

The people of Marshalltown know the impact we can have through collaboration and financial support, but we’ve been a little humble in our accomplishments. It’s time to start celebrating and publicly recognizing things that set us apart from other communities. Today that may be our knack for collaborating or our willingness to donate to great organizations … what will it be tomorrow?

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Kyley Leger is the executive director of Vision Marshalltown.