Poverty As We See It…
The dictionary defines poverty as “the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions”.
After attending the Study Circles and the LeadershipPlenty training sessions, members of Philip’s Horizons group see poverty in a different way: lack of sufficient day care (the four in our community all have waiting lists), absence of nice affordable housing in the community (there is little or none), a crowded, inadequate library (it’s been that way since 1964), a better way to communicate community events (a strong gust of wind will blow the sign over that is placed at the intersection of Center & Pine), a sports complex that needs to be improved and enlarged (Philip would no longer have to travel to Kadoka to hold their own track meet), and a lack of marketing of Philip as a great place to live & raise a family.
Philip is fortunate in many ways: we have a main street that is flourishing, a great school system, a medical complex (new up-to-date hospital, dentist, chiropractor, eye care center, physical therapy center, nursing home, assisted-living center and ambulance service) that services many area communities, five major ag-related businesses that also serve a wide area and a manufacturing concern that is a world leader in its field. Philip is wealthy in that it is a community that cares about its members and its future.
With determination and hard work, we hope to change some of what we see as poverty.
Give us time, kids. Give us time. Earlier, second graders gave us some ideas of what they thought Philip needed: a dirt track, a NASCAR track and a castle. Who knows? Anything is possible if we work hard at it.