Transforming a group of people living adjacent to each other into a community is an important process that can make any given area a better place to live.

I’m excited to see efforts being made on multiple fronts to help Lunenburg County become a better place to live, a place where community is being cultivated.

Angela Hardy, of Kenbridge, recently addressed the Kenbridge Town Council, conveying her excitement and her ideas for implementing community-based programs for area youth and adults in the Kenbridge Community Center. Her ideas involved engaging not only young athletes but also young art students, area schools and adults who would like help with financial planning, parenting, etc.

Town Mayor Emory Hodges told Hardy, “You’ll find that this council supports 100 percent if you wanted to start a program like that; it just needs to be well organized.”

Another way community is being cultivated and county life is being enriched is through the Lunenburg County Chamber of Commerce’s Home Christmas Decorations Contest. The event drew participation from homes in Kenbridge and Victoria, promoted the festive beautification of the area and prompted community members to see what their neighbors did to celebrate the season.

Another key example of efforts being made to make Lunenburg more inviting is the discussion by the Kenbridge Town Council to potentially bring back the town’s leaf removal service.

Hodges noted it could possibly draw people into the town, or it could be an incentive for people to stay. “If we are going to market ourselves as a good community to live in, then we’ve got to look at what is it we offer to citizens in Kenbridge.”

The same could be said for all of Lunenburg County, and to the benefit of all, people are hard at work, aiming to expand its offerings.

As Angela Hardy said, “You aren’t going to have anything (if) you don’t do anything about it. It’s only going to work if we, the community ourselves, do it.”

Titus Mohler is the sports editor for The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch. His email address is Titus.Mohler@KVDispatch.com.