Stimulate Columbia MO Press Conference

We kicked off our Stimulate Columbia project yesterday with a press conference held at Harbor House. I have posted some photos from the press conference as well as a transcript of my opening remarks below. We're excited about bringing some great local non-profit groups together that already do a great job of helping people in our city. Our goal is to stimulate our local economy by investing our money in people who just need a little help. By helping get these people to a place where they can be self-sufficient will help our economy in the long-term as they become contributing members of society.

KOMU came to the press conference and they did a great job of getting the message out to the city. You can see their report here.

Here are my opening remarks from the press conference:

Good morning, and welcome to the kick off of the Stimulate Columbia Project.  My name is Tom Seagraves. A couple of months ago, President Obama spoke these words at his inauguration:

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility...(one) that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

This new era of responsibility that President Obama spoke of is one we should take seriously as citizens of a nation that is made great, not by a government, but by its people.  This responsibility should begin in our homes as we raise our children to be people of character.  And from there it should be focused locally as we reach out together to help people in need.  Helping people in need is the root of our project, and we believe that by helping people in need, right here in Columbia, we can stimulate our local economy for the long-term.   

As one of the organizers of the Stimulate Columbia project, I speak for all of us when I tell you that we are passionate about loving our city and we only want the best for it.  That’s why we hand-picked a few local organizations that already do a great job of helping people right here in Columbia.  We thought that by bringing them together, they could help and influence more people. These non-profit charities that we have chosen focus on three very important groups of people: at-risk youth, low-income families and unemployed workers.

We already know that Columbia is a giving and generous place to live.  A recent survey done by the Voluntary Action Center found the following:

116 local agencies said that 90,324 people volunteered in Columbia last year.  Those people gave over 2.7 million hours.  Had these agencies had to pay for those hours the cost would have been over $53 million.

As amazing as those facts are, there is still more work to be done, and there are still people here in Columbia who are sitting on the sidelines who need to get into the game. 

Allow me to share the vision that the organizers of Stimulate Columbia have put together:

These unprecedented times have citizens and politicians alike searching far and wide for ideas to save our economy.  The government, for months, has been wrestling with how to spend our money, and in the mean time, people are losing jobs, families are running out of money, and the next generation is losing hope.

Instead of waiting for Washington or Jefferson City, organizations across Columbia are banding together, working to save more than the economy; working to save our community.

As local layoffs increase, we’re giving our money freely to non-profit groups who work to rehabilitate those who have lost their jobs.

As low-income parents struggle to provide for their children, we’re giving money freely to local charities who work to make sure no one is left without the bare necessities of life.

And for those in the next generation, our children, who are losing hope, we’re giving our money freely to organizations who work with at-risk youth.

We believe the answer is not government; it’s small communities of people banding together to take care of their own.  People like you and me right here in Columbia.  We are responsible for our city, so let’s take this burden together and help lighten the load that many are now carrying.

I challenge every citizen in Columbia to give in one of three ways in the next 30 days:

1.  Plan to give a portion, or all of your tax refund to one of our partner organizations.

2.  Give 10% of your next paycheck, or your next 2 paychecks, to one of our partner organizations.

3.  Give some of your time to one of our partner organizations.

We have set up a website where you can easily learn more about our partners, and also donate to them directly.  The website address is stimulatecolumbiamo.org.

We are also hosting the Stimulate Columbia MO Expo, this Saturday, March 14th from 9am to 1pm at the Cherry Street Artisan in downtown Columbia.  The Artisan is located on the corner of 9^th and Cherry.  This will be an opportunity for Columbia residents to meet our partners face to face and ask them directly, “How will a donation to your organization stimulate the Columbia economy.”

One thing I can tell you with certainty; the people standing before you this morning love this city and the people in it.  They work hard every day to make a difference here.  They only want the best for the people they help and their goal is to help change these peoples’ lives so they can move on and be contributing members of our community.

Each one of our partners will now take a couple of minutes and give you a brief overview of how a donation to their agency will stimulate the Columbia economy.