The following is the text of Ms. Carol Beasley's speech at the Friday night Chamber banquet, Jan 23, 2009. She is the new President of the Chamber Board of Directors. She and her husband Tom, own the Historic Star Theatre
PC Chamber Banquet
Jan. 23, 2009
Thanks to our past President, Vicki Bennett. Those are large shoes to fill. Also, Janice Wilkins before Vicki. I consider it an honor to be here speaking with you tonight and giving back to this community.
My husband grew up in Patrick County and I’m from Mount Airy, NC. We returned here in 1994. We own the Bull Mountain Arts and Depot Emporium storefront building where I work as a stained glass artist. When Tom retired, his passion for renovation projects and special memories from childhood led him to purchase and restore the Star Theatre. Through these endeavors, we have met many wonderful people throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Being a part of the Chamber Board, I have seen what a close-knit and caring community we live in with volunteers who freely give of their time and talents.
When many are looking at the recession woes, we can see some good things happening:
• We are happy to work with county officials who recognize that the chamber contributes a great deal of time and effort into tourism.
• The town is beginning an Uptown Revitalization that will provide additional housing for residents, completion of the Farmer’s Market in downtown and an amphitheatre.
• Tom Bishop spoke about many others.
Look at all the opportunities here to further education:
• The Education Foundation
• Colleges up and down the road such as Virginia Tech, Radford, Ferrum, Wake Forest, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Patrick Henry CC, and Surry CC.
• We have recently heard about The Southside Virginia Tobacco Loan Forgiveness Program that will help pay for bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees in any field.
• Reynolds Homestead and the extension office partner with Virginia Tech to provide all types of learning experiences.
We cannot stress enough the valuable teachers that live and work here. They truly care about our students.
Presently, our chamber needs your help. We are trying to form a grant writing committee to help obtain funding for some special needs. It would be great to have someone working the Visitor Center in Meadows of Dan during the peak season. If you are willing to share your knowledge and time, we would love to have your help.
We have a wealth of knowledge and experience from retirees moving into and living in this area. We would love to have them more involved sharing their ideas.
We plan to improve the appearance of the Visitor Kiosk at the library. This will be another way to generate some advertising dollars and provide information to travelers any time of day.
The Chamber website lists the events here and Tom does a great job keeping it up-to-date. Please let us know what events you have planned for this year to include in this calendar.
We are entering a new age of technology. Professionals and scientists are working now to enhance our lives. We need jobs. Why couldn’t college students partner with our high school and elementary schools to get our students fired up about math and science?
Norman Vincent Peale said, “Change your thoughts and you change the world.� I believe that we need JOY in our lives—J for Jesus first, O for others second, and Y for yourself last. God is looking down on us now, this very minute, when we look up, He smiles down.
God bless.
Carol Beasley
