Steve Frey
When you cross the bridge entering Radford during this time of year, you are greeted by thousands of beautiful white lights and other holiday decorations brightening the streets. Families throughout the city add their own lights and decorations to help the city truly glow. It is a warm welcome to our city, especially during the long, dark nights of winter.
Just as the bright lights pierce the winter nights, one is struck by the warmness and caring exhibited throughout the year by the people of Radford, a city that is truly the Heart of the New River Valley. It is the people, every individual, who make a community. The people are the true “bright lights” of the city.
Radford is in one sense a “college” town, but it is more than that—it is a “home” town. It is filled with thousands of people who work together, live in neighborhoods together, and fill their days with both the mundane and the exceptional activities that make each individual life different and special.
There is a uniqueness that comes with city status for a small community. Radford is not a large county filled with different towns and villages. It has its own school system, utilities, and many other self-contained government functions. People identify strongly with a small city. Neighbors work with each other as teachers, ministers, nurses, utility workers, small business owners, policemen, and every other occupation under the sun. You might see friends at the Radford Theatre, at a downtown restaurant, at a museum activity, at the Farmers’ Market, at the library, or at any one of the many organizations and businesses that thrive in our city. You know so many people because everyone is a member of a small, interconnected community.
Along with a city government that provides so many wonderful services and programs for everyone, some of the other organizations unifying the community include our exceptional school system, a progressive university, the hometown newspaper, and places of worship filled with caring neighbors. These are just a few of the community groups and services that bind everyone together and make Radford a special place to live and grow.
The school system is the center of the community. The concerts, ball games, and a myriad of other student-centered activities bring everyone together. Students grow up together and raise families together. Best friends in first grade become friends for life. We follow the exploits and successes of “Bobcat Nation,” as lead cheerleader and mayor, Bruce Brown, calls Radford schools, with every game, science activity, academic award, or state title. The school system is so much more though. It is where children learn lessons that guide the development of their character. Along with the home, the church, scouts, and other important organizations filled with role models and moral guides, children learn the difference between right and wrong and the importance of truly caring about and helping each other; traits that make the difference between a cold, indifferent city and a warm, caring community. They learn how to be good neighbors.
Radford University brings other activities to the city. Yes, the students and faculty also share concerts, plays, learning opportunities, and college sports, but the college is so much more. Hundreds of Radford’s citizens work at the university. The students and faculty contribute to many community activities ranging from volunteering for the Bobcat Backpack program to Radford Highlander Day to the New River Clean-up, and so many more. Community members have the opportunity to extend themselves by going back to school close to home. Isn’t it amazing to see how many former Highlanders stay in Radford or the immediate area and are now contributing to the community? It is not accidental. The university and city are truly partners.
The Radford News Journal, Radford’s hometown paper, records the births, graduations, marriages, and accomplishments of our citizens, including those who pass from us. For decades it has chronicled the events that mark Radford’s achievements and contributions to the area, state, and yes, even our nation. Think for a moment about the many people over all of the years of the city’s history who have made contributions to help Radford grow. The newspaper is a record of the history of Radford’s growth not just in facts and figures, but good deeds, good neighbors, and good will.
This Christmas, the people of Radford will be gathering in places of worship throughout the city. They will be greeting neighbors and asking about old friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Each church has its own congregation, its own culture, but all are united by one simple concept: Love thy neighbor. Your neighbor may not attend your church or any church, but that spirit of love pervades from each individual place of worship to the community as a whole. “Love’s Pure Light” of the Christmas season fills the hearts of all Radford neighbors. There is a closeness at Christmas that sometimes slips away as the year and events press us forward. A worthy goal would be to hold on to that united feeling of kindness, “the Everlasting Light” of Christmas, throughout the year.
So, who is your neighbor in Radford?
Everyone.
It doesn’t matter what color you are, where you are from, which place of worship you attend, or how wealthy you are. If you live in Radford, none of those things should matter. What should matter is the willingness to pitch in and help our community grow, and remember, the people are the community.
You share your tools with your neighbors. You check in with your neighbors and help them out when they need a hand. You share. You care.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could expand that same feeling of compassion throughout the city, but how?—By getting more involved with one another.
Participate in a library or museum activity. Visit our local stores and restaurants. Get to know people. Check out the Recreation Center and join in an event. Come together with friends to share in Radford’s patriotic Fourth of July Celebration. Help out with the New River Cleanup. Stop by West End Wednesdays. Volunteer at the hospital. Celebrate Highlander Day. Volunteer at a school. Help out with the Bobcat Backpack program. Volunteer at Daily Bread. Visit the Farmers’ Market. Get on that church committee. Of course, this is only a sampling of the many opportunities we all have to make a difference in Radford by getting to know and help our neighbors.
Sometimes we take for granted all the wonderful things our community offers. Remember, community events and activities don’t just happen—people behind the scenes put in time and effort to make them happen. “Many hands make light work,” and if everyone got involved just a little more, think of how much our city, and all of us as a community, could grow together.
Yes, those white lights shine bright this time of year. Drive around Radford’s neighborhoods. Take a walk along the river at Bissett Park. Stroll through downtown and visit some of the shops. Really think about how you can become more involved in the community. Get to know more of your neighbors! Be a better neighbor yourself.
We will all be feeling a renewal of compassion and caring during this Christmas season. Spread that spirit from your home and church throughout our city by truly becoming an active member of the community. Help the Heart of the New River Valley grow stronger and make Radford a place where all of our neighbors are able to succeed and flourish because everyone works together to make it so.
Yes, this holiday season and all through the year, love your neighbor as yourself. Spread the light. Be the light. Remember, we’re all in this together!
Steve Frey is a writer and CEO of Ascendant Educational Services based in Radford.
