Central Pioneers Lauded It Happened That Way, Moving West…
By Bob Breaux, President & CEO
Central Chamber of Commerce
Ronald Regan was famous for reminding us each Sunday morning on early black and white television, that the American pioneers settled the West just over 200 years ago. They left their safe East Coast cities and blazed many new trails. They traveled by covered wagon to new homes and carved new settlements out of the wilderness.
These people were looking for a better way of life for themselves and their children. The pioneers knew it would not be easy, but they moved forward and dealt with the many challenges one at a time. They built thriving communities. They did it by working together and by supporting each other.
When someone was down and out or having trouble they came to their neighbors’ aid as a community. They built schools and churches and educated their children.
As a Cajun I learned from my parents and grandparents of my ancestors who migrated from Nova Scotia to settle in South Louisiana much as the pioneers did out west. The Cajuns struggled with the challenges of being uprooted and being forced to move to a strange new land. They handled many of the same challenges as the pioneers.
What the pioneers and the Cajun people shared was a determination to establish homes and communities that afforded them a better way of life. They wanted to build safe communities with good schools and large and welcoming places of worship. These were good people who worked hard to build their communities and to keep them strong, growing and vibrant.
The people of Central are a lot like the early pioneers and my Cajun ancestors. People in Central really care about each other and their community. Their care shows as they work together to raise funds through Cooking for our Kids. This is a huge community project that earns money not only for our newly formed Central Community Schools but also for the private schools of the City of Central. A portion of the money the Central community raises with Cooking for our Kids will also go to help our neighbors in St. Helena parish with their schools. St Helena High School was devastated by fire recently and our St. Helena neighbors are in need of our help. So Central, The Caring Community, has stepped up to the plate.
My short time at the City of Central Chamber of Commerce has been exciting. I have been able to meet, to watch and to work with the people of this growing, vibrant community. People in the City of Central, just like the pioneers and my Cajun ancestors, face the challenges of building a new city and a new school system. To be successful it must be neighbor helping neighbor. That is the strength of Central. It is a fine community filled with caring people.
And I am enjoying working with you. Our job as staff members of the Chamber of Commerce is to help you and to support you in every way possible as we build Central together.
The mission of The (Central) Chamber shall be to guide, inspire and promote the business and professional interests of the area and to enhance the economic, cultural and recreational opportunities for its citizens.
Our door is always open and we want visitors from the community to drop by anytime. We want to hear of your dreams and desires for Central.
We continue to plan many Central Chamber activities. Here is a brief synopsis:
Membership recruitment continues and surveys and discussions with members about their needs for their businesses and for the community are ongoing daily activities;
Working to bring in worthwhile educational speakers for our Monthly Membership Meetings such as Baton Rouge Airport Director Anthony Marino and Congressman Bill Cassidy;
We continue to network with many of our neighboring economic development teams as we develop improved ways to work together and share our ideas;
We keep a watch on legislative activities (both Federal and State) to make sure they do not create obstacles to Central’s continued growth and to remove existing obstacles;
We are working with vendors on co-opting products and services to get better pricing for our members on things such as insurance, office supplies, etc.;
We are working to improve the communications between the Chamber and our members and the community through a membership directory and a new website;
We recently hosted staff members from the offices of Cong. Bill Cassidy, Sen. David Vitter and Sen. Mary Landrieu.
Thank you Central: for being the pioneers who envisioned this oasis with its fine quality of life and for continuing to work to make it better every day. God bless you and your efforts, and please let us know how we can help you.
