It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round and therefore the same should hold true for our communities.
We need those who would be watchdogs for our elected officials as much as we need those who understand the importance of volunteering.
We as a community benefit from the selfish sacrifice men and women have made to our volunteer emergency services for decades. We also need those who have given of their time and talents to sit on committees, boards and community organizations.
Everyone has a role in our community and being in a community means accepting in some way, big or small, a role.
There are always going to be those people who have reached professional status when it comes to volunteering, they are our true heroes.
They help build libraries, sports facilities and ensure the weakest among us have an opportunity to rise above our disadvantages to achieve success on our lives.
They are the ones who are always behind the scenes making sure our chambers of commerce keep running, our service clubs have enough people to keep operating and they are the unsung champions of all that is great about living in rural Alberta.
Over the last five years a number of our communities  have seen a jump in their population.
With this growth comes a whole new set of challenges and rewards.
While growth is a good thing for our small communities, it also brings the challenges we have meeting the needs of our communities with the funding available through local taxes, provincial and federal grants and other means of financial support.
Providing services to a community from libraries to swimming pools all come with a price tag.
Municipalities are always in a juggling act between trying not to raise taxes too high while also trying to provide the amenities residents are looking for.
This balance act requires public input. Elected officials need to hear from ratepayers as to what they value most in their community, especially now duirng election time.
Here is where community involvement becomes key. Those who serve their community should have a say in what their community looks like.
Municipalities need to work with their community groups to develop a vision for the future of the community. It only makes sense to go to those people who already care enough about their community to want to make it better.