Once again the New River Valley has responded to the call for strategic thinking and action planning. Community First is a strategic and challenging update to our Vision 2020 process. The visions, objectives, projects and programs that form the basis of this strategy are built upon the strengths of the New River Valley: its people, its resources and its core values. Community First is a basis for long-term investment and commitment to an overall mission for the region that is challenging, sustainable, and driven by the local citizens that forged it.

A young third grader shared her excitement and interest in using the internet to learn and communicate with international pen pals back in 1994. Becky Simpkins was a symbol of how new technologies were changing the way we could imagine how to learn and connect. This imagining has become reality. In 2003, Becky has just completed her freshman year at Virginia Tech. She uses computer and internet technology on a daily basis for both learning and personal communication. She is still on the cutting edge of technology and we delight in highlighting her progress and vision in Community First.

Becky and her classmates and friends are central to this vision. The ability of this region to acknowledge contributions and meet new challenges with and through the young people of our communities will clearly benchmark the success of this visioning effort.

Harnessing Change and Building Connections are the subtext of Community First. How the New River Valley visionaries address these key elements will also determine the success of our regional vision. Change is inevitable. This document is a culmination of our community’s best thinking and planning and investing for how we can truly harness change and guide the New River Valley through the 21st century to our best advantage. We are prepared for the future and Community First is a valuable community-developed guide to ensure and build our future strategically and collaboratively.

Partnership is an important element of harnessing change. We are a community with very real and powerful connections. In any gathering within this region you would be hard pressed to find an individual who does not wear more than one organizational hat. We are also a community of individuals: raising families, running businesses, hiking the trails, driving, riding the buses, seeking resources, and sharing stories. Yet, we are more than that. We are connected by the geography, by school districts, by shared experiences, and a love of this community.

The citizens of the New River Valley have identified strengths and challenges facing this region. There are many opportunities for building on our strengths and addressing challenges within this document. Working together as a region and addressing opportunities for group and jurisdictional collaboration are the keys to really putting Community First. This region has done it before and the bar is raised higher to do it again better. This plan is the beginning of the effort. It is a powerful tool for getting things done, but without continued sustained commitment to the ideas within this document, it is a wasted effort. Not one single citizen of this region can ignore this work; just as not one single citizen can make it all work. These projects and programs need multiple champions and investors. Be an engaged and committed citizen of the region. The New River Valley is a wonderful community poised on amazing opportunities for growth and development: join the visionaries in implementing Community First!