The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:

Thank you to everyone who came to the Community Summit on Monday night.  Our keynote speaker, Joe Ehrmann, a national speaker and former NFL player, said it was magnificent to see so many people gathered together.  He has seen many communities throughout the nation, so I think his praise is quite a compliment.

What makes a national speaker notice a difference in Sumner almost immediately?  I think Mr. Ehrmann himself answered that.  He said that an authentic community (and who wants any other kind?) is a place that welcomes all with dignity and respect.  He went on to say that for each of us individually, the most important thing in life is our relationships with others.  We all want to feel like we belong somewhere.  This is where he hit the nail on the head for Sumner.  This is somewhere where people almost immediately feel they belong.

Leroy Goff once noticed that even complete strangers visiting Sumner will greet each other when they pass on Main Street.  They probably wouldn’t do that in Tacoma or Seattle, but something about Sumner makes even visitors look at another person and say hello. In another instance, a man was visiting family in Sumner a few years ago.  Due to scheduling, he stopped by Sabrina’s to eat breakfast by himself.  A group of “regulars” came in, and instead of sitting elsewhere, sat around the visitor and had an entire conversation with him about fishing.

Mr. Ehrmann said the second most important thing to all individuals is feeling like you’ve left a legacy and haven’t just taken up space.  He emphasized that a “legacy” is not established at the end of your life but every day when you go out the door.  I hope you realize that together, you are creating this legacy of an inviting and welcoming community.  That’s no small thing, especially these days.  When it seems like the world is seeking division, Sumner keeps inviting diverse groups to gather together. No one is too young, too old or too new to Sumner to build community.  We have another example coming up this weekend, and if you don’t know the history or details behind the tradition of the Sunrise Service, take a look at today’s Herald article about it.

All of this builds quite a legacy indeed, and I sure thank you for it!