A safe community, free from crime, substance abuse and domestic violence, where youth receive the best possible education and can grow up, get well paying jobs and raise families of their own – that is the vision for the future of Richland County shared by the Richland County Health Department and the City/County Planning Board in the Community Strategic Plan and the Growth Policy. If that is part of your vision for the future of our county, then plan to attend the second annual “State of the Community” County-Wide Conference, which will be held Jan. 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Parish Center.

People from all over Richland County will come together to evaluate what has been done since last March’s county-wide conference and come up with new action steps to help the community achieve this vision for a bright future. During the Youth Opportunities & Development Session, community members will learn what is being done to decrease the high school drop-out rate and support our youth so they have the best possible education.

An action group to focus specifically on the high school drop-out rate is currently under development, and the discussion and ideas from the conference will guide them as they spend the next year taking actions that will ensure every student in Richland County can earn their high school diploma. At the session on public safety, community members will learn about what is already being done to make our community a safer place and what areas still need to be improved. Then participants will have a chance to provide feedback and guidance to the Public Safety Action Group so they can spend the next year helping the community and service providers work together to decrease rates of crime, drug use and domestic violence. In particular, the discussion will help the action group to formulate ways to improve communication and increase understanding between the public and law enforcement.

The future of Richland County belongs to its residents, and at the “State of the Community” County-Wide Conference everyone will have a chance to make their voice a part of the community’s plans and actions.

For more information or to register for the conference contact Marcy Hamburg at the Richland County Planner Office at 433-6886 or send her an e-mail to: mhamburg@richland.org . Online registration is also available on the Planning Web site at http://www.richland.org/planning and http://www.richland.org/planning.

Everyone in the community is also welcome to join the action groups, which are working on monitoring water quality, increasing life-long learning opportunities, improving public safety, providing physical activity options and decreasing the high school drop-out rate. To attend a meeting or learn more about an action group, please contact Becky Hayes, AmeriCorps*VISTA, at the Richland County Health Dept.