The Power of Celebrating Community

April 2018 // By Natalie Gettis

photo by Kinna Shaffer
A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity of leading and hosting the Oakmoss Collective Small Business Owners Dinner. It was a beautiful day filled with connection, community, and fun! We had a hand poured coffee bar, free headshots from Jordan Harper and Ballantyne Media, and a guest speaker as well as goodie bags and BRUNCH. Yum!
Today I wanted to share a few thoughts on the power of celebrating community. Its something that over the last few years I've really grown to appreciate and not only that, but see the true importance of. Having a community that surrounds you, supports you, and challenges you is so important!

For a long while I was okay with just being friends with the people nearby whom I "clicked" with. Then, Mark and I got married and moved about an hour to two away from most of our friends. That first year of marriage was so lonely for us because we hardly knew anyone in our area! We quickly realized how important it is to not only plug yourself in to your community, but create community wherever you are because we all need it. We are all craving something deeper than small talk and polite nods. 

Oakmoss Collective is a community that thrives on the creative experience and every year we host a dinner for small business owners and another dinner for creatives. They both are a ton of fun and great opportunities to meet other people in the area and make business and personal connections!

There is such a power to celebrating community. You kill off loneliness, you maximize your support system, you enlarge your creative database and connections... so many wonderful things! I truly believe that we were not created to live this life alone. We were meant to build one another up, challenge each other and keep one another accountable, and to work together. 


What I loved about the event was just how relaxed everyone was and how comfortable I felt in the presence of complete strangers! I am so glad that I am slowly but surely overcoming my fear of public speaking and social engagements with large groups of people. There really is power in numbers and being surrounded with people who appreciate small business, community, creative elements was simply perfection.

One of my favorite creative elements at the dinner was our photo back drop. We created it from balloons, balloon clips, nylon thread, and these beautiful florals from Commercial Silk. We created a garland and loosely hung it from the wall and used it for the photo backdrop and I honestly can't stop thinking about it. Probably one of my favorite creative elements we've done for an Oakmoss event to date! 

Commercial Silk was a lifesaver when it came to the silk florals and they have a great selection of other artificial plants for home and event decor, too. You can follow them on facebook, pinterest, and twitter, too.

Another element that I loved at the dinner were the goodie bags. We had them filled with business cards, pamphlets for local small businesses, bottled water from Humankind Water, and coffee from Oakwood Coffee. Such a great way to get in touch and learn more about local businesses in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Reading.

Be sure to head over to the Oakmoss Collective journal in a few days for some photos and a little recap of the event. I can't wait to share!

Comments

  1. I 100% agree! Community is SO important!

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    Replies
    1. It really is! Sometimes we forget until we really need it too.

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  2. Wow! Community is so important and I love that you are getting to know SMB owners. It really is amazing how powerful and SMART owners of SMBs are, it is truly amazing to see people grow their business from nothing to something huge!

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    1. Yes, I couldn't agree more! I love supporting and cheering on small businesses. :)

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  3. I am a big fan of community over competition!! :)

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