Well, here we go again—smoke on the horizon, evacuees at the event center, the entire community stepping up with food, goods, and services to help our neighbors in need. The Red Cross is here helping out, Crossroads is handing out everything it can, as fast as it can. Village Thrift Shop has open doors to evacuees.
The American Legion, and so many businesses and restaurants across our little town have opened their hears and doors to first responders and to evacuees for meals, and for many other necessities. And so much more—there is just so much going on, to help so many, that it is impossible to name them all. And in a way, that’s going to be my point.
Our local businesses were already struggling this year—chronic construction and parking issues across town have made it difficult and inconvenient for their clients to get in the door and spend money, so sales were already down across the board.
Now, with fires at both main routes to Estes Park before August even got here, many are now saying that the summer sales they were counting on to make ends meet simply cannot be realized.
They’re in real trouble.
So, what do they do now? The same thing we locals have always done for each other—they open their hearts and doors to first responders, feed evacuees for free, they donate what they can to help their neighbors out.
We all come together, and we all make it work together.
So, that is my plea right now. We all have many choices when it comes to where to shop, eat, drink, bank, and enjoy ourselves—now would be a great time to make sure we all do those things locally whenever possible.
If you are going to eat or drink out, please pick a local restaurant or bar—and treat yourself, knowing that they have likely already treated first responders and evacuees. The person serving you, cooking your meal, or washing your dishes, might very well be sleeping at the event center.
Shopping for yourselves, family or friends? Why not check out the local shops first, rather than going online or down the hill this time—trust me, they could use the support! They likely already donated to Crossroads, or gave in any number of other ways to help in the current crisis.
And selfishly, as the only local bank in town, we would obviously appreciate your consideration as well—we support this community in an unrivaled manner, and deeply appreciate those who make that possible by keeping their banking and borrowing relationships with us, which makes it possible for us to make the difference that we do in this town during each crisis, but also year in and year out.
And please give locally—there are so many organization to choose from, doing so many great things, some tied to this crisis, and some that need ongoing support despite this crisis. But, if you’re willing, please focus on donating “locally” for a while. At Bank of Estes Park, that’s all we do—our donations don’t go anywhere else!
By the time you read this, the fires may have grown, or rains may have fallen; there may be more fires, or there may be fewer. But whatever the case may be, we all need each other more than usual this year—we all need to think and support “local” as much as we can.
When we all come together, especially in times like these, the word “local” means something much deeper than just geography—it’s family, community, commitment, and support for each other when we need it most.
Let’s rally around each other once again, some in sadness, some in fear, some in hope, some in loss, some in abundance, but all in “local” love and support. There is no place like our home, and no people like our neighbors in Estes Park.