Letter To The Editor: Most Importantly, we GROW our three beautiful children here

Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Oskaloosa News.

My name is Holly Brink. My husband and I grew up around Mahaska County and after college we moved back to live on our family farm north of Oskaloosa.

We love our community and that’s why we chose to GROW here. Yes, we GROW our corn, beans, and cattle here in Mahaska County, but most importantly, we GROW our three beautiful children here. It is a community we love, close to our family, and gives our children the same amazing, rural, adventurous childhood we both had.

But looking at the future of Mahaska County, we need to GROW our community to make Mahaska County a place others want to plant roots and GROW. The recreation center/early learning center is a way to do this. This project is an investment in our future, and our children’s future. We must look unselfishly at the big picture of how this impacts not just our lives but our entire community. My children will never use the early learning center but I see its value as vital to the future of a town. My children won’t use the pool at the recreation center as they are not on swim team, but I’m happy so many Mahaska County Dolphins will.~We can’t just say, “What’s in it for me?”~ We must look at the big picture. We need to focus efforts on shopping local, putting more money into our local economy to improve and fund our projects instead of someone else’s. We need to work together, support each other. We must become ONE TO GROW MAHASKA COUNTY.

If our children choose not to grow and plant roots here when they are older, it will not be their fault; it will be our fault for not enriching the soil of Mahaska County for them to GROW here.

Holly Brink