On the evening of April 11, I witnessed one of the many reasons that I am proud to serve this community and to call Sharonville home. As rain poured outside, several dozen Sharonvillians converged on our city’s Community Center. Their reason -- to help another Sharonville family thrust into sudden need. Hundreds of people around this community answered the call for help by filling a truck full of goods, providing financial assistance and offering services to provide answers to that family’s continuing needs. It was you -- our residents and businesses -- not asking what government or somebody else can do but what you can do and then doing it.

The following pages are filled with ways the City of Sharonville serves. Yet every day, there are so many needs that are fulfilled by our residents, our businesses and local non-profit groups vital to maintaining our thriving community. Every weekday, Sharonville residents deliver meals and a smile for our city’s home-bound elderly through the Meals on Wheels program. Sharonville businesses, like Loth, Inc., grow a culture of service among their employees and executives. Hundreds of elementary, middle and high school students are educated here in Sharonville about active ways to make other people’s lives better. Church groups daily reach out to the community through simple ways, like providing a meal for a new mother and her family.

These unselfish acts of caring and giving are what make a community. Recognizing this, Sharonville’s elected officials and employees are always receptive to ways the City can assist in these good deeds. We are here to serve. And with summer just around the corner, SharonFest returns to Gower Park. Over the last two years, this festival has earned thousands of dollars for local charities. The City is pleased to provide support for this now annual event brought to you by the SharonFest organizers. I hope to see you there for a little fun and a lot of giving. Because, that is what Sharonville does.