Working together, Rosemount can do more for military families

Talk about it

There are some great things going on these days to support Rosemount's military men and women, both past and present, and the the loved ones they leave behind when they are deployed overseas. Rosemount's hockey teams at all levels have dedicated their seasons this winter to the the soldiers in the Rosemount-based 34th Red Bull Division, which is currently serving in Iraq. Next weekend alone there are two separate opportunities for Rosemount military families to visit with Santa Claus at the Rosemount Community Center.

That's all great — military families can be thrown into disarray when a mother or father is called to serve, and support of any kind is appreciated — but it is perhaps also a sign there is a need for greater organization. While both of next weekend's events — a breakfast with Santa on Dec. 19 and a lunch session on Dec. 20 — sound wonderful, two such events in one weekend, much less one Christmas season might be overkill. It's not a case of competing events, it's a matter of two good events coming together without either knowing the other exists. Joan Rusco, who organized Sunday's event, did not know until an interview for the story that appears in this week's Town Pages that the Saturday event was taking place in the same building one day earlier.

There's certainly nothing wrong with giving people options, but a little more variety in the types of events offered might be nice.

There has been talk in Rosemount of a larger effort to serve local military personnel and their families, but at the moment nobody seems to have much view of the big picture. The city has met with some of the organizers behind an effort that made Farmington Minnesota's first officially designated Yellow Ribbon community in recognition of its efforts to help military families, but similar organizational efforts seem to have trouble taking root in Rosemount.

It's not for lack of individuals motivated to make a difference. That much is clear. People are doing good things all on their own. We just think they could do even more if they did it together.

Tags: opinion, editorial