Several years ago the book It Takes A Village To Raise A Child sparked a lazy wisdom cottage industry that found expression on talk shows and in newspaper columns. It takes a village to bring world peace, wipe out meth, etc.

Yet in Kimball’s particular case, there’s some truth to the spin-off solutions. It may indeed require the effort of townspeople to save the community.

Obviously residents must leave Kimball to purchase some—perhaps many—items. But it behooves us to support local businesses, keeping consumer dollars in local circulation as much as possible. Property owners improve the town’s appearance if they tame lawns (and, in more than a few cases, brush) and keep homes in repair. When the Kimball Community Theatre, Kimball Concert Association or even the Farmers Day committee put on an event, a decent showing in the seats or on the streets generates civic spirit.

These are matters of habit, things easy to accomplish.

There are also local organizations dedicated to sustaining and growing the town. The Kimball Area Foundation seeks donations which they use to support new and existing businesses, as well as other projects designed to improve quality of life. Keep Kimball Beautiful has an obvious, and equally admirable, purpose—dedicating itself to the community’s appearance in order to build local pride. This, in turn, may generate a more positive business and civic climate. Then there are branches of national organizations, such as Lions Club and Rotary, who gather, discuss and support causes of value.

In many cases, these groups are run by volunteers. And yes, it requires a bit of time and effort to tack Kimball Area Foundation or another campaign on to a busy day.

But if the residents of this town pitch in and put in the extra effort, Kimball cannot fail.

We need new business and a flow of cash and resources from the outside, true. But in many important respects, it takes Kimball to keep Kimball moving forward.