Brooks County Community Economic Summit

Quitman—On Friday, March 3, 2023, the Brooks County Economic Development held the 1st of 2023 Economic Summit at the J.H. Wells Center (Board of Education). The main focus of this summit meeting was Leadership and the beginning of Community Heart and Soul program information. 

As attendees mingled and snacked, more arrived. Folks signed in, spoke to one another, picked a table and began to gather their materials for the meeting. At approximately 9 a.m. Jerome Tucker stook at the podium and announced a Welcome to all those attending. 

Following Tucker’s welcome was the invocation and then the introduction of Community Heart & Soul, Jim Manning and Jenny Robbins. Community Heart & Soul must be adopted by all municipalities within a county to be able to help the program work. The program consists of everyone from local government to the everyday citizens of the community. “Every town has a heart and soul that reflects what residents love about their community and why they choose to live there,” (Community Heart & Soul). 

The process is based on driven residents that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it. Organized in four phases, the step-by-step process is led by a Certified Coach who guides a community through the Heart & Soul process. Brooks County Certified Coach is Jenny Robbins. 

During the summit, Manning and Robbins engaged the attendees in a workshop that illustrated the way this process works. Community volunteers for Community Heart & Soul take the “table” to the community instead of the community coming to the table. The workshop had attendees list various organizations, business, events, schools, gatherings, and groups that put them into a category. Each category was a network of community residents to connect with. 

Groups mentioned in this workshop session were 1st responders, school, medical, businesses, recreation, government, clubs, events, and Other. Within the groups were lists of places to connect with: Government—local elected officials, 1st Responders—Paramedics, Fire Fighters, Law enforcement officers, Schools—Brook County Schools, Head Start, ECHOES, and Businesses—Several businesses were named in every town of Brooks County. 

Then attendees were asked to fill out a Community Readiness Inventory. This inventory gave attendees a sense of what their community had in interest, leadership, community culture, and resources. They could choose to check for each statement whether it was a strength, an opportunity, mixed, or unsure. The reason for this exercise was to help Robbins find where some felt best and worst in. 

After the workshop a short break was given and once resumed, Stephanie Williams, Brooks County Economic Developmental Director spoke to the attendees about the Principals of Leadership. Principals she spoke about were in reference to Vision, Purpose, Values, Collaboration, Adaptability, Practice & Commit, Healthy Habits, Prioritize, and Attitude. 



As Williams finished on leadership she went on to list the clues to a community’s survival and where it ties into leadership, and Community Heart & Soul. That list can be found here. Williams ended with everyone in the community can and should be a leader in the process for these communities. 

If you would like to know more about the process of Community Heart & Soul or sign up to volunteer to help with the program you can contact Stephanie Williams at 229-263-9085.