In Fountain Hills, there’s regular conversation of supporting our locally home-owned businesses.

When community groups need support for soccer teams, band trips and cookie sales it’s often the locally owned business firms who step up first.

With that thought I observed an interesting “need for sensitizing our youth” Saturday. Driving north on Avenue of the Fountains, past the Starbucks Coffee shop, I paused my car before turning into the driveway between Starbucks and the local bagel shop.

There was an elementary school aged girl, with two giant sized frothy Starbucks coffee drinks crossing the driveway to the bagel shop area. Then I realized she was part of a youth group cookie sale, which had been granted the privilege of setting up their sales area near the bagel shop door. Prime retail space, on a busy Saturday morning, at no cost to the youth group.

However, when they wanted refreshments, they went to a neighboring competitor then sipped the drinks while asking visitors of the Bagel Shop to buy their cookies.

Let’s not blame the youth — their experiences are few, yet. But as adults we need to continue to build a culture of “community.” One where we respect the serious investments of time, talent and sweat by our local businesspeople.

We’re all given the choice of where we want to shop. And we’re all given the opportunity to remind our families, fellow club members and friends of the need for support of our community activities, when funds are needed.

Dean Sorensen
FOUNTAIN HILLS