A Community Effort
Visit Beloit, the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Association, the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation, Friends of Riverfront, the Beloit School District, the City of Beloit’s own administration, the various service clubs like Rotary, Lions, Boys & Girls Club and more. The Farmer’s Market, The Beloit International Film Festival, Plein Air, Gospel Fest, The Castle, our many great restaurants and on and on and on…
It is a long list of organization, businesses and individuals, all of whom among other things are working very hard individually and together in collaboration to show people and demonstrate to them that in fact Beloit, our home is a special and nice place to be. Good people live here. Good things happen here. This in spite of the nay-sayers both within and outside our community.
Sergeant Ryan Flanagan who moderates the most excellent Beloit PD Facebook page was kind enough to share a message they’d received from a visiting Janesville parent who had been attending the Beloit Memorial home football game against Craig last week.
A Visiting Parent Letter
“I really want to make this known to those I know in Janesville and Beloit, so please if you can read this. Yesterday I went to the Beloit Memorial vs Craig game in Beloit. I always go to the games in Janesville but this was the first time going to a game in Beloit.
In comparison between the experiences at the Janesville games and this one in Beloit hands down Beloit was the best experience. I sat on the Beloit side of the field, every kid that I seen was so respectful of others and their parents.
At the concession stand an older gentlemen walking with a cane the students seeing that he could not stand or walk well and said “sir, you can go ahead of us”. In the stands the adults were open to talking with anyone and not one person did I hear say anything about the referees, unlike I have witnessed at every other game.
There was so many other things that I recognized of politeness and respect for others and community that I could go on for hours, but I will just leave you with one more. I had left the windows down on my car with the GPS in suctioned cupped to the windshield. When I got back to the car the GPS was not there and a note was on the driver’s seat “I put your GPS in your glovebox” the note read. That just topped the night off for me, what a great community you have Beloit. Great people.”
– Mark Sellers
Thank you Mr. Sellers. It means a lot to us.
It brings to mind a similar visiting parent experience at just about this same time last year. That time it was a parent from Sun Prairie who was attending a BMHS home football game. They too were so impressed by the character of our student body they felt compelled to comment also.
Beloit Proud! Visitors Taking Notice
Our Greatest Ambassadors
In fact, it could be said our greatest and most influential ambassadors for our community are our students. Think about it. Beloit Memorial High School every year hosts tens of thousands of out-of-town visitors to our community. Easily many more times that of all the above organizations combined. For many out-of-towners attending a sporting or other event, this is their only first-hand experience of our community. Their impression of who we are as a community is shaped largly by their experience at our school events and the behavior of our students… and we parents too, wink. 
This is the impression they take home to their friends, family and coworkers.
This is likewise true when our students visit other communities as teams, performers and organizations. Our students are a potent reflection of our community.
Many of us, and hopefully you as well, we’re all busy correcting misconceptions in the minds of others about who we are as a community. And to a great extent it is our students, our children who are leading the way and making a difference for the benefit of all of us.
And we’re proud of that too.
Character counts.
And our students have character.
#BeloitProud
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