Contact: Zack Plair

STARKVILLE, Miss.—It makes all the difference when people take the road less traveled.

That concept, borrowed from a well-known quote by renowned poet Robert Frost, fueled the message Mississippi Economic Council President Blake Wilson had for non-profit representatives gathered in the Colvard Student Union’s Foster Ballroom at Mississippi State on Wednesday [Aug. 12].

As keynote speaker for the 2015 President’s Summit on Community Engagement, Wilson aimed to inspire the more than 120 participants to focus on ways to have a greater impact on more people while staying focused on their main mission. That’s not always easy, he said, as the “road less traveled” might require removing some obstacles along the way.

Oftentimes, he said, non-profits have to learn how to properly identify and partner with their resources before they can truly find success. That sometimes means, he added, those groups must look to members of other organizations to broaden their support base – even if traditionally those organizations might have considered each other “competitors.”

“Remember: joiners join, givers give and volunteers volunteer,” he said. “You have to commiserate, facilitate and collaborate. Because when you work together, great things happen. Collaboration is messy, it’s frustrating, but it’s indispensable.”

The community engagement summit was a partnership in itself, with MSU and the Mississippi University for Women joining Jackson-based Volunteer Mississippi’s Engage Mississippi program. Its goal was to connect campus resources, community organizations, businesses, funders, civic groups and volunteers.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, along with Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, welcomed attendees with opening remarks Wednesday morning, and MUW President Jim Borsig introduced Wilson’s luncheon program.

Participants – which included representatives from organizations such as Volunteer Starkville, Habitat for Humanity and United Way – attended breakout sessions throughout the morning aimed at enriching overall community engagement, and Wilson hosted a community panel discussion in the afternoon.

David Mallery, executive director for Volunteer Mississippi and an MSU alumnus, said the program’s first community engagement summit “exceeded expectations” with registration meeting capacity. He added that participants came from all over Mississippi, and some had already approached him about hosting similar events in other Mississippi regions.

“It’s great to come to a community where we know everyone is so supportive of this,” he said.

Wilson came to MEC in 1998 when he said the organization had roughly 1,000 members. Today, he said it has 11,000. That is partly because he said MEC identified and collaborated with its resources, and it promoted diversity – in gender, race and other areas – when it cast its “wide net” for support and leadership, Wilson said.

In addition to those steps, he advised participants to be committed to their organization’s mission wholeheartedly and see it through. He urged organization leaders not just to strive to exist, but to “make a meaningful difference.”

“You commit to something that is real and meaningful that you can sell and inspire others to follow,” he said.

MSU is Mississippi’s flagship research university, available online at www.msstate.edu.