Despite having gone to college down the road at Shippensburg University, I never set foot in Carlisle until I met met my future husband. Joe George, in 1989 (he was a Dickinson College student). But Carlisle quickly became part of my story as he proposed to me as we walked down Hanover Street and we called our parents to announce our engagement from The Gingerbread Man phone booth!

I relocated when we got married in 1991, as he had opened a clothing store, “Classic Rags”  on West High Street. Being “attached” to Classic Rags also gave me an instant connection to Carlisle. Owning a downtown business gives you a perspective on our community and its residents that you can’t imagine.  Though Classic Rags was destroyed in a fire in 1999, many people have fond memories of it and the “community” of young people who shopped there.  To this day, the teenagers who worked there are still like family to us and the people who patronized the store or came to the shows the store hosted, are still friends. Classic Rags has become legendary in many circles and I’m proud to have played a small part there.

We have always lived “in town” from a small row home on South Pitt street to our current Painted Lady Victorian on West North Street.  We have always felt strongly about staying in town as it offers so much of the the things we enjoy- restaurants, art, parks, community events, the library, Dickinson College…all within walking distance.  Our children, Trent and Sydney have attended Carlisle schools that are right in their neighborhood, never having to taking a bus.

My first job in Carlisle was at the United Way of the Greater Carlisle Area.  It was the perfect position for a newcomer as I was able to learn about the local community from both a corporate as well as a human service perspective. I feel like I know and understand Carlisle better than my own hometown of Easton, PA.

My career has been centered in the human service community with both the United Way and most recently with Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Though my degrees are in Government and Public Administration, my heart lies in the helping people, and to me the ones who do it best are local organizations serving them in the communities in which they live.

As the Director of the local office of Big Brothers Big Sisters, much of my time is spent making connections.  Recruiting volunteers, educating families on our mentoring programs as well as finding the resources to maintain and grow our programming. I also feel I am an advocate not just for Big Brothers Big Sisters and mentoring but for our extensive network of human services.  I serve on several non-profit Boards of Directors and am an active member of the Carlisle Kiwanis Club. I feel it is our duty to play an active role in our community in order to make it a better place. Not that Carlisle is a bad place; every community needs to be constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of its residents. If you don’t help however you can, than you are not fulfilling your duty as a citizen.

In addition to my work in human services, about five years ago Joe and I were approached by The Sentinel to write a biweekly column about fine arts in the Carlisle area.  It was through the close community connections that we have made that brought that invitation to us. Our little “side job” as art columnists has introduced us to a wealth of friends and opportunities of which we had never dreamed! For a couple married over 25 years, you get stuck in a rut sometimes and our “job” of writing the column has forced us to spend more time together to seek out exhibitions, talk about them, and then write 1,000 words for publication.  Art has been something that we had always enjoyed as a pastime and the opportunity to share that passion with the community has reinvigorated it for us. I now feel that I am to be an advocate for the arts; and to share my belief that art is for everyone, and it is everywhere, not just in a stuffy museum in a faraway big city!

The thing I love most about Carlisle are all of the opportunities and the hidden gems. My family and I are busy people, and that’s mostly because we want to take advantage of all the region has to offer! A sporting event, an exhibition opening, a festival, a hike, a play; our tastes are pretty eclectic from taking in a Dickinson lacrosse game to an art opening at CALC, an arthouse film at the Carlisle theatre or the Shakespeare Troupe performance at Carlisle High School.  There’s no time to be sitting at home bored! And how do you find out? Read the newspaper, look up local websites, or simply ask someone. People ask us all the time, “what’s going on this weekend?” and we’re more than happy to give you some ideas! My Facebook page looks like a travelogue sometimes. And don’t discount crossing the river…there plenty to take advantage of on the other shore!

The other thing I love most about Carlisle is how it is constantly moving forward. We have a community that doesn’t stand still; they solve problems (or are at least willing to try), open businesses, hold new events, pass new ordinances and welcome newcomers from from literally around the world! The Carlisle that I moved to in 1991 is not the Carlisle I live in today because we have a community open to change and I look forward to being a part of what comes next!.

Just like in any community, there are doubters and negativity, it’s important to not let those kinds of attitudes get you down. I try to surround myself with people who want to be invested in doing more, being better, and helping others.  It can be frustrating when people don’t play their part…they need to get out of their comfort zone, look around to discover how to help others and affect our community.

Volunteering can be one of the easiest ways to get to make a difference.  There are so many nonprofits who need help; find your passion and get tout there to do something!  Be a Big Brother or a Big Sister and become a positive role model in the life of a child! Serve food at the local soup kitchen to feed the hungry. Attend special events to support the hard work of organizing committees, or better yet, step up yourself and help make things happen.  I hear too many times that people don’t know how or where to volunteer…just ask! Chances are when you reach out to one organization, they can point you in the right direction. Our community has so many great organizations that work together, and if I don’t know the answer to your problem or question, chances are I can help find you someone who does.  This is a community rich with resources, don’t lament that there’s no way to help, or get help; complaining doesn’t make a difference, action does!

To me Carlisle has always been a community with great assets and resources, and I feel like I continually find more and more.  My hope for Carlisle’s future is that the positive momentum continues. One person can truly make a difference in the life of another.  No problem is too big to tackle. This is not a community that shies away from a challenge, and I hope that attitude never fades.

I hope more people learn to appreciate what we have in our community, and if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for, take action to make it happen!  Chances are you’re not alone and other will join your efforts.

It’s important that we foster this sense of hope and community pride in our children.  With so much negativity in the world, it is our duty to show young people that they can make a difference, succeed in the things they feel are important and that they feel supported.

Part of the mission statement of Big Brothers Big Sisters says that we “…change lives for the better, forever.”  We have to all believe that that can happen, but it up to us to take responsibility for it. – Barrie Ann George, Cumberland and Perry County Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters and Resident of Carlisle