By Stacy Davis, Sumner County Economic Development Executive Director — Some of the most important infrastructure in a rural community will never appear on an engineer’s map. As we continue looking beyond roads, bridges, waterlines and broadband, it is time to talk about the infrastructure built not from concrete or steel, but from people, the civic organizations and volunteer networks that quietly hold our communities together.

Fifty years ago, belonging to a local organization was simply part of community life. People joined the Lions Club, Jaycees, Kiwanis, the Grange, women’s clubs, veterans’ auxiliaries, church groups and local lodges. They met regularly, raised money and took responsibility for getting things done.

Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops were also a familiar part of rural life. Young people learned leadership, responsibility and service by helping with community projects, caring for public spaces and working toward a common goal. Just as importantly, they learned at an early age that they had a place, and a responsibility, in their community.

Those organizations have changed as well. Boy Scout membership peaked at nearly 5 million in 1972. Today, the organization, now known as Scouting America, serves just over 1 million young people. Girl Scout participation has also declined over the years, and many rural communities have lost troops or struggle to find enough adult leaders to continue them.

That loss is bigger than fewer meetings, uniforms or badges. When children participate in service organizations, they experience the pride that comes from completing a project and seeing how their work benefits someone else. That early sense of accomplishment can grow into community pride, lifelong volunteerism and a willingness to invest in the place they call home.

Research on civic participation shows just how much has changed. Studies beginning in the 1960s and 1970s found that time spent with clubs and community organizations fell by roughly half over the following decades, while group membership declined by about one-fourth after 1974.

Today, the Census Bureau reports that only 28.3% of Americans formally volunteer through an organization. The encouraging news is that 54.2% still help their neighbors informally, running errands, sharing tools, delivering meals or checking on someone who lives alone.

That tells me the willingness to help has not disappeared. The network connecting those willing hands has simply grown weaker.

Across rural America, many Jaycee chapters, Granges, women’s clubs, lodges and other service organizations have closed or combined because there were no longer enough active members to carry the load. Some clubs still exist on paper, but the same handful of people are doing nearly all the work.

Sound familiar?

In rural communities, these organizations are not just social clubs. They organize festivals, support food pantries, maintain cemeteries, coach youth teams, raise money for families in crisis and assist during storms and emergencies. They provide volunteers for fire departments, community events, boards and committees. They also develop the next generation of community leaders.

Membership brings a sense of pride. People become proud of their organization, proud of the projects they complete and proud to serve alongside their neighbors. That pride does not stay within the walls of a meeting room. It becomes community pride,

and community pride encourages people to invest their time, talents and resources locally.

From an economic development standpoint, these networks matter. A new building may give us a place to gather, but volunteers fill it with activity. A grant may purchase equipment, but local people operate the program. A community may have a great plan, but someone still must show up and carry it forward.

We have spent years talking about physical infrastructure, and rightly so. But the next phase must also include rebuilding our people infrastructure, and that work needs to begin with our young people.

That may mean making volunteer opportunities shorter and more flexible, personally inviting new residents to participate or helping restart a Scout troop or youth service group. It may mean several organizations sharing volunteers, projects and resources. Most importantly, it means making room for new people and new ideas.

Rural communities have always survived because neighbors were willing to help neighbors. Let’s strengthen the organizations that turn that willingness into action, nurture pride at an early age, and give people a reason to invest in the future.

Roads connect our towns. Broadband connects our homes. Civic organizations connect our people, and when people feel connected, community pride grows, investment follows, and rural communities become stronger.

Until next Tuesday, I’ll see you on the front porch.