Community: A Collection Of Human Beings

Community. The term is used as a catch-all phrase for anything to do with a collection of human beings, from the tangible to the far out and abstract. Unfortunately this means that most “communities” are not real communities. For example, the word 'community' is white hot in the advertising/marketing/sales/startup/event space. It alludes to more than just a transactional customer-company relationship that is fueled by personal touches and gift baskets. But most that I come across, in my opinion, are not actual communities. We hear the word being used, when in reality it means a series of monthly events, Facebook pages, brand loyalty membership clubs, yearly conferences, social media followers, Twitter, and the list goes on.

It seems the traditional definition of community is mostly based on shared location: a group of people living in the same place. That’s what community used to mean, historically. But for many of us, our village or neighborhood is no longer the key defining anecdote of identity or fellowship. We have shifted from traditionally being born into a community to now choosing our own communities and expressing our identities through them.

The stories following this Cody community conversation are from Craig Valdez and Susan Durfee. Thank you for tuning in!

Craig Valdez works as a Senior VP, Business Development & Retail Banking at Hilltop Bank, board member at Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions, and is currently based in Casper, WY. He is also the Foundation President on the board of directors for the Casper College Foundation & Alumni Association.

Susan Durfee moved to Wyoming from San Francisco, like so many others, to be surrounded by the beauty of Western Wyoming and start a life more involved in the arts. Over three decades she has run several non-profit arts organizations in Jackson Hole, taught art classes and is currently the Director of Central Wyoming College Jackson; all while continuing to create her own artwork. It is a merging of several areas, or states if you will, that are absolutely important to her: the arts, education, and community.

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