I pledge to be Kind, to Support Local, and to do the Next Right Thing for Ventura…

By Visit Ventura

  Never before has Ventura faced a stranger and more challenging time. Not that we haven’t experienced our share of difficult challenges — each time rising to that challenge. But this one is wholly unique. It requires adaptability. It requires grace under pressure. It requires the highest degree of selflessness, kindness and understanding. It requires putting aside biases and prejudices. It requires trying hard to see the world through the eyes of others. It requires remembering things we already know, but we sometimes forget. Venturans already exhibit these traits — and more. That truth is at the heart of what makes this town so special. You know the people here. You know exactly what we are talking about. Now we have to up our game. Perhaps we have to become better than we have ever been before. With that in mind, we came up with the simple Pledge that is the headline of this blog. The Ventura Pledge is not meant to be preachy. It’s not a lecture. It’s just an assemblage of what is good and kind. And, with good and kind in mind, a few other accompanying thoughts just below. How we can help each other — and our very special town — through these times. How we can support local. How we can support each other. How they are one in the same. How we will come through this shining.   I pledge to be Kind, to Support Local, and to do the Next Right Thing for Ventura…   I will become a visitor in my own town, supporting our local businesses — our friends and neighbors — as best as I can. With us, our local businesses survive. I will do my best to treat everyone with kindness and understanding — understanding that I may not know what others are going through. Empathy is contagious. Judgment is one-sided. I will adhere to the latest COVID-19 regulations, realizing that they are what’s best for everyone. Even if I’m a hugger and a hand shaker, I will stay six feet away from others. Because you don’t need touch to be human. I will wear a mask in my favorite local business. I will set aside I for we. Because I care about we. I will accept that we don’t all have the same beliefs regarding COVID-19. But I will remember that we all have the same goals — the safety of everyone, and, eventually, putting this behind us. Always, I will remember. We are in this together. I will think about doing the next right thing. I will see the often-changing landscape as a futile test of my unshakeable adaptability. And — last, but certainly not least — I will not forget the beautiful and the simple. I will turn my face up to Ventura’s bright sun. And moon. Because these things, they are not simple at all. They are reminders that our time here is precious. In any time. For our part, The Visit Ventura team pledges to do all of the above — and everything we can to support our local community and help steer us safely SAFELY (note caps) toward economic recovery. Thank you all for being you. Here, community isn’t a noun – it’s an action. Thank you for making things better for everyone. There’s no place like home. (If you like, please download the Pledge Logo and show your support by completing the form. Thank you!)