PARADES display entities and people marching forward as community.  Flowing WAVES highlight the progressive growth stages of people who call this place home.  The variety of pieces in MOSAICS  encourage observers to celebrate our diversity.  SNOWBALLS illustrate our potential for impact if we target and move together.

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The 2017 Downtown Elmira Holiday Parade was a micro-display of the various components that we call our community.  It included police cars and fire trucks from public entities.  The parade also included exempt service and ministry organizations.  Many parade elements were sponsored by taxable business entities whose financial resources are needed for the parade to proceed.

We greatly appreciate the commitments and positive contributions of many entities that call our community home.  They include organizations with local, regional, national, and global agendas. Community Bank, NA, the current primary parade sponsor, is one of our appreciated community participants.

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The most important components of our community are the waves of people who call this place home.

All the entities noted above are constructs created and maintained by people during various phases of their career waves.

Our community heritage includes many individuals who have progressed through multiple life phases.  Many emerge from and dissolve into a base that includes Greats who inspire future generations.  The progression of each wave includes: Sprouts who grow, Climbers who do, Highlanders who lead, and Encores who encourage. ​Phases begin with study of ​the science of their trades​​. Seasons follow during which champions apply the science as art to their ​chosen professions. 

The wave analogy also relates to the typical stages through which individuals progress as they grow to love a product or belief. Understanding the current phase of a potential candidate helps us fine tune our development efforts.

In most cases, the first phase is the prospect being told that they will love the product. Second phase is that they will gain interest because they want to receive the benefits of the resource. Next is early and developmental use of the product. If it is working for them, they progress to the fourth phase which is a love for the item with no other requirements.

Phase five relates to the users desire to promote the product to others. Champions who reach the “Pay it forward” stage of loving our place are great resources to help build additional waves.

Individuals move forward through stages of life, career, and love waves on their own timelines.  Some transitions are marked by definitive milestones and others are gradual extended blending periods from one stage to the next.

The length, height, texture, and boldness of each individual wave are unique.  The combination of prior, current, and future waves builds the tide of our community.  Rising tides lift all boats.

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The mosaic art form combines many different shapes, textures, and colors into beautiful presentations.  Defining, displaying, and celebrating the diversity and uniqueness of our community helps inspire future growth and development.

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Snow drifting through the air creates wonderful scenes during our winter seasons.  God does not use a cookie cutter to make snowflakes.  No two snowflakes are the same.

In addition to illustrating diversity, snow describes opportunity.  There are many challenges facing our community as we deal with change.  There are many targets that need to be hit.  We can let individual snowflakes drift into place.  A better solution in many situations is to collect and group flakes together.

Many flakes held together make snowballs which can be directed towards targets.

Collective group initiatives hitting goals creates progress.

Additionally, what starts as a small snowball rolling forward on snow by gravity or other forces creates momentum, growth and progress.

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Our hope is that the data submitted by you and others through [Survey] will encourage Champions and Friends to move our community forward.

Please join the parade, flow as a wave, celebrate the diversity of our mosaic, and come together as part of snowballs needed to impact future targets.

Thank you for the unique value you add to our community.