Help Emerge Lakeland Pack the Bar July 21

This just in from the Emerge Lakeland Marketing Committee:

Emerge Lakeland will host its annual “Pack the Bar” event July 21 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. This year’s event will be held at Molly McHugh’s, 111 S. Kentucky Ave.

Pack the Bar is the ultimate networking event, said Emerge Chair Punam Saxena. 

“I think for young professionals, it’s easy to get caught up in doing the job they are paid to do,” Saxena said. “Networking events such as this provide a whole host of opportunities to build relationships on a professional and personal level.”

A common complaint among young professionals who move to a new area because of a job is that they don’t feel connected to the community, she said. Emerge Lakeland exists to help young professionals participate in professional development opportunities and build meaningful relationships in the community as a way of becoming more connected to the city in which they live.

Cost for this event is $15 for Emerge members, $20 for non-members and includes food and two drink tickets.  

RSVP by July 17 at the Emerge Lakeland Web site: www.emergelakeland.com. For more information, e-mail info@emergelakeland.com or call (863) 688-8551, ext.228.

On a personal note, I’ve been an Emerge Lakeland member for a couple of years now. What is Emerge Lakeland, you ask? It’s a networking organization geared toward professionals who are between ages 21 and 42. Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Central Florida formed the organization in an effort “to provide social interaction among young professionals, opportunities for philanthropic and volunteer engagement and career enrichment,” according to the Emerge Lakeland Web site.

I’ve been a Lakeland resident since 1999. I moved here as a 20-something single woman to work as a staff writer at The Ledger. I knew no one. I didn’t know how to get anywhere. And for the first several months I lived here, I swore I would not live here forever.

But today, I couldn’t imagine leaving Lakeland. Part of the reason is that I have done exactly what the founders of Emerge Lakeland had hoped people my age would do: I’ve become so involved in the community through friendships, civic organizations and volunteer work, that I feel entrenched and I simply don’t have any desire to move away.

Twice recently, I’ve had conversations with people around my age who have considered moving out of Lakeland/Polk County. It always saddens me to hear that, so naturally, I ask why. Both times, the people told me that they didn’t feel like there was anything here for them. They didn’t feel part of the community.

So I began asking questions: Are you in any civic organizations? Do you ever spend any time downtown on the weekends? Do you read The Ledger’s Timeout section and find local things to do?

Both times, I got a sort of sheepish look from these people, because they got my point without me having to say it: you have to get involved in the community that you want to be a part of. People aren’t standing around our front porches, waiting to welcome us with open arms. We have to get out there and claim our city. We have to make it OURS.

It saddens me how many people have never heard of First Friday. What a great event to attend each month. My husband and I head downtown on First Friday and grab a bite to eat and always run into neighbors or friends. And those friends have friends that we get to meet. And before we know it, we know a LOT of people.

Emerge Lakeland is like that. What better way to meet fellow professionals your age who may share common career goals, hobbies and interests, than an organization geared toward these professionals?

What amazes me is how, once I began to meet people in Emerge, I began to see them everywhere. Downtown during lunch hour. At my Kiwanis meeting. In the line at the bank.

This is how we become part of the community. We form relationships. We make friends. We create social circles. If you’re a young professional who is new to Lakeland, or if you’ve lived here a while and still don’t feel like you’re “a part” of this city, come to the Emerge event on July 21. And don’t worry about not knowing anyone there. We’re a friendly bunch. You won’t feel out of place. Promise.