Why Community Engagement Matters... Now More Than Ever

In a time of growing disconnection, community remains our most valuable shared resource.

A striking Wall Street Journal/NORC poll from 2023 reveals something that should rattle us and stir us toward renewed action. Over the last 25 years, Americans have sharply downgraded how important they consider values once widely shared and celebrated.

Patriotism has dipped from 70% saying it’s “very important” in 1998 to just 38% today.

Religion, once central in many lives, fell from 62% to 39%.

And possibly the most telling for all of us living in small mountainside towns and neighborhoods, the share of people saying community involvement is "very important" plummeted from 47% in 1998 to just 27% in 2023.

At the same time, the only priority that grew in perceived importance over those decades? Money.

In 1998, 31% of Americans said money was very important. Today that number has climbed to 43%.

This isn’t just a cultural trend, it’s a warning.

What These Numbers Might Reflect

Even the pollsters behind the study acknowledged that deep political divisions, economic uncertainty, and the aftermath of COVID have reshaped how many people see their place in the world. But beneath those factors lies a more subtle and urgent shift: When community involvement fades from our list of “very important” priorities, we lose something essential, not just as a concept, but in how we experience everyday life. Community engagement isn’t about weekend events or charity projects in isolation. It anchors social trust, creates personal meaning, and builds resilience when times are uncertain.

In places like our own Olympic Valley and Truckee-Tahoe region, that matters deeply.

Why Community Still Matters... Especially Here

It’s tempting to think of community as something abstract, a buzzword, a feel-good notion, a post on social media. But for places like ours, community is our shared space. It's where mountains, trails, rivers, lakes and forests bind us together.

Community is our volunteers pulling toxic weeds from our meadow... working in shifts to monitor green waste drop-off... picking up litter through the Adopt-A-Highway program... serving on local political councils... all of which is positive, active engagement in an effort to protect and preserve the place we call home.

Community is our Olympic Valley Fire Department at the ready to rescue an injured person off our mountain... keeping us safe from wildfires and avalanches and other natural threats.

Community is our hard working snowplow operators keeping our roads drivable in the worst of weather conditions.

And it's our groomers working late into the night in winter blizzards to perfect smooth, even surfaces for mind-blowing turns down the mountain.

Community is our teachers at Creekside Charter School inspiring and educating our youth.

And the list goes on.

When people engage, not just casually, but meaningfully, neighborhoods become networks of mutual care, and small towns become places where everyone has a stake.

Community Doesn’t Happen by Accident. It Happens on Purpose.

The hard truth is community engagement doesn’t grow on its own. It requires attention, generosity, and a willingness to show up, not only when it’s convenient, but especially when it’s hard. It thrives in small interactions that build trust: greeting a new neighbor, volunteering at a fundraiser, joining a local board, attending town meetings, mentoring youth, standing up to support local causes.

Some might say, “I’m too busy,” or “Why should my community involvement matter?”

The WSJ poll suggests we risk losing something deeper, our sense of belonging and shared purpose, if we allow convenience and self-interest to replace connection.

But Olympic Valley isn’t some meaningless statistic. It’s your neighbors, your friends, your trails, your ski resort, your local businesses, your fire department, your hotels, your school, your post office.

That means your involvement has impact. And impact here is visible. It shapes the quality of life we share and the legacy we leave behind.

Imagine What We Could Build Together

What if the next generation in Olympic Valley didn’t look back at our time and see community as something that diminished in importance, but as something that radically grew because people intentionally made it so?

Olympic Valley is about human connection that sustains us all.

In Closing

The WSJ data reveals a trend, but we determine how our community responds. And in Olympic Valley we respond with inquiry, generosity, and intentional involvement.

If broader society is drifting away from shared civic life, it's time for us to lean in closer right here at home and serve as an example to other communities that are swaying on the fence.

Olympic Valley has always been a place where people show up. Let’s make sure it continues that way, not out of obligation, but because we understand our connections are worth the effort.

All photographs by Michael Kennedy / BlueWolfGallery.com

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I’m Michael Kennedy, a resident of Olympic Valley, CA (in photo above). I’m a writer & photographer and I love exploring nature and getting lost along the way. We live in a world that demands our attention and I just want to say thank you for your attention. If you enjoyed this post, please share with a friend. For more photos and stories visit BlueWolfGallery.com.