Community bonds are strength of Cape Region

Coastal Delaware is among the fastest-growing areas in the state, for lots of good reasons: Many are drawn to the beauty of our beaches and expansive marshes and our ever-growing network of trails; others to Rehoboth’s Boardwalk, shopping and the explosion of craft beer and culinary destinations.

Sea and salt air are hard to resist. Still, it’s once people settle in that perhaps the real beauty of our region emerges: In a world where individuals feel more and more isolated and alone, the Cape Region still offers a deep sense of community – community that is open to anyone, newcomers and old Sussex alike.

Every week the pages of the Cape Gazette are filled with stories of local groups coming together to solve problems or find ways to make life a little bit better for neighbors.

One day it’s veterans groups donating thousands to house veterans; the next it’s religious groups, realtors, local companies and nonprofits finding ways to delight children or improve schools.

Yet another day it’s the historical societies in our towns organizing new exhibits to connect us to our past, or perhaps it’s book groups, cultural groups, or sports groups working to raise awareness of problems and the money needed to help solve them.

These groups are as varied as the people who live here, and they find all kinds of ways to help, often meeting needs that government may be too slow to identify or too burdened to resolve without help.

As all of these groups and associations work to identify and meet the needs of our larger community, they also offer something that may be hard to find in resort areas.

In working together, these groups offer newcomers a way to take root in their new home while giving longtime residents ways to keep looking outward and growing strong. It all comes together in a community that cares, a community where people working together can still find ways to solve problems and strengthen the bonds that in our small corner of the world still tie us all together.