SUMTER COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Leaders throughout Sumter County say they have a new way to improve their communities and the lives of people living there. The unofficial organization, Sumter Strong, unites multiple county groups for a common purpose.

Sumter Strong is an informal gathering of county leaders on a regular basis to discuss major issues that impact the entire Sumter County community.

“Sumter Strong is not an incorporated organization. It is really more of a movement and an aspiration for the community,” said facilitator Leslie Hazle Bussey.

The group believes that they will accomplish more and get to the root cause of community issues if they work together.

“It grew out of a recognition of all of us that working in silos — working in isolation — within our respected institutions and jurisdictions and non-profit organizations was not really the best way to address those serious problems,” said Lee Kinnamon, mayor of Americus.

The Sumter Strong steering committee includes the five mayors from each city, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, the CEO of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, both presidents from the county’s two colleges, the Sumter County Sheriff and leaders from the county’s public, private and charter schools.

“The idea is that we hold at least bi-annual or quarterly meetings to broaden that group to include their board members and other leaders within the communities,” continued Mayor Kinnamon.

Currently, Sumter Strong is working to address three major issues among the community. They want to increase workforce development and improve literacy skills within their schools. They also want to decrease violence within their community.

Kinnamon continued, “With a problem like youth gun violence — It demands collaborative, cooperative leadership. We are not going to move the needle on that very difficult issue that has deep root causes — systemic causes — without working together.”

Sumter Strong leaders believe that this model could be used in counties across South Georgia to accomplish more and inspire change.

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