Carroll County, along with the rest of the country, is going through some tough economic times, but staying positive when confronted with gloom and doom everyday is difficult, say community leaders.

The Times-Georgian, along with partnering agencies at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, Southwire and the Community Foundation of West Georgia, are gathering at the newspaper’s offices today at 4 p.m. to highlight the community’s attributes.

Through a new program called Positively -- Carroll County, the partners hope to help the community count its blessings and maintain a positive attitude throughout the current economic climate.

“As a community, we’re all in this together,” said Daniel Jackson, president and CEO of Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, who will be speaking at today’s event. “It’s about that sense of community. That same attitude of the old days of helping your neighbor.”

There have been people displaced from work, which means more need in the community, and it is the responsibility of the community to help, he said.

Kim Jones, president of the Community Foundation of West Georgia, said the area has plenty of opportunities to help, not only by donating money, but by supporting those in need.

“The foundation’s goal everyday is to make this three-county area - Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties - a better place to live,” Jones said. “My personal opinion is, if everybody did just one small thing, how much better off we’d be.”

Unfortunately, too many communities have come to depend on government or national agencies to solve their problems, Jones said. But it’s the residents of the community who can best identify and solve its problems, she said. The initiative is an opportunity to introduce residents to the many opportunities to give to the community, Jones said. One of the best ways to forget about your own problems is to help others through theirs, she said.

Gary Leftwich, director of corporate communications for Southwire, came to Carroll County from another county that had outgrown its

sense of community, he said.

“Carroll County still has that,” Leftwich said. “In some areas, especially close to Atlanta, that’s becoming a rare thing.”

He wants to make sure the community hangs on to that feeling of community even as it suffers through the economic problems facing the nation. The tendency is to pull back and be more guarded with time and resources during a recession, but that is not what is best for the community or its residents, he said.

To keep a community strong, people have to work together and that is what he hopes residents take away from Positively -- Carroll County.

Shopping locally, volunteering time, donating resources are all ways to ensure the community and its residents come through this difficult economic period stronger, said Leonard Woolsey, publisher of the Times-Georgian.

Woolsey believes the county is a great place to live and work and he wants everyone to know it.

“Carroll County is just full of great opportunities and assets some people seem to overlook,” Woolsey said. “It is our goal to help focus attention on the positives of life in Carroll County.”

The paper is running position-wanted classified advertisements free of charge for displaced workers seeking employment - one way Woolsey said the paper can help support those who have supported the paper.

It’s a reciprocal thing, Jackson said. The businesses in the community provide a service, but they also provide jobs and tax dollars that help fund community projects, he said.

But this is more than a shop-at-home campaign - it’s an opportunity to contribute to the quality of life in the community, Jackson said.

Tanner Health System and the University of West Georgia are also participants the initiative.

P. J. Hovey, chairman of the Community Foundation of West Georgia, Jackson and Leftwich will be speaking at today’s event. Chick-fil-A will be providing lemonade for those attending.