(Author’s note: The CVC website has been down for awhile so the blog posts have been delayed. This was originally published August 13, 2020.)

Postpone.  This is a word I have heard almost more in the last five months than I’ve heard the word ‘uncertainty.’ That’s saying something given our current times. The good news about hearing ‘postpone’ is that it implies a certain optimism toward rescheduling. You know how I love optimism.  The bad news is that once again, our life and schedules are upended by the craziness that is COVID.

Considering myself a person who loves spontaneity, you’d think that the ambiguity of today’s world would work for me, and to a certain extent, it does.  Not having some of summer’s events like Sheridan WYO Rodeo meant I could take that time to go visit my college friends in Kansas for a few days.  Having all the high school rodeos canceled this spring meant I was home on the weekends for garden clean up and overall lounging. These were not bad outcomes.

Unfortunately, there’s a downside.  The CVC postponed our nonprofit board trainings to fall and converted them to Zoom, versus in-person.  Then we postponed our Spring Trainings for nonprofit Executive Directors to fall.  These decisions were easy to make because there was no chance of anything happening in-person March through June.  Finally, it was time to talk about the CiViC Project.

The CiViC Project is the CVC’s flagship leadership program.  Twelve women and twelve men are selected from Sheridan County applicants to spend five days at Eatons’ Ranch.  We have hosted five CiViC Projects over the last 15 years, and have graduated 125 emerging and existing leaders who are making real changes in the fabric of our communities.

The CiViC Project is a huge undertaking and because of both the workload and the cost, only happens about every three years.  Imagine our excitement in February when the 24 applicants were selected and the dates set for the last week in May at Eatons’. Now flip that emotion when it became obvious that there is no chance we could gather before Memorial Day to have it.

But that was ok because clearly, this COVID stuff will have quieted down by fall.  The new dates were selected and announced to be in mid-September.  Cue general rejoicing by cohort members and CVC staff.

Then back to our keyword – postponed.  How can we possibly ask twenty-four people to join us at Eatons’ for five days of instruction and building friendships if they have to stay six feet apart with masks?  It’s not impossible but it’s far from ideal.  And how would we at the CVC feel if someone got sick on our watch?

The magic of the CiViC Project is the relationships and deep bonds forged during that week.  It’s the secret sauce that binds the group to the other five classes – shared experiences, language, and learning. If they can’t gather at their cabins or during dinner, have one-on-one conversations, and get deep with each other, the ultimate goals of the CiViC Project aren’t met.

So we postponed.  Again.  Spring 2021, here we come!

This is not a tragedy.  There has been plenty of COVID tragedy and this is not that.  As I’ve heard repeatedly, we’re not hitting stop, we’re just pushing pause.  It’s not forever, just for now.  All true sentiments but hard to take on a repeated basis.

We shall overcome!  Let’s hope that sentiment doesn’t get postponed too.