Last month, I found myself standing in Chloe’s Creamery during a fundraiser for what will become the Kinzua Discovery Center. It was a simple idea. Folks created ice cream flavors, people showed up, and the winning flavor, Discovery Tracks, will now be served all summer with proceeds helping to support the museum.

I will admit, the chocolate base made it an easy favorite for me. But what stayed with me had very little to do with the ice cream itself. The place was full. Kids were lined up with their parents and grandparents, people were talking and laughing, and for a while you could just feel what a community looks like when it is alive and well.

I stood there and caught myself imagining what it could be like if the Kinzua Discovery Center becomes a reality. Not just another building, but a place where kids can explore, learn, and just be kids.

A place where families come together and make memories that stay with them. What I saw in that moment felt like a glimpse of that future. It reminded me that we already have what matters most. We know how to show up. We know how to care. We just need to keep going.

The truth is, something like this does not happen unless people decide it matters enough to make it happen. It is going to take real support. It is going to take people giving what they can, showing up when asked, and believing that this is worth it for the children of Warren County and all of Northwest Pennsylvania. I believe that. I think many of you do too.

So I am asking you to be part of it. Stop in this summer and order a scoop of Discovery Tracks. Tell others about the idea of a Kinzua Area Discovery Center and what it could mean for the future of our youth and families. Share the vision. Pay attention when opportunities come along to give or help. This is one of those moments where a community gets to decide what kind of future it wants to build.

I saw something good in that crowded ice cream shop. I believe it can grow into something even better. But only if we all take part in it.

Douglas Hearn is a Warren resident.