03:24 PM CDT on Sunday, June 24, 2007

On the shiny new DART train's first day in 1996, a departing rider abandoned an open Coke can on the floor. The car's remaining passengers began to watch the swaying can to see if it might just tip over. Then their eyes moved to a man who had stood and was crossing the car, focused on the menacing can. As he reached down, an elderly female passenger put her hand firmly on it and quietly announced to all, "I'll take care of it."

In Richardson of 1963, my dad was just one more Texas Instruments employee with a young family, like many who populated Fox and Jacobs homes neatly spread across the former farmland. He thought he could make a difference, so he got involved. Ray Noah was the man who stood up.

He served 16 years as mayor of Richardson, 20 years with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra and 25 years with DART, advancing pride and purpose for his community. For him, the urge to be involved had become a belief that solid city government, available arts and accessible transportation were important to the wellbeing of Richardson, Dallas County and North Texas.

Fast-forward two generations and move north to Collin County, and, as citizen-leader Sherry Tucker David echoes, " I chose Collin County because I felt I could make a contribution." She characterizes today's Collin County with these details: "Things are happening fast, and families here are busy." Ms. David serves on the board for the North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts. She can identify her motivation for involvement as "establishing a legacy for my children."

Certainly, as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties, Collin County calls for its generation to transform this band of cities into a collection of vibrant and well-run institutions. To make Collin County great, we need participants who will choose to "make a difference" in their chosen organization or interest, be it city government, arts, transportation, health care, religious, education or nonprofits.

Involvement may mean, of course, giving up some family time; one night a week for a meeting or a weekend to an organization fundraiser. Moreover, precious quiet time may occasionally be dedicated to thinking about how the chosen entity can make its city, Collin County and North Texas a great place. The time and effort dedicated may be worthwhile to all of us, though.

From these participants will emerge leaders like the woman on the train car who chose to be a doer, or like my dad, who instantly established a community standard, a motivator. There are many kinds of leaders, and Collin County can use the strength of each. Maybe you are a visionary who sees a children's science museum or an arts center where none exist, or maybe you are a collaborator who can develop unique arrangements between entities. Perhaps you are an organizer who can put your project management skills to use in building a nonprofit or a problem-solver who can help make drive times shorter.

By saying "yes" to community service, leaders have two responsibilities: to act for the benefit of all and to truly conduct themselves out of concern for our betterment. The great reward, both to leaders and to communities, is the trust the people will place in you as you guide our development.

Progress and opportunities exist now throughout Collin County, and each of us must decide about our legacy. As the popular business book From Good to Great says, "Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of choice." Some of the best life lessons you give your children will come from the actions you take to make this good place a great place.

Rebecca Noah Poynter is a citizen of McKinney, a graduate of Leadership McKinney and the owner of OnPoynt Communications. She says her longtime affinity for Collin County began with a geographic quirk. Her family home was on the Dallas County line, but her bedroom was actually in Collin County. Her e-mail address is rebecca.poynter@comcast.net.