Do you really know your community?

The Cape Chamber kicked off its annual Leadership Cape program Wednesday evening with a new class reception for this year's participants and Leadership Cape alums.

This year marks the 30th class to go through the program, a seven-month excursion that combines leadership curriculum, group activities and visits to some of the leading businesses, government entities and schools in Cape Girardeau. You not only learn what's happening, but why it's happening.

The program is worthwhile. I was part of the 2013 class and now serve as vice chair on the committee. The Chamber had to cut off enrollment this year because of overwhelming interest. That's good. It means business owners and employees value the program.

It should also be a reminder that reading your local newspaper, in print or online, also carries significant value in being an informed citizen and more knowledgeable for professional reasons.

Each day our journalists cover the people, projects and passions that make up our community.

As a local media company, we're in the community business. Whether it's entertainment, sports or hard-hitting news topics like local government and crime, our goal is to provide information you need to know with content that you want to know in the format you want to receive it. That balance can be a challenge at times. And evaluating what people read, particularly online where quantitative analytics can give deeper insight into what moves the needle, is fascinating. Equally as important, our products give consumers and businesses a platform to shop and advertise their products and services.

For those who read the Southeast Missourian every day, you probably have a good handle on the question I posed above: Do you really know your community?

But there's another element that can get missed in this world of social media addiction.

Take this past week. The Lions Club held its 81st annual pancake day, the longest running event of its kind. The front-page photo of Thursday's Southeast Missourian showed Dr. Ed Noffel flipping flapjacks on the grill. The caption referenced Noffel's involvement with pancake day since 1962. (As an aside, Ed and his wife Beverly were featured in the fall edition of Mind + Body, a magazine inserted into the Southeast Missourian. The Noffels are wine aficionados and shared with readers what they've learned about vino.)

That's something uniquely special to our community. The stories of individuals, what they do, and why they do it are threads that sew community and provide the first draft of history for future generations. It's the kind of journalism that gets missed when you rely on your social media news feed to stay informed.

Turn off social media for a week and see if your disposition changes. I'm no gambler, but I'd bet is does.

Lucas Presson is assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian. His email is lpresson@semissourian.com.