 where we bring you an inside view of the city of Columbia. I'm your host, Lee Sheezy. In this city view, our top story is the 41st Annual Veterans Day Parade. This parade is one of the largest parades in the Southeast that brings awareness to our value of the contributions of our veterans. It is no accident that Columbia in the Midlands has been named a great defense community because we love the relationship that we have with our service members, with Fort Jackson, with Army National Guard. I mean, it's just amazing how our community has really become a family. And so we wanna thank you for your service. Thank you for what you do, not just overseas and in your service capacity as a military, but what you do for our community. During the month of October, 2019, several events were held as fundraisers to sponsor and benefit those that are helped by the Merit Campaign Against Breast Cancer. Two of those events were hosted by the Columbia Fire Department, which was led by Chief Arby D. Jenkins. Recently, Mayor Steve Benjamin was presented with a check following the events in order to outline and announce the proceeds from fundraising. Our firefighters with the Columbia Fire Department actually were waiters at Fats Cafe. And through their tips, they donated those funds to Mayor Steve Benjamin. We have engine 14 and 33, they took part in this fundraising. We were here for two days raising funds. That campaign actually went about four days, but we have firefighters here for two days actually busing tables, serving food. Also, we had our pink helmet campaign collected tips. The Columbia Fire Department was again back in the news, this time for promotions. Several firefighters were recently promoted within the fire department, and Chief Arby D. Jenkins was there, along with family and friends, to wish them well. Every position on the truck has a meaning. Every last one has a specific job to do. So when you see your folks wanting to promote up to take on more responsibility, it's just great, all of them being here tonight. I saw them start from the inception. Even the ones that's going up to captains, I saw them begin their career here. So it's exciting to see them at this point, watching from the beginning, and now to look at them now, how they have progressed through the ranks, and now they're part of the supervision here. In an effort to help small businesses grow and develop in North Columbia, Councilmember Sam Davis and Ed McDowell recently hosted a business resource forum for business owners in North Columbia and along the North Main and Fowl Road corridors. Councilmember McDowell and I, we've been sort of trying to meet with the businesses on the Fowl Road corridor, in particular to talk about some of the assistance and help they need. We've been really trying to make sure that the corridor is not left out in all that's being planned in terms of business development, relationships with the neighborhoods that are contiguous to the corridor. We're now from the resource forum in North Columbia to the Women's Business Summit, which was a statewide summit and the Office of Business Opportunities partnered with several agencies to bring in business leaders in our community. So many times, women feel like, you know, we are taking care of other people and that's kind of our job. So we don't really understand or sometimes don't acknowledge that we can be very successful, powerful women in business, as well as all the other things that we wanna do. And so I think having a summit like this is important because number one, it builds a network of women in business so that you have that opportunity to meet other like-minded women that can be your network and can be your support system in the business environment. But I think it also allows us to share tools and resources and knowledge so that we all can kind of grow our careers in the way that we want to. Once again this year, the Community Development Department sponsored several quarterly all-access forums. The most recent all-access workshop was held at Hampton Park and they focused on social media safety and also healthy cooking tips. And the purpose of our all-access events is to bring the community together, to talk about different things to help improve the quality of life for our citizens. Recently Mayor Steve Benjamin, along with representatives from the Parks and Recreation Department, our Forestry and Beautification Division and Columbia Green, gathered together to plant tree number 10,000 for the 10,000 Trees Program. Planting 10,000 trees and it being representative of the entire community making it happen. Wonderful non-profits and volunteers, our city corporate, our wonderful staff that helps with forestry and beautification every single day. This work would radiate in our community parks, our medians, our gateways and our neighborhoods with the playing of flowers and shrubs and trees that delight the eye and lift the spirit. Well, speaking of trees, it's now time to decorate trees for the holiday season but not only trees, but also our downtown areas and other hospitality districts throughout the city. Columbia City crews have been actively working to make sure that our city is brighter for the holiday season. When now that our city of Columbia crews have made our city brighter and more festive for the holiday season, let's see what we can do to brighten up your home for the holidays. It's also the time of year when Mayor Steve Benjamin was joined by Babcock Foundation officials to announce the 2019 official city ornament. The incredible work that the Babcock Center has done for the last seven decades to make sure that their folks and our children and our brothers and sisters and our mothers promise that the opportunity to live under the God-given protection and to be a whole in the fall of the year is an amazing mission. And finding ways to summarize that in a way when the season that they're giving recognizing our history, the value of our culture in ways that bring people together that is a very creative, fundraising opportunity. Please stay tuned to City TV for the latest in news and information. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and as always visit our website at colombsc.gov for the latest news and information. And remember, we are Columbia. Hey there, Mayor Steve Benjamin here. Thanks for watching this video. Make sure you give it a like right below the video and don't forget to subscribe. Also while you're here, be sure to check out one of our other videos or follow on our social media platforms. Thanks again and remember, we are Columbia.