Over the years I've volunteered for a lot of things. Yep, I was the president of the parent group at school, the coach for the Odyssey of the Mind and Future Problem Solving teams and other school related things. I was an elected town meeting rep until our town went to a council type of government, was on the arts board and various other civic minded things. And then I sort of let it all go as I got more involved in my business, our parents took ill, our kids went away to school, etc.
This past spring and summer the village I live in, which is still technically a village but is feeling and looking more and more like a big town or small city, came under attack by a number of people in other villages. Our village, being the largest and the commercial hub of the larger, sprawling town, has all the services for the homeless, the mentally ill, the recovering addicts in half way houses, etc. as well as the health clinics, Salvation Army, etc. Some areas of our village have fallen into disrepair but others are in an active and vital state and we have a very active and forward thinking civic association and downtown association. The topic that got everyone going was the fact that some schools were going to have to close and the town was going to have to be redistricted. Let's just say the ensuing discussions uncovered a lot of hostile, even racist feelings among various town folk. My village was called all sorts of things and those of us who live here got insulted. And mad. Yes, we have our problems. But we are not a ghetto or a dump. The town heard us and schools were scrambled and moved around and everything quieted down over the summer.
Except for the gunshots. Yep, gunshots. Now, I live in a quiet town by the sea where many people come to vacation. Gunshots are not an everyday ordinary occurrence here. Sure, there are rumors of a gang trying to take over and there have been some big drug busts but gunshots? Not only that, there were several gruesome murders....this was too much. Our neighborhoods began galvanizing and I somehow surfaced as the organizer in my immediate area. We met with the police a few weeks ago and are in the process of setting up a neighborhood watch.
It has been awesome. I felt a bit like Jimmy Stewart must have felt in the end of "It's a Wonderful Life" when all his friends and neighbors showed up to help him. I was so afraid there would be only a few people there and instead there was a full room and my phone and email were jammed for the next few days. We knew a little park in our area was being used as a drug exchange place but they haven't been seen since our meeting. But the best thing is that the neighbors are all out talking and sharing and getting to know the new folks. Our neighborhood is an old established neighborhood--I've been in my home for 25 years and others have been here twice that long. The new neighbors seem excited and so do the older ones. It was a lot of work to print posters and postcards and go knocking on over 150 doors to invite people to the meeting but it was worth it.
As if that isn't enough....I got a phone call a few weeks ago to please join a brain storming session for fundraising for our local library and somehow I ended up being asked to join the board of directors...and you know I said yes. I practically grew up in this library. My mom was on the board for something like 20 years. My kids grew up in this library.....anyone have any ideas on raising oh, about $70,000????
Oh well. Sometimes you just have to step up to the plate. I've always been willing to roll up my sleeves and work and in times like these giving all I can seems to be the best way to go. Seriously, though, any ideas you have for raising a lot of money would be greatly appreciated!
