4.3.09 Message From "The Link"

Community development,is a broad term applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities.

Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with the skills they need to effect change in their own communities.
As defined at Wikipedia

I want to give you a little more insight into where my brain spends a lot of time in thought as I process what the potential of the NeighborLink Network can do to a community, our community.

Believe it or not, NeighborLink is a community development organization. I prefer to call it a “neighborhood development" organization because we’re about empowering each individual to have a small impact everyday on enhancing his/her neighborhood by serving someone’s basic needs.

We are a neighborhood development organization because you make it that way, not because of we say we are or anything that I do or the board does. It’s you.

So what does that look like? This is the picture I see. (Very practically)

Take the 4.18 Service Event for example. The map below represents the limb cleanup projects that I received from the City of FW and from 311, the City’s call center. These projects represent elderly and disabled people that have no one to turn to. They turned to the City but were rejected because clean up is over. The city depends on the NL network to assist them in times like these. There are 15 projects there, with more to come.



As you can see, those projects are all over our community.

Here’s where it get’s exciting. Don’t worry, you’re involved or at least have the opportunity to get involved.

As I have been communicating the 4.18 Service Event information, volunteers and Church leaders have come to the table proclaiming their desire to organize on their own and serve on that day. They want to make sure each one of those dots get their needs met.

I have posted all the projects on the website making them available to everyone registered as “coach". Click here to see what a coach is all about. Coaches have already come and taken projects as well as organized other projects that they’ve seen needed done as they look throughout their neighborhoods.

We empower leaders who empower their communities of people to effect change on our larger FW community through service.

On April 18th, based on what feedback I’ve gotten by who’s said they’re serving, we can expect 300-400 people serving already! This doesn’t count all those that will take it upon themselves to get out and serve anonymously. It also doesn’t account for the 3 other cities organizing.

Can you see it? Can you see how everyone of us has the opportunity be engaged in Neighborhood Development with very little resources or effort? On the 18th, we’ll focus on limbs and left over limbs. Can you imagine the amount of limbs, old leaves, and other yard related project junk that will be cleaned up and disposed of by 300-500 people??

Will our community be enhanced? Will we not enhance the overall well being of those we serve? Will their spirits not be lifted? Will your spirits not be lifted knowing that you fulfilled a need for someone else? 

I trust that they will….

If you would like to get involved but aren’t sure where to begin, please contact me at 260.710.7611 or andrew@nlfw.org.

Be Courageous!

Andrew
Your “Courageous" Director