Mow The Grass, Build a Community

                         

You can’t drive through the heart of Fort Wayne without noticing yards like this one. Our city is being swallowed with grass and weeds at vacant houses, homes with people who don’t care, homes of individuals who cannot physically do the work, homes listed by Realtors, businesses and countless other situations. 

It bothers me. To me it shows a lack of civic pride and personal responsibility. 

I really want to rant about it, but that’s not the needed response. Instead, I’d rather try to encourage everyone to take responsibility for a little more.

This is our city and these are our neighborhoods. This is our community. 

There are tens of thousands of dollars being spent trying to spur economic development throughout our community and to get the public behind the efforts. I know lots of folks that are excited about their choice to Fort Wayne home. I’m excited and I’m a big supporter of these efforts. I love being able to walk from my house to downtown to catch a Tincaps game.

But, I don’t like seeing all the overgrown yards and the decay of our streets. 

We all care deeply about how things are presented. We have fantastic advertising and design firms in our city that make millions of dollars making things look good. The same organizations that are spending a lot of money spurring on economic development understand the important of presentation and image. If we really support them and want to see this type of thing succeed, then we have to pitch in and do things no one wants to do. 

I know it’s hard, I try to keep up on the vacant lots in my own neighborhood and it’s often the last thing I want to do. Who wants to mow grass at the lot of a vacant house knowing it’s a never ending job until fall? But, I do feel a sense of pride knowing that the neighborhood looks better and shows that it cares. Who knows what type of blessing you can be to the person who owns the home because not every lot is of someone who doesn’t care. From experience, many times they physically or financially can’t do it on their own. 

Regardless of the situations, it’s time to put some effort into making our physical environment downtown and beyond presentable. 

Anywhere you see one of these signs is a good place to start. There are few things that give you the feeling you get when you do something no one else wanted to do. 

          

We don’t need any fancy events or ad campaigns to change our community. We only need a willingness and determination to make a difference.