As we roll into summer this year, I got to thinking about baseball. I’m not an avid fan, but like the game and think it affords some great analogies for things that make a difference. For example, take the base hit. No, it doesn’t usually score runs, but it does open up the possibility of a win. On the first Saturday in June, Bissett conducted our annual neighborhood cleanup. Ballpark number of families that benefited directly: about 60. Now for each of them, getting rid of that old mattress, recliner, rusted-out barbecue grill, broken-down lawn mower or any number of other bulky items will not be a home run upgrade in their lives, but it does free up room and gets folks feeling better about their surroundings. I don’t know about you, but for me, newfound space and feeling good are key ingredients to creating the possibility of an improved life–big or small.
Did I say 60 families benefited? Well, we also had about 30 volunteers come to help out. We talked, we laughed, we sweated together getting all that junk in the big roll-off dumpsters. We broke bread together (donuts and pizza) and talked with optimism. Everyone there knew they had helped some folks. I think there is probably some deeply ingrained sense of value we feel when we give selflessly like that.
Something else I noticed during the cleanup: I didn’t see any smartphones invading the space; no virtual reality. It was real hands putting real junk in real dumpsters with real teamwork. And I remember one man who probably brought four or five loads. Funny thing, it wasn’t all his stuff. He just went to his neighbors and on his own picked up their junk and brought it. And you could see that with every new load, he became more outgoing–had us all laughing and sharing in his enjoyment of helping out his neighbors.
In preparation for the cleanup event, the Community Partnership of the Ozarks (actually Amanda Stadler who is the Wonder Woman of Cleanups) sends out a postcard to all in the neighborhood to let everyone know about it. Included on that postcard for my neighborhood was my name and phone number to call if one had junk to get rid of but no way to get it there. In “cleanup-ese,” we call that a need for a curbside pickup.
What I find quite enjoyable in getting those calls is hearing the stories. Some who need pickups are elderly or in ill health; they have neither the strength or the means to get rid of the stuff. Others just have a small car, a broken-down car or no car at all. They often tell me about themselves and how great it will be to see their junk go, and without exception, express their genuine thanks. Of course, we take down their addresses and give them to our volunteers, who go do those curbside pickups. No doubt, the volunteers (and neighbors) feel good about seeing the junk disappear, but the stories help us see that the impact is much more than that. It’s real help for real people. One lady was so excited about finally getting rid of her junk that she brought us some apple fritters to enjoy!
There is also a group at the City that includes the mayor, City Council, City Manager Greg Burris and a tenacious group in the Neighborhoods & Planning Office that, year in and year out, manage to keep funds in the budget to pay for the dumpsters. Without these leaders, there would be no cleanups, so let’s give each of them credit for a base hit. At our cleanup, I think we filled up seven or eight dumpsters, which was significantly more than last year. I suspect that increase was at least partially due to the free promotions provided by Alice 95.5 radio station and SGF Neighborhood News.
So taken together, all the families helped, the volunteers who themselves had rewarding experiences, and the CPO and City folks, I would say our little cleanup made more than a base hit’s worth of difference. Overall, there were 13 neighborhood cleanups conducted this spring around the city and I bet each one of them had a similar impact.
Certainly there are many other activities that neighborhood associations do (and most don’t involve foul-smelling stuff!) What they do involve in large measure are people helping people in various ways, and while neighborhood associations mostly have some sort of social media presence, their core is always about real people interacting in real ways to make real differences with one another.
I don’t know about you, but I like that kind of thing.
Opportunities are there for anyone to participate in, develop and deepen our neighborhood associations – even for those who do not live within the borders of a neighborhood association.
This summer, most associations will have meetings, outdoor concerts and other get-togethers, and then there’s the big Fourth of July Parade in Midtown. As we get to August and September, many associations will hold Neighborhood Night Out events. If you haven’t been to an NNO in the past, look up the date for one near you. The worst you will do is get a free meal for you and your family. And the best? Well, maybe a chance for a base hit. Maybe even a home run.
Hope to see you at the park this summer!