Community Building Series Part II

Not long ago on a Friday I drove home after a long and tiring week of work and found my neighbor Queen bringing in my trashcans. While getting out of my truck Queen grinned and told me I was not supposed to catch her in the act. This was a small deed of kindness on her part, but I gave her a big hug and thanked her for making my day.

Our tract is home to the newest neighborhood association in Rancho Cordova and we are rediscovering just how meaningful and powerful it is to be more connected as a neighborhood. In essence, what we have been doing in the Cordova Towne area is stepping outside of the confines of our parcel lines to experience life together in the “front yard” (the neighborhood).

Come along for a glimpse below into this “front yard dynamic” that has been taking place.

• Last year ten residents brought meals to a resident with cancer to help ease the burden on her family
• In April 2008 30-40 neighbors painted a 3400 square foot section of neighborhood wall along Mather Field Road.
• Residents went Christmas caroling on a flatbed truck in 2007
• Jamie & Ruth & the Scott Family landscaped two entrance corners to the tract
• Mark & Sarah started a monthly neighborhood prayer meeting
• Clark began a bi-monthly neighborhood walk
• Janel planned a neighborhood-wide garage sale
• 25 residents attended a meeting in July 2008 with the Park District
• We had American Idol BBQs on the night of the season finale in ’07 and ‘08
• A couple bought a house and one of their considerations for moving here was that there was a budding neighborhood association
• We started a blog, website, email list, and an e-Group
• We have begun to build a good reputation with the City

Something is happening here. We are finding a sense of community that was once prevalent throughout our neighborhoods but seems to have been lost in the past few decades. Great neighborhoods are not about big and fancy houses, income level, or perfect lawns, but rather residents who believe in their community and take ownership for shaping the values of the neighborhood.

What sort of “front yard” dynamics would you like to see happen in your neighborhood?

Part III: The Starting Line (coming next week)