By Gina Redican
One of my favorite things to do is take long walks through the neighborhood. Each time I try to walk a different route to discover a house or building that I haven’t seen before, meet a new neighbor, and pet a cat or two, or, honestly, every cat I see. If you see a crazy woman making kissing sounds at your pet don’t fret, it’s probably just me. While on my walks I take the time to reflect on all the aspects of Belmont Heights that make it so special, and how the BHCA can be effective within the scope of our abilities and resources.
I believe one of the most important roles of the BHCA is represented within the name, “community.” The current Board is passionate about finding ways to engage the neighborhood and to inspire people to be actively involved. Your Board is a mighty team of hard workers, but a small team, looking for people within Belmont Heights who have ideas
or projects we can support. Perhaps you want to organize a tree-planting campaign on your street, a new book club or a meet-up club, a block party, or something else that brings neighbors together but you don’t know where to begin? Well, we can and want to help! We want to support projects that are inclusive, aim to beautify or be helpful to the neighborhood and we are looking for people who want to work with us.
The BHCA’s ability to provide the community with a variety of events relies entirely on our membership. In the previous edition of the newsletter Diana Muska wrote a fascinating article about the history and growth of our membership and how we currently average 250 active members. What wasn’t noted was that 250 members only represents roughly 2% of the total population of Belmont Heights (and that might be an overestimate!) Imagine the possibilities and the amazing things we could accomplish at even 5%!
So, if you’re reading this masterful newsletter and live (rent or own) or operate a business within Belmont Heights, please join us, and help make a difference in your neighborhood.