Northwood News ♦ April 2016

President’s Message

By Laura Hussey

Neighbors, the signs of the season are unmistakable:  daffodils and star magnolias are blooming, and one day it is shirtsleeve weather and the next it is cold and windy.  Birds are nesting and I even saw a bumblebee today.  Happy spring!

During this season of renewal, I would like to reflect on the role of the civic association in our neighborhood and ask for your participation in some small way to make it an effective organization.

According to Wikipedia, a civic association is a type of organization whose official goal is to improve neighborhoods through the volunteer work of its members.  NFCCA’s bylaws (Article II–Purpose) expand on this slightly:

Organizations need cycles of rebirth and renewal just as the natural world does; every one of us is a volunteer and we all have busy lives with family and professional responsibilities.  The more hands, the lighter the burden.  Some examples of ways you can contribute:

1. Attend one or more of NFCCA’s five meetings a year (October, December, February, April, June).  Speak up!

2. Join NFCCA.  The dues are $10 a year per household, the best bargain in the county!

3. Volunteer to write an article for the newsletter (see newsletter editor’s contact information here).  You can write about an event or group you are involved in, a topic you have expertise in, or perhaps you have specialized knowledge to share because of what you do professionally or as a hobby.

4. Volunteer to deliver newsletters if one of the regular volunteers is not available (contact the newsletter editor or an NFCCA Board member).

5. Volunteer to serve on the Board (you must make your interest known by September because the Board slate is elected at the October NFCCA meeting).

6. If you identify something that the association could do to “promote the general welfare of the residents of the community,” suggest it to the Board and even better, volunteer to help!

On several occasions, I have had neighbors remark to me that they don’t come to the meetings so they aren’t part of the association.  I and my fellow Board members certainly understand that everyone can’t attend the meetings, and we don’t expect that you will.  My view is that NFCCA is working for the welfare of all of the residents of this neighborhood, not just the few dedicated volunteers who represent the neighborhood in various civic forums or the ones who attend the meetings.  The risk of having just a few people involved is that those few will be making decisions and representing the neighborhood on the basis of insufficient information, or worse, based solely on their personal views.  By getting involved in some way, you can help inform the dialogue and help shape a direction that truly is for the welfare of all of the residents of the neighborhood.

Even as we talk of renewal, one constant is change.  I invite you to come to the NFCCA meeting on Tuesday, 12 April, to hear from county representatives about the changes that are coming to the eastern part of Montgomery County (the development around White Oak and the FDA) and hear from the newly appointed ombudsman for that development, Pete Fosselman.  Note that this meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, not the usual Wednesday.

Happy Spring!   ■