A Civic association is a group of neighbors who join together to work for the betterment of the community. It exists so we can take collective action toward the goal of improving the place we live. It gives us a platform to express our desires to City Council, the mayor, the police, our schools, and other entities. It gives us a forum to discuss ideas and resolve conflicts. It gives us a mechanism to celebrate our diversity and to know and help one another.
Together we can be more effective at preserving and developing the cleaner, healthier, safer, and friendlier neighborhood that we all desire.
Most of us in Salem already do our best on an individual level to work toward this goal. We take care of our lawns and we report issues that we find concerning. However, it's true that many of us are not excited about adding another activity or responsibility to our schedule. It's easy to assume that someone else will step up and do what we don't want to do. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Without membership we don't have an organization. Without an organization we lose our collective voice.
Our neighborhood is a hidden gem in our city. There are many residents here who are hidden gems themselves. Some of us have unique talents and abilities that can be used to propel our neighborhood beyond a sustaining level of good into a surpassing level of greatness. At the very least, we all have a voice that matters and that should be part of a larger conversation.
We all know that what affects our neighborhood at large also affects us individually. That makes us all stakeholders as residents. All of our neighbors should not just be stakeholders in our neighborhood, but be a shareholder as well. Please join the Association if you haven't already. Also, consider lending your talents and efforts to our progress. You may be just what we need.