How about Mayfair= Donny?
He is there with a quick wit and a humor that see's the best of people which WE all need redardless of what others think.
He offers help when he knows he is over his head, but will find a way if he can.
He supports his local community like no one else here does.
And yes, I'd steal his truck in a heartbeat.. ( I miss my '01)
DAMN dude - I don't know what to say!
I know I've been hit and miss lately and it's mostly because of the community thing that you mentioned. There's a TON of work to be done, and unfortunately only a few of us carrying the load.
For example - Last year we:
- Had a 5K run honoring our fallen heroes and as a result we were able to donate over $5000 to the Hero Scholar Ship Fund
- Organized a better Shamrock Shuttle with the tavern owners
- RE-organized a Mayfair Town Watch
- Build an entire playground!
SUPER long story but in a nutshell a little girl tripped over an old mat at the bottom of the slide and when the woman called the local Councilwoman the Councilwoman opted to rip the entire playground out rather than replace the mats. To make matters worse, when we asked for another playground we were told that the city was broke. We had to raise money ourselves and build it ourselves. The details and pains are too much to even think about anymore, but it is done!
- Coordinated the neighbors to rally around the opening of a Methadone clinic. HUGE task! In a nutshell, some fly by night operation tried to open a Methadone Clinic in Mayfair without asking (cause they knew the neighbors wouldn't let it happen) and once we got wind of it we rallied the troops! I can't even begin to tell you how much agg this was! So far it's still not opened, but it still might happen. It's in the politicians hands now and luckily they've been dragging their feet for well over 6 months now.
- Held a Mayfair May-Fair to promote local business in our area. Prior to my "all in" involvement this was basically sidewalk sales. Once I was all in, it now includes a street closure where a stage is set up and bands play all day along with many many other things going on
- Every Wednesday night we hold Concerts in the Park where local bands put on a show for the community. Sounds easy and fun, but it's a HUGE task every week!
- Host an Easter Egg hunt for the kids! Again, sounds easy, but trying to get things donated - even plastic eggs - is a huge task!
- Thanksgiving Parade - This is BY FAR our biggest challenge! It's about 2 miles long and it's about 3-4 hours long. It's HUGE!!! It was cancelled after of 50+ years of running because of lack of funds as well as lack of help. Again, once I was "all in" I'm happy to report the not only is the parade back on the ave, but it's the greatest parade EVA!!
- Christmas Tree lighting ceremony - banners along the ave (including a "Merry Christmas Mayfair" banner INSTEAD of "Happy Holidays" of which I'm VERY proud of and fought hard for) - countless meetings with the general public - I could go on and on.
It's been a lot of work, but well worth it. Its hard and at times very frustrating, but I've gotta keep on "keepin on" if I want my neighborhood to survive. The city has pretty much abandoned us even though most of their tax base comes from our neighborhood. It sucks!
Anyway ... Thanks for you kind thoughts and for recognizing my community efforts! I really appreciate it!
I get here when I can but don't think for a minute that I don't think about you guys each and every day! You guys are my family!