information & Resources
How to Improve Your Community
--Volunteer your time by finding a group that works with issues and causes important to you (Consider an opportunity that may help you learn new skills and meet new people).
--Start or join a Neighborhood Watch, working closely with the police and making sure the streets are well-lit and crimes are being reported.
--Donate goods to local charities.
--Start or join a car pool (It will save you money on gas and allow you to make new friends).
--Donate blood (Contact your local blood center or the Red Cross).
--Let your voice be heard by attending town meetings and expressing your views to local government officials.
--Register to vote and cast your ballot.
--Create a community park or garden.
--Clean up and beautify your neighborhood.
--Reach out to your neighbors by hosting a block party (A great way to make new friends and share your ideas with others).
--Create after-school programs and day-care or babysitting services to help working parents and deter children from violence.
--Work with schools to address the issues of sex, drugs, and violence that children face in neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Enhancement
--Help people paint and repair their homes.
--Volunteer to clean up trash around a neighborhood.
--Create a mural that depicts values of your community.
--Set up an art exhibit at a local business, sell the creations, and use the money to fund a cause in your community.
--Collect supplies for persons who have been victims of a fire or other disaster.
--Plant a community garden.
--Organize a campaign to raise money for new playground equipment, or reconstruct the playground yourself.
--Share your skills by volunteering to teach a class at a community center.
--When fall comes around, distribute leaf bags and offer to assist neighbors with raking their yards.
--Campaign for additional lighting along poorly lit streets.
Addressing Neighborhood Problems
--Campaign for additional lighting along poorly lit streets.
--Report potholes.
--Report incidents of vandalism.
--Paint over graffiti.
--Pick up random trash in your neighborhood.
Helping Senior Citizens
--Adopt a “grandfriend” and write them letters, call them, and visit often.
--Gather friends and create a “shop squad” to pick up groceries and medicine for elderly.
--Deliver meals to homebound individuals.
--Gather family and friends and organize a summer songfest or play to perform at a nursing home.
--For the holidays, go caroling, bring treats, or just go and visit senior citizens.
--Offer to read to people.
--Provide your local nursing home or library with more large-print books.
--Teach a senior how to use a computer or the Internet.
--Call up elderly people who live alone to check if they need anything.
--Volunteer to do general home maintenance for a senior citizen.
Get to Know Your Community Helpers
Get to know the people in your community, especially those who serve your neighborhood on a regular basis. Establish rapport with the key helpers in your community. You encounter these important people everyday as they go about their work. Make an effort to interact with them in appropriate ways. Acknowledge them. Wave to them. Speak to them. Let them know you appreciate them.
--Mail Carriers
--Police Officers
--Fire Fighters
--Trash Collectors
--Librarians
--Bus Drivers
--Medical Workers
--Utilities Workers
--Construction Workers
--Community Watch Members
Helping Your Community
--Take a garbage bag while walking through the neighborhood and pick up any litter along the way.
--Shop with and support locally owned businesses, saving time and money (A percentage of your sales taxes go directly to the local community).
--Find positive aspects of your community share with other people (A positive image encourages residents to shop locally, increases the chance new businesses will open in the area and promotes growth).
--Attend a local festival or other event (Support and sponsor activities in your community, attend fundraisers for non-profit organizations).
--Write a letter to local elected officials encouraging them for making good decisions for the community.
--Put a potted plant on your front porch (When your home looks spruced up, it makes the whole neighborhood and the community to look better as well).
--Take dinner to an elderly neighbor.
--Get to know your neighbors better.
--Look for opportunities to contribute to your community (Schools and other organizations collect canned foods, old coats, toys and eyeglasses, for less fortunate families).
--Vote (In addition to presidential elections, check out the candidates for local and state elections).
--Encourage your employer to sponsor local events.
--Get involved in a volunteer community service
--Volunteer your time by finding a group that works with issues and causes important to you (Consider an opportunity that may help you learn new skills and meet new people).
--Start or join a Neighborhood Watch, working closely with the police and making sure the streets are well-lit and crimes are being reported.
--Donate goods to local charities.
--Start or join a car pool (It will save you money on gas and allow you to make new friends).
--Donate blood (Contact your local blood center or the Red Cross).
--Let your voice be heard by attending town meetings and expressing your views to local government officials.
--Register to vote and cast your ballot.
--Create a community park or garden.
--Clean up and beautify your neighborhood.
--Reach out to your neighbors by hosting a block party (A great way to make new friends and share your ideas with others).
--Create after-school programs and day-care or babysitting services to help working parents and deter children from violence.
--Work with schools to address the issues of sex, drugs, and violence that children face in neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Enhancement
--Help people paint and repair their homes.
--Volunteer to clean up trash around a neighborhood.
--Create a mural that depicts values of your community.
--Set up an art exhibit at a local business, sell the creations, and use the money to fund a cause in your community.
--Collect supplies for persons who have been victims of a fire or other disaster.
--Plant a community garden.
--Organize a campaign to raise money for new playground equipment, or reconstruct the playground yourself.
--Share your skills by volunteering to teach a class at a community center.
--When fall comes around, distribute leaf bags and offer to assist neighbors with raking their yards.
--Campaign for additional lighting along poorly lit streets.
Addressing Neighborhood Problems
--Campaign for additional lighting along poorly lit streets.
--Report potholes.
--Report incidents of vandalism.
--Paint over graffiti.
--Pick up random trash in your neighborhood.
Helping Senior Citizens
--Adopt a “grandfriend” and write them letters, call them, and visit often.
--Gather friends and create a “shop squad” to pick up groceries and medicine for elderly.
--Deliver meals to homebound individuals.
--Gather family and friends and organize a summer songfest or play to perform at a nursing home.
--For the holidays, go caroling, bring treats, or just go and visit senior citizens.
--Offer to read to people.
--Provide your local nursing home or library with more large-print books.
--Teach a senior how to use a computer or the Internet.
--Call up elderly people who live alone to check if they need anything.
--Volunteer to do general home maintenance for a senior citizen.
Get to Know Your Community Helpers
Get to know the people in your community, especially those who serve your neighborhood on a regular basis. Establish rapport with the key helpers in your community. You encounter these important people everyday as they go about their work. Make an effort to interact with them in appropriate ways. Acknowledge them. Wave to them. Speak to them. Let them know you appreciate them.
--Mail Carriers
--Police Officers
--Fire Fighters
--Trash Collectors
--Librarians
--Bus Drivers
--Medical Workers
--Utilities Workers
--Construction Workers
--Community Watch Members
Helping Your Community
--Take a garbage bag while walking through the neighborhood and pick up any litter along the way.
--Shop with and support locally owned businesses, saving time and money (A percentage of your sales taxes go directly to the local community).
--Find positive aspects of your community share with other people (A positive image encourages residents to shop locally, increases the chance new businesses will open in the area and promotes growth).
--Attend a local festival or other event (Support and sponsor activities in your community, attend fundraisers for non-profit organizations).
--Write a letter to local elected officials encouraging them for making good decisions for the community.
--Put a potted plant on your front porch (When your home looks spruced up, it makes the whole neighborhood and the community to look better as well).
--Take dinner to an elderly neighbor.
--Get to know your neighbors better.
--Look for opportunities to contribute to your community (Schools and other organizations collect canned foods, old coats, toys and eyeglasses, for less fortunate families).
--Vote (In addition to presidential elections, check out the candidates for local and state elections).
--Encourage your employer to sponsor local events.
--Get involved in a volunteer community service