Community...What is it?

Cat legwarmers for sale!

Q: What do cat legwarmers have to do with a community?

A: Everything! My daughter spent hours crocheting a matching beanie and legwarmer set to sell in her Kid Kraft booth at West Haven Days this year. Although there weren't any takers, so many people were kind to her and complimented her work. She came home feeling like an important part of her city, and feeling like she belongs.

One of the best things about West Haven is our sense of community. I have seen many examples of neighbors all over our city caring for, helping, and loving each other through some very tough times. I’m also inspired by small, daily acts of service that I see. A neighbor stopping by after work to help a single mom with a minor home repair that feels overwhelming to her. My eighty-something year old neighbor who drives her friends to senior luncheons. Families who feed and water each other’s animals during camping trips. The friendly crossing guard who always has a smile and a wave for passing cars. Lines on a map don’t make a community – a place that feels like home. People do. That’s where our strength and our future lie.

A challenge that we face is preserving and protecting that community spirit. Fortunately, we have the ability to meet and conquer this challenge as we work together. Each of us who feels a responsibility to be a force for kindness in our neighborhood, each of us who replaces contempt in our conversations with civility, and each of us who looks for and nurtures the good in those around us is contributing to a priceless legacy that will define our city for generations to come.

Helen Keller said “Alone, we can do so little, but together, we can do so much.”

I hope that each of us can ask ourselves the question: What can I do to give back to my community today? What can I do to lift those around me? What can I do to make something better and be part of a solution?

To quote my 9 year old daughter’s favorite author “We are only as strong as we are united.” I look forward to nurturing and protecting our sense of community so that it can continue to be a source of strength for us for many years to come. The future of West Haven is our shared future, for your family and for mine, and I am committed to doing my part to make that future the best it can be.

The (unwilling yet patient) fashion model