There is a new block club brewing in the 33rd Ward. They will meet on the 3000 block of George on Saturday, February 7th, at 10am, for a shoveling party, aka the “Great Dig Out.” B.Y.O.Shovel. We are helping spread the word because Annisa firmly believes deeply that neighbors working together – whether shoveling, raising money for the neighborhood school, planning block parties, or making recommendations for development – is the key to building stronger communities.
And stronger communities are safer communities.
Here is a little background on the event. On Tuesday morning, we received an email from Joan (not her name, you will have to BYOS to learn that) about “dibs” and the blizzard.
I was thinking about trying to arrange a shoveling block party - I get sick of dibs and would rather see neighbors helping each other instead of marking territory. But… the logistics are daunting to me (I'm an introverted PhD student who barely looks up from my books or computer).
So we arranged for a call on Wednesday morning and Annisa gave her some ideas about how to get it organized. Joan (much to the dismay of her comfort zone) agreed to talk to 2-3 people on the block and would get back to us in a couple days, “If I have any luck.” Within hours, we received this email:
Well, starting a shoveling party was easier than I expected! I ran into one of the people who I suspected could gather people. He and his wife are excited about it, and his tenant will also join in. So that is 4 already. We will all tell people we see in the next few days. And he said he would ring doorbells on Saturday morning. So it's a go!! We agreed on 10am.
We are rounding up some coffee for Joan’s first foray into organizing a block club, but if you live in the area, swing by, meet your neighbors, and BYOS!
Any other blocks want to organize their own shoveling parties on Saturday morning? We will help spread the word! Two good reasons to do so:
1 - Neighbors that shovel together… yeah, nothing rhymes with shovel… but it’s a great way to build community!
2 - It looks like rain Sunday, so we need to clean it up before it melts, and then freezes again….
And stronger communities are safer communities.
Here is a little background on the event. On Tuesday morning, we received an email from Joan (not her name, you will have to BYOS to learn that) about “dibs” and the blizzard.
I was thinking about trying to arrange a shoveling block party - I get sick of dibs and would rather see neighbors helping each other instead of marking territory. But… the logistics are daunting to me (I'm an introverted PhD student who barely looks up from my books or computer).
So we arranged for a call on Wednesday morning and Annisa gave her some ideas about how to get it organized. Joan (much to the dismay of her comfort zone) agreed to talk to 2-3 people on the block and would get back to us in a couple days, “If I have any luck.” Within hours, we received this email:
Well, starting a shoveling party was easier than I expected! I ran into one of the people who I suspected could gather people. He and his wife are excited about it, and his tenant will also join in. So that is 4 already. We will all tell people we see in the next few days. And he said he would ring doorbells on Saturday morning. So it's a go!! We agreed on 10am.
We are rounding up some coffee for Joan’s first foray into organizing a block club, but if you live in the area, swing by, meet your neighbors, and BYOS!
Any other blocks want to organize their own shoveling parties on Saturday morning? We will help spread the word! Two good reasons to do so:
1 - Neighbors that shovel together… yeah, nothing rhymes with shovel… but it’s a great way to build community!
2 - It looks like rain Sunday, so we need to clean it up before it melts, and then freezes again….