Welcome to Walnut Way - reaching out to the neighborhood

I asked Sharon to find out how the Walnut Way organization has been able to develop the wide participation and support of the community that it has achieved in the past 7 years.

The organization uses several methods to get the message out to the residents of the neighborhood, including monthly flyers, word of mouth, the web site, community meetings, and neighborhood wide events such as Harvest Day and the Sunshine Market. Even if not everyone on the block or in the apartment building may be aware of the organization’s efforts, at least one or two households, if not more, will be involved. Everyone in Walnut Way is welcome, and even though they will most likely never get 100% full participation, this is what they are striving for. They have often found that residents who received flyers but did not respond at first will get involved when a need arises that can be met by the organization. There is even a Welcome Committee to make sure that new residents in the area get a “Welcome Packet” when they move in to invite them to get involved in the neighborhood activities.