Ghost of Midnight

Good Neighbors in Spotlight

The City of Burlington will host its 7th annual Neighborhood Night of Success March 29, 2007, 5:30-7:30 at City Hall. This is a great event and I recall attending the first one fondly.

Beth Truzansky works for the Center for Community & Neighborhoods in Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office. She received a record-breaking 68 nominations for the night’s Neighborhood Leader Awards this year. She shared some quotes today.

“Not only is Helen a leader on her street she is also a teacher and has helped to educate many generations of college students about what it means to be a good neighbor. Helen deserves to be recognized because despite the set backs she has faced over the years she has not given up and continues to be devoted to the idea and practice of building and sustaining community.”

“Stuart works tirelessly in his garage/workshop inventing, developing, and producing human-powered vehicles that can be used by people around the world that have handicaps though disease, war, or birth defects. He is humble, hardworking, entrepreneurial, and very generous. During the summer he can often be seen out on Linden Terrace with some of his vehicles. Neighborhood kids come out and road test the vehicles. It’s really wonderful to know that in addition to the kind and caring neighbors we have that there are also folks who are driven to solve problems and make the world a better place for the less fortunate.”

“Leonard is not your ordinary school custodian – far from it! Barnes’ teachers and staff have now become very familiar with his vast array of hidden talents and skills, especially those which result in putting a smile of the face of a student – his specialty. He routinely fixes even the most stubborn zippers on coats, repairs wheels on scooters, and handles all bicycle problems. Leonard routinely volunteers himself to chase kick balls that have bounced their way across North Street, or to climb up on the roof of the building to retrieve a ball that has gotten stuck. Once the ball is back in play, it’s not at all unusual for Leonard to join in on the fun for a few rounds of kickball with the kids, much to their collective delight.”

“Roberta has an open heart for the community and provides a listening ear for all she meets. Everyone is welcome when Roberta is around and she has reached out to members of the community that others might avoid, if you know what I mean. This is who I recommend as the good neighbor around here.”

“Patrick, an accomplished wheelchair athlete, volunteers tirelessly (more than 20 hours per week) to ensure others with physical disabilities have access to adaptive sporting equipment and athletic opportunities he has motivated, inspired and provided the resources many children and adults (including many Burlington residents) to try recreational opportunities they had never heard of let alone thought they would enjoy and enabled people typically relegated to spectator status to become fully-participating individuals for the first time.”

“Megan has always had the best intentions of those around her at heart. She has worked tirelessly to help senior citizens, her neighbors, and her friends. Megan is well known in the Old North End as someone there to help organize change, to bake you a loaf of bread, or to help shovel your driveway. We are proud to have her as our neighbor.”

“Barb was our first friend in Burlington. She greeted us upon our arrival one hot, sticky day in Burlington last summer and has been a constant in our lives ever since. She helped us move in, paint our walls, clean our yard and walk our puppy. Oh wait, I forgot to mention that Barb is only 13 years old!”

“Heather’s work is endless and students in our school and in our neighborhood seek her out for support, guidance and learning. She is a valuable member to our community and above all exceeds in everything she does. Her heart is gold and her ideas, thoughts, creativity and actions make Burlington a better place to live!”

“I thought of Elizabeth for this award because, on the morning our recent Valentine’s Day Blizzard, I saw her walking up Church Street from Main through drifts of snow to open her bookshop (Everyday Bookshop) for the day. We were practically the only people on the street*That snowy morning seemed to me to showcase Elizabeth’s incredible dedication, and it reminded me that in her quiet, unassuming way, she exemplifies the rare, old-fashion values of a merchant totally committed to serving her customers. I consider her “a living treasure” of Burlington.”

Celebrate the people that make Burlington a great place to live, work & play.