Category Archives: Case Foundation

Neighborly Encouragement

Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 by • No comments yet

It’s inspiring to moderate Front Porch Forum in Vermont. Here’s part of Alan S.’s posting to his Burlington neighbors today…

Hello Neighbors – I assume that the rest of you are as ready for flowers and grass as I am. Enough of this cold and dreariness already!! I had a tree topple on my house during the last ice storm. Fortunately, it did no damage to the house, but I had to remove it entirely… It still seems strange that I live on Birch Court, but there are almost no birch trees left on the street. I may correct that shortcoming by planting one to replace the one I removed. I have to save up some funds because lately the cost of living is becoming prohibitive.

Hard earned dollars do not go as far and being fiscally conservative has become a way of life. We boomers are in for some tough times, especially those of us who got a late start saving and investing money. It behooves us to stick together and maintain our community with its resources. We will need all the resources we can muster in the future.

One immediate way to be involved is to join and attend our Neighborhood Planning Assembly. We hold monthly meetings at the Heineberg Senior and Community Center. Look for postings here on the forum. In addition to NPA, I encourage that you speak with city councilors, Board of Health members, school board members, and any other appointed or elected servants of the city. Your input to the processes of governance and change is critical to successful outcomes. I have learned not to underestimate the power of my single voice and certainly not the collective power of our many voices together. Please write, call, post on the forum and blogs, do whatever you can to raise community consciousness.

I also want to mention our need to reach out in our immediate neighborhoods. There are some of us living alone and living poorly for lack of resources. I believe that it would benefit them greatly if we paid them a neighborly visit. I encourage us to find small, but effective ways, to help someone near us. I keep in my own mind, that someday it could be me waiting for someone to be friendly and loving. Please reach out to your neighbor next door and beyond. The rewards for doing so will be great!!!

Please help us continue and expand this work… vote today and spread the word!

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Voters flocking to Make It Your Own Awards

Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by • No comments yet

More and more people are voting online in the Make It Your Own Awards… hopefully lots of them casting one vote for Front Porch Forum. If you tried and the site failed, please try again using this simpler voting site.

More comments from voters…

  • “I voted. IT was a great site! A lot of really COOL stuff folks are doing. (They wouldn’t let me just vote for FPF – I tried! They REQUIRED I select three other orgz. So, of course I got sucked into investigating carefully the merits of each of the other props!! I actually downloaded 2 proposals from organizations from the site as a template to help me with mine that I’m writing!” -Rolla, innercity Baltimore school teacher
  • “I support Front Porch Forum because it brings local neighborhoods together. It allows people to communicate with their fellow neighbors quickly and conveniently.” -Tom in Vermont
  • “I’ve connected and been connected to such vital information for my city and neighborhood.” -Lisa speaking about Front Porch Forum in Vermont

Please vote and ask other to vote as well.

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Can the underdog win the vote?

Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 by • 1 comment

Front Porch Forum is in tiny Vermont… we’re definitely the underdog in the Make It Your Own vote. But maybe we can pull off a miracle. We’re starting to hear from folks…

  • “Would like to vote and help you out–I think the fpf is the best thing since sliced bread–better even!” -Linda G.
  • “I want to thank you SO MUCH for the front porch forum. It has really helped bring us together.” -Sarah Jane W.
  • “… you’ve got my vote, we’ll pass it around to friends. Good luck.” Rich K.
  • “I just voted. It was an awesome experience to see FPF among other innovative national community programs!” -Nance N.
  • “i voted for you!  i’m actually a huge fan of front porch forum.  my neighborhood has a very active forum, and it’s my alternative to the local morning newspaper.  it was great to read the descriptions of the other wonderful community projects so that i could vote for three more.  it was hard to choose- they all sounded so good.”

Please help us continue and expand this work… vote today and spread the word!

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Neighbors Support Each Other thru Front Porch Forum

Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by • 1 comment

People use Front Porch Forum in lovely ways. The other day a proud mother shared the following with her neighbors…

“We are pleased to tell the community that [our son], an eight-year member of Huntington Troop 645, passed his Board of Review last week and is now an Eagle Scout.”

She provided some detail and showed great constraint in not bragging… just sharing really.

Well… she opened the flood gates and neighbors started flowing in with compliments about the Eagle Scout, as well as a sibling and the parents in general, e.g.,

“This is a wonderful accomplishment and one well deserved. I agree that [they] have done a wonderful job giving these great boys to our community. It gives me much hope for our future to know that there are boys like these in our world and contributing to our future generations. The welcoming smiles that these boys so readily share makes my day each time I cross paths with one of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The mother weighed in one more time, a bit embarrassed, but clearly appreciative of her kids AND her neighbors.

It’s a privilege to have Front Porch Forum used in this way.

Please help us continue and expand this work… vote today and spread the word!

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Craigslist bandits strip man’s home

Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by • No comments yet

Craigslist is a force of nature, an amazing thing. So is a tornado and a virtual funnel cloud hit Robert Salisbury in Oregon recently when someone posted a bogus ad on the local Craigslist saying he had suddenly moved away and everything on his property was free for the taking… even his horse.

As he drove toward his place he stopped multiple vehicles laden with his stuff and asked for it back… “no way” was the response. “Craigslist said it was free… end of discussion.” He’s working with the police and lawyers to sort through the aftermath now. As the Seattle Times reports…

Meanwhile, Salisbury could not even relax on his porch swing.

Someone took it.

This amazing tale illustrates one of many risks associated with using anonymous online services.

Front Porch Forum, on the other hand, is limited to conversation among clearly identified nearby neighbors.

Vote for us today!  And please spread the word about the Case Foundation funding contest.

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About Blog

Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more

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