Category Archives: Community Building

Opening Communication with Front Porch Forum

Posted on Monday, March 31, 2008 by • 1 comment

Sometimes it’s the little things that open up communication among neighbors. Here’s a message from Linda and George that was just posted on an until-now-sleepy Essex Junction, VT, neighborhood forum…

“Many thanks to all of our neighbors for helping with the search for our indoor black cat. So many of you called to say you had seen him or would look out for him. Cindy Smith on Villa Drive had been working with us to capture a very scared black cat that keep showing up at her garage looking for food. Today, Monday, she called to tell me that the cat was under the porch across the street. Sure enough, he was. Sassy was gone for 3 long weeks but now he is home: thin, hungry, and dirty, but safe. Again thanks to everyone who was willing to help.”

I’m glad for this family (and the cat!). This is just the kind of success story that leads to more neighbors signing up and putting Front Porch Forum to use.

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

Read/add comments.

Grassroots Candidates use Front Porch Forum

Posted on Monday, March 31, 2008 by • No comments yet

At its best, Front Porch Forum simply provides a venue for some pent up community issue to bubble up and get addressed. This may be the case in a part of South Burlington, VT recently where neighbors discussed an opening on the City Council…

“I have been concerned that our neighborhood does not have adequate representation in the City and have considered running for it… This is a huge window of opportunity for someone from our neighborhood to take a leadership position in city government, given the attention this newly conceived plan deserves. You need only 30 signatures, and the deadline is mid-April. Our neighborhood needs to be a voice in the discussions shaping the future of South Burlington.”

Then neighbor Liz weighed in…

“I couldn’t agree more… but am also unable to adequately represent our neighborhood at this time.”

And she laid out some of the issues facing the neighborhood (e.g., airport expansion).

And then, lo and behold, neighbor Meaghan jumps in with both feet…

“Dear Neighbors – Because I feel it is so important for someone from our neighborhood to run, I’ve decided to give it a go. My husband and I have agreed, and I’m grateful to him and to our children for supporting me and moved that they are encouraging me in this effort. They, too, love this city and see this step as an investment in the future. If I succeed and am elected as City Councilor, I plan to use this Front Porch Forum as a means to hear your ideas and to communicate with you. This process can start now. And, if someone else wishes to run, I see this as a positive sign for our neighborhood and our city. So please do.”

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

Read/add comments.

Local News Coverage of FPF and MIYO

Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 by • No comments yet

Andy Potter of WCAX in Burlington, VT knows a good story when he sees one!

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address. Read/add comments.

Thanks Andy…

Spot Burlington Friends and Landmarks on Video

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

In the excitement around Front Porch Forum‘s selection for the big national Make It Your Own Awards, I neglected to share our new video clip! You can see it below, on YouTube, on the contest site, and on local access TV (schedules below)…

Special thanks to CCTV Channel 17 (Meghan O’Rourke, Sam Mayfield and Lauren-Glenn Davitian) and the dozens of local folks who appear in the clip.

RETN Channel 16 (more times forthcoming)

  • Sun, Mar 30 – 7 p.m.
  • Mon, Mar 31 – 7 a.m and 8:56 p.m. (right before our repeat airing of “Winter Soldier”)
  • Tue, Apr 1- 11 a.m., 8:00 p.m. and 12 a.m. (4/2)
  • Wed, Apr 2 – 8:59 a.m. (after Democracy NOW!), 2:58 p.m. and 8:56 p.m.
  • Thu, Apr 3 – 9 p.m.
  • Fri, Apr 4 – 9 a.m.
  • Sat, Apr 5 – 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

CCTV Channel 17 (more times forthcoming)

  • Sat, Mar 29 – 6:33 PM
  • Sun, Mar 30 – 10:04 PM
  • Mon, Mar 31 – 3:04 AM, 9:04 AM, 3:04 PM

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

Read/add comments.

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!

Read/add comments.

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!

Read/add comments.

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!

Read/add comments.

May we all be so fortunate…

Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008 by • 2 comments

Here’s a posting from a South Burlington FPF neighborhood forum from Deana that makes my day…

I just wanted to show my gratitude for the neighbors I have on [our street].  People on our street care about one another, watch out for each other, and help whenever you need it.  I’ve walked out my door and my neighbor is chipping away at ice in my driveway for crying out loud!!

I’ve lived in southern Florida, San Diego, and now Vermont.  Making a life on [our street] has been an experience of a lifetime.  There’s nothing like it.

We are out of town right now and I feel very at ease as my neighbor, Susan, is taking care our dogs, the mail, and no doubt whatever weather inhabits our driveway.  I love turning off of [the main road] and immediately begin to wave at anyone who is in their yard or walking on the street.

Thank you to everyone on [our street] for making our neighborhood feel like a real community.  I am very proud to be part of it.

VBSR Panel to focus on Local Online

Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008 by • 3 comments

I’m excited about a panel that I’ll be part of at the annual conference of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Here’s a draft of what to expect…

The World Wide Web Comes Home
How “Local Online” Is Changing Your Business

Richard Donnelly, Burlington Telecom
Christopher Grotke and Lise LePage, iBrattleboro.com
Chris Middings, Seventh Generation and Champlain College
Paula Routly, Seven Days
moderator: Michael Wood-Lewis, Front Porch Forum

The fifth great wave of the Internet—after communication, commerce, search and social networking—may well be “local.” People increasingly look online for answers to local questions about shoe stores, plumber recommendations, meeting people, directions, crime reports and more. A vast array of tools and services are being developed in Vermont to meet this demand. Much of this activity is fueled by online ad sales, which grew nationally to $20 billion in 2007. The Internet is driving business change, and companies are increasingly learning how to use this medium to focus on local markets. This session will provide attendees with concepts and tips for keeping up and getting ahead.

The conference (always a hit), will be held May 14 at Champlain College in Burlington, VT. The panel is tentatively scheduled for 1:15 to 2:30 PM. Come join the conversation… bring your experiences, questions and comments!

For a list of local businesses that have advertised online recently via Front Porch Forum, click on our sponsor link.

INVITATION: If anyone wants to get the conversation started early, leave a comment below…

Gotta have my Front Porch Forum

Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 by • No comments yet

We’ve been the lucky recipients of some great feedback about Front Porch Forum recently.  Just now a member wrote in after discovering that her new street address didn’t fall into one of our pre-existing neighborhood forums…

I just moved to Burlington and [my] street appears to not be part of a forum. I can’t imagine this is possible. If is is though how does one get started? I have been part of Westford’s forum and I love the information that is shared. I rely on it for local news, political info, resources, etc. and I will miss not having that in Burlington. I will look forward to you response. Thanks!

Good news for this subscriber… yes, her street does belong to a very active FPF neighborhood forum.  Our registration process just hiccuped and misdirected her… all’s well.

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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