Category Archives: Social Media
Colchester accident victim full of praise
“I was one of the drivers in a car a
ccident in front of the Maplefields/Shaws on Route 7 in Colchester last Wednesday. There were at least four good samaritans who stopped to help, and I am so thankful for those kind people. From the professional Colchester Police staff to the compassionate ambulance crew, I am truly thankful to live in a community that takes care of each other. I know that the good samaritans may not be part of this particular Front Porch Forum, but if you are, thank you. I hope you have a peaceful new year.”
• Heather, Colchester Village FPF
Stowe school eases lunch crunch
Lisa McCormack wrote in the Stowe Reporter recently…
Stowe Middle School students no longer have to gobble and go. After parents and students complained that lunch periods didn’t allow enough time to finish a nutritious meal, school administrators decided last week to expand them to 20 minutes…
Student Kenzie Bruce posted on Front Porch Forum last week that the changes were already having a beneficial effect. “I, and others, are very grateful for the change,” Bruce wrote.
Parent Elizabeth Croes says her daughter no longer comes home from school with a lunchbox full of half-eaten food. “I was glad that enough parents expressed concern that they were able to change it quickly and positively,” Croes said. “It was good to have children see that it’s OK to express concern in a respectful way and to have the community respond to support them… “
Croes posted comments about the issue on Front Porch Forum, drawing responses from parents, students and community members who urged that lunch periods last longer. “As more and more people became aware and said, “˜Wait, this isn’t good,’ it was wonderful to have the support of parents and community members, even people without children in the school system,” Croes said…
A recent study by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health warns that short lunch periods don’t serve students well. It found students with less than 20 minutes to eat school lunches consumed significantly less of their entr©es, milk and vegetables. One author of the study told Croes that Stowe Middle School’s 12-minute lunch was the shortest he had ever heard of.
Croes sees the Front Porch Forum campaign as “a perfect example of social media being used for good.” In an age in which parents might not always know one another, it made the community aware of what was going on and helped bring about beneficial change, she said.
Mad River Valley Fiber Festival…
“Thank you FPF for helping make this very first — hopefully to be annual — Fiber Festival a huge success. So many people read our postings on Front Porch Forum and came. What a wonderful service you do for our communities.”
• Barbara, Mad River Valley FPF
How to find a contractor in Montpelier…
“Hi Neighbors and FPF. You suggested we use Adam Jackson of Artistone of Vermont to sweep our chimney. He came today and did an excellent job, taking care to double check his work. Adam is also a mason with lots of experience and based on what we saw today, we are hiring him for a small job we need done.”
• Martha, Montpelier Front Porch Forum
Good or bad, first read of the day
I just contributed to Front Porch Forum. Why? Because it has brought our communities together more than any other way I know.
I also contributed because when I posted a notice that my book had just been published, people read about it on FPF and bought my book!
Front Porch Forum is the first email I open every day to see what’s going on around me, good or bad. It has become a vital part of my day.
• Ted, Underhill FPF
How to collect 145 bikes and 55 sewing machines in Vermont
From FPF member Joanne… Last week we held the 17th annual used bike and sewing machine collection for Pedals for Progress (Yep – PFP).
We’re a group of mostly former Peace Corps volunteers who hold this annual event to send practical technology to self-help projects on 4 continents. Since 1999, we’ve sent over 3,000 bikes and 150 sewing machines to partners in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Ghana, among others.
We do not have a budget for marketing (or for anything else) and we count on getting the word out through workplace bulletin boards, organizations, churches, etc. We always beg and hope for a little blurb in the Burlington Free Press. But our main focus this year was to ask friends to post a blurb on their Front Porch Forum. Our goal was to get it on at least 10 – 15 neighborhood/town forums in Chittenden County.
This year, not a word appeared in the Burlington Free Press. But we collected 145 bikes and 55 sewing machines! We asked – as we always do – how people heard about the opportunity to donate. And the single most frequent answer – by a long shot – was “My neighborhood Front Porch Forum.”
SO, PFP sends love and thanks to FPF. My husband and I are monthly FPF Supporting Members, and we encourage our friends and contacts to donate as well.
Converted Montpelier lawn now feeds 20 households
In April 2014, our south yard was a grass lawn. Front Porch Forum posts brought responses from community members, and we formed a community garden. That former lawn now produces hundreds of kinds of fresh, delicious food. We are winding down our second growing season. This year, 20 gardeners grew food here to feed their households. Additionally, the garden provides hundreds of pounds of food for local organizations feeding people in need. Learn more at http://www.thegardenat485elm.org and https://www.facebook.com/thegardenat485elm
Please join me in supporting Front Porch Forum by contributing here: http://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
Now is the time to support your Front Porch Forum
If Front Porch Forum is useful to you, please take a minute to contribute today. Every October we ask folks to become Supporting Members and today we kick off our 2015 campaign.
Contribute here (credit card or check)
More than 100,000 Vermont households participate on their local FPFs. As you’ve seen, lost pets are found, break-ins are reported to neighbors, electricians are recommended, block parties are organized and so much more. And each exchange among neighbors carries the promise of building community.
If you agree that FPF is something special, then please help keep it strong. We are a Vermont business, hosting FPF in each of the state’s 251 towns. Our staff of 12 work seven days a week to deliver our service. Most of our operating expenses are covered through ad sales to Vermont businesses. Your Supporting Member contributions help cover the rest.
Contributions are voluntary. Any amount you can give brings us closer to our 2015 goal, and makes FPF vibrant in your community. If you value FPF, become a supporting member now and help us reach our $100,000 goal: http://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
Pay online, or mail a check to:
Front Porch Forum
PO Box 64781
Burlington, VT 05406-4781
Many thanks from the FPF team!
Michael, Nina, Linda, Lynn, Gisele, Suzie, Jonna, Carolyn, Natanya, Wendy, Jodi and Jan
Front Porch Forum
P.S. FPF is not a charity and contributions are not tax deductible.
Local economic development tool used in Vermont
“Thanks for all you do – Front Porch Forum has been terrific in helping us reach our citizens with our business and economic development messages.”
• Chairman of a local economic development commission in Vermont
Hardwick Taco Tuesday a hit
“The Hardwick American Legion Auxiliary would like to say a huge thank you to all who attended our Taco Tuesday! It was a great success and we look forward to seeing all of you on Sept. 22 for our Shepard’s Pie Supper! Same place, same price!
“I hope this reaches those who told me they learned about this on Front Porch Forum. Tonight’s dinner clearly proved that FPF gets the word out… THANK YOU FPF too, I recommend you!”
• Corrinna, Hardwick Walden FPF
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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