After our block picnic in August, the organizers got thank-you notes in the mail. They came from a person we hardly ever see on the sidewalk, a single mom with three energetic kids. "We don’t hear much back," one neighbor said. "The picnic is fun to do. It’s still nice to know people notice."

No question. People who make life safer or more pleasant for their neighbors enjoy the work. But saying ‘thanks’ can’t hurt. And it’s fun to do as well.

In this issue of Front Steps there’s a certificate of appreciation you can pass along easily. This is a good time of year to notice people who did something extra for you family, your block, or your neighborhood during 1998.

While I’m on that theme, all of us who work on Front Steps welcome the good suggestions we get from readers. Every issue is better because of them. Thanks.

More later,

Putnam Barber, President

Front Steps -- Volume 2, Number 3, Winter 1998. ISSN: 1098-1810

Marie Sauter, Managing Editor
Kathryn True, Writer
Terri Nakamura, Designer

©1998 The Evergreen State Society

The Evergreen State Society fosters civic initiative and voluntary organizations to strengthen community. Board of Directors: Mason J. Blacher, Eugene Edgar, Les Eldridge, Robert J. Fleming, Sandy Gill, Bob Howard, Mary Joyce, Philip Klein, Dianne Kuhn, Robert Ness, James Pridgeon, Pat Shanahan, Barry Smith, Sunny Speidel (Chair), Donald Woodhouse, Marion Woyvodich

This online version of Front Steps lacks the graphics and other features of printed copies. Free printed copies of Front Steps are available by post; please send a complete postal address to the email address above.

If you would like to get to know a neighbor better, a good way to start is to ask for a story about your neighborhood in days gone by. Some blocks are lucky and have a natural-born storyteller as a neighbor. Whether you enjoy such a gift or not, you can bring people together for an informal good time by hosting an evening of swapping tales. Invite a few people and suggest a theme such as "Great winter storms" or "favorite winter traditions". Every storyteller needs an audience, so those who prefer just to sit and listen are welcome, too.

Johnson asked the kids if they had ever experienced what it's like to live in a place where they know something about every single thing they can see. He told them that the park was that kind of place for him. Three generations of his family had lived nearby. He asked the kids to test him by picking something to ask him about. One child pointed to a tree-now 45-feet tall-that he himself had planted. This helped the kids see that the trees they were about to plant would someday grow to provide shade for other kids visiting the park far in the future.

Johnson reports that in the eight years he's been using storytelling with school kids, he's seen a marked decline in crime and vandalism in the park. He doesn't think the stories alone have done the trick, but it's one way he can help others to care for the place.

• Offer to run a holiday errand for a neighbor pressed for time.
• Make sure footpaths look used and flyers are out of sight if people are away from home.
• Give your neighborhood newsletter editor a news tip for a future issue.
• Leave a holiday treat as a surprise to brighten a neighbor's day.

If snow and ice define winter in your weather zone, it's good to have others to depend on in the thick (and slick) of it. One way to get to know your neighbors better and draw on your collective strength when a blizzard takes you by surprise, is to form a winter storm team.

If you're lucky enough not to have to worry about winter storms where you live, you could form a team that offers a "storm" of clean-up or repair work for a family that could use the extra help.

Start by asking one neighbor if they'd be interesting in getting together to talk about the idea. Ask them to invite a neighbor, and you have a team. Start small and decide at your first meeting how many people you need to make your ideas work. One good way of getting started is to recall what happened during the last winter storm and discuss how people coped, or couldn't cope, on their own.

What will your storm team do? The group could take on a variety of winter-related tasks such as clearing snow off shared walkways. Team members can also clear up after storms and check-in (to make sure everything's okay) with elderly or shut in neighbors who may have trouble getting around in cold weather.

If wind and rain are bigger problems where you live, your team could get leaves out of neighbors’ gutters and downspouts. Damage from clogging is the number-one home insurance claim in some parts of the country! A really big storm may create street and other drainage problems where a little attention early on can prevent a lot of damage and inconvenience. Talking over questions like these is one place to start, as is planning how to share tools and resources in the event of a power outage.

If you don't have time to create a formal team, here's another way to work together. Soon after a bad storm, talk with others and review what happened and what would have made the neighborhood's response more effective. You can talk with people you already know, the people next door, across the street, or across the back fence. Closer communication about how to get ready can reduce risk, minimize inconvenience and speed repairs.

If your neighbors and you are just starting to get to know each other, and you don't get together as a block or a neighborhood group, you may need a simple way to communicate. Even a short news bulletin issued once or twice a year can be a big help in bringing people together on your block.

The key here is informality-even a handwritten, photocopied sheet can go a long way towards improving contacts among neighbors. One can be run off quickly when there's a special occasion (such as a Block Watch meeting or a welcome party for a new neighbor). That's much easier than making a commitment to a regular schedule.

Your news could include the names of new neighbors, or the forwarding addresses of neighbors who have moved away. A short note like this could even be added on the back of your neighborhood map.

Each bulletin should have a contact name, address, and phone number so people will know how to reach you if they have feedback or need more information. You can include an email address too if people in your area make use of email services. As for distribution, you may want to drop it off on doorsteps, or insert it into an issue of Front Steps as a supplement.

Another source of ideas: Ask a librarian or your city's Department of Neighborhoods to show you samples of other neighborhood or block watch newsletters.

Another way to distribute your news is by using a community bulletin board. These boards are great places for swapping extra stuff; posting buy and sell notices; finding baby-sitters and other helping hands; announcing neighborhood events like garage and plant sales. Ask at the community center, or at stores or cafes if there is some space people on your block can use. Once you find a good place, you can start the ball rolling by posting the first notice.

Another idea for a bulletin board is free and growing in popularity across the country. It's an electronic exchange of ideas online. If you have an Internet account, you may be able to set it up so you can easily pass along information to your neighbors in email or, in some cases, start your own online bulletin board. Gather email addresses from neighbors and send out a notice. Ask your readers to pass it along to other neighbors who might be interested.

For many charities, the holiday season is a very important time for fundraising. It's no wonder that your mailbox may seem extra crowded with year-end appeals and your phone or doorbell may ring more often as callers seek support for charitable causes far and near.

Some requests may be made with extra pressure based on the season. It's always OK to say "no." If there's anything about an appeal that makes you uncomfortable, just politely decline to contribute. And then take an extra minute to think whether there's an organization you already know that could use some extra help to get through the year.

You can use this certificate to honor people for the small things (or the big things) they do to make your neighborhood special. Does your neighbor let you borrow the lawnmower? Always have a kind word for your kids? Prune the branches of the tree that hang over into your yard? Or just have an unforgettable smile that always makes you feel like smiling yourself? Whatever the reason, take a minute and fill out the certificate to pass along to some special person.