Our Success Is In Your Hands
The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) consists of volunteers. Its members, and its board of directors, are unpaid. The WRBA has one part-time employee who staffs the office on a limited basis.
The large majority of what the WRBA accomplishes is the result of volunteers taking time out of their busy lives to focus on issues of importance to the community.
We can’t do it on our own, though. We need our fellow residents’ help.
How? By keeping these two rules of thumb in mind.
First, we at the WRBA can’t address a problem of which we are unaware.
Too often, residents don’t tell us about a problem, but then expect us to have known about it-and perhaps solved it-already. This tends to be the case when a problem has been festering for a while.
We spend a lot of time in every part of Woodhaven, but we can’t be everywhere all the time. That’s why we need our neighbors to communicate with us. Every WRBA member should serve as the organization’s eyes and ears.
So if you see something, say something. Don’t think to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be nice if the block association did something about that?” Instead, make sure we’re aware of the situation.
If you don’t tell us (or the city, or your local elected officials) about a bad situation, don’t pretend it will fix itself on its own.
The second rule of thumb: You- yes, you the reader-are our greatest ally in improving your community.
Think about what you can do to fix a problem. Usually, the easiest and most obvious step is to call 311.
I can’t count the number of times people have come to us asking for help, only to hear us ask what the 311 service number. Do us and yourself a favor by calling 311 to report the issue first.
Sometimes, the solution is less intuitive than a 311 call. So try to think creatively. Do you have any ideas about how to address the predicament? If so, share the idea with us.
Are you willing to get more involved? Is there a particular type of issue you’re passionate about and would like to focus on tackling? Let us know.
If your passion fits our organization’s purpose, we might be able to provide support.
Believe me: the last thing we want is to control others’ efforts to improve the neighborhood. The more people who are playing a part, the better off everyone will be.
If you see something troubling, ask yourself, “What can I do to try to fix this? Whom can I call to help make this right?” If you don’t know the answer, get in touch with the WRBA. We can’t promise a solution, but we’ll do our best. And even if you do know the answer, let us know too.
Both these rules of thumb have the same underlying point: all residents should take responsibility for their neighborhood.
At our February town hall, dozens of Woodhaven residents were trained to become Block Watchers, a citizens’ observation patrol to supplement the Police Department. This is a great example of Woodhavenites “owning” their community-investing the time to learn how to make the neighborhood safer, and pledging to play a role in solving the problems they see.
We at the WRBA work hard, and we can count a number of successes from our volunteer efforts.
But a truly successful block association is one that motivates all residents to care about, and take action to help, the community. That is what we strive for, and that is in your hands.
Editor’s note: Blenkinsopp is member of Community Board 9 and director of communications for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association. For more information on the WRBA, visit www.woodhaven-nyc.org.
