Hi my name is Mary Butler. I was born and raised in Newtown and now I’m back in Newtown, living in the house I grew up in. For the past year or so, I’ve been working about a mile from my home at SCOPE, and when I had the opportunity to work where I live I was ecstatic. These days, I’m all about the neighborhood. Our neighborhoods tell a story of who we are and where we come from. Our neighborhoods build a stronger community, not the other way around.
Today in communities across the country, more and more neighbors are getting back to their roots of having a sense of belonging right where they live, in their own neighborhood. There is a movement focusing on the fact that citizens are the primary asset and activators of assets in local communities. Studies show crime rate goes down when neighbors know one another. People live longer when they are connected and involved in their community. Who knew?
Sounds good, but then ask yourself, how many of your neighbors do you really know? Are you like me and just say HI NEIGHBOR, but it ends there? Well when I asked myself that question, I realized I knew very few of my neighbors, so I am on a mission to find out what is in my neighborhood, who is in my neighborhood. I would like to discover all the asset and hidden treasures that my neighborhood holds. How old is my neighborhood? Was my older neighbor Mrs. Barbara the jubilee lady you know, the lady that gives out candy to all the kids, on their way home from school. I wonder who else is out there.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve started walking twice a week in my neighborhood. Through this journey I am connecting with my neighbors and finding out what they care about. I’d love to have neighbors to walk with me! In the spring, we will be starting a neighborhood garden in my yard too. When my dad bought our house back in 1978, he bought the lot next door so we’d have more space-now I want to use that space to connect with other neighbors who like gardening as much as I do. We are also starting a newsletter to keep my neighbors informed of what is going on in our neighborhood. There are so many possibilities to discover. I will keep you posted on my neighborhood journey who knows what I will discover next. Newsletter coming soon…
