The new Wissinoming Civic Association won’t be a one-person operation. During the civic group’s third monthly meeting on Oct. 28, residents volunteered to lead nine different projects for the organization, ranging from community outreach efforts to internal management.
As a result, the civic group can now plan to participate in the annual Mayfair-Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade on Frankford Avenue, while hosting its own holiday tree-lighting ceremony at St. Bartholomew Church on Harbison Avenue. The group will also do a food and coat drive for the holidays, while expanding its membership program and presence on social media.
WCA President John Barnes said that Donny Smith, president of the neighboring Mayfair Civic Association, offered board members advice on how to organize things by delegating responsibilities through committee appointments.
Permanent committees include zoning, membership, technology (social media), finance, neighborhood cleanup and public safety. The zoning chairman will be the liaison with the Department of Licenses and Inspection as well as Councilman Bobby Henon on any new zoning applications. There were no new applications as of last week, however.
The membership chair will oversee efforts to recruit new participants in the group and create a membership record. Next year, the group hopes to institute a formal, yet affordable membership dues policy in line with what other community organizations charge. For the time being, however, it isn’t charging dues so as not to discourage people from signing up.
The technology chair has already been making progress, Barnes said, by consolidating the group’s Facebook presence into one “community organization” page called “Wissinoming Civic Association.” It has about 400 followers or “likes.”
Responding to public safety problems like crime is another priority for the civic association, whose meetings will coincide with the 15th Police District’s PSA-2 meetings every other month at Wissinoming Park. The safety chairperson will be the liaison between the group and police. The civic group hopes that the clean-up chair will plan community beautification projects, while the finance chair will plan fundraising activities.
Details about the upcoming holiday-themed events are still pending. The Thanksgiving parade will be on Sunday, Nov. 23. The civic group hopes to have families marching behind the Wissinoming banner with T-shirts and a float. All neighborhood residents are encouraged to sign up to march, particularly young people and youth groups.
The tentative date for the tree-lighting will be Saturday, Dec. 13. It will be a non-denominational ceremony. St. Bart’s was chosen because it is a central, prominent location, has a nice big tree in the yard and the Rev. John J. LaRosa welcomed the idea, Barnes said. The civic association hopes to offer refreshments and is seeking local businesses to sponsor it.
The civic group also hopes to partner with local businesses and religious organizations on a turkey drive for Thanksgiving. The food would be distributed to local families in need as recommended by their pastors or congregations. WCA board member Shalai Young proposed that the project be expanded to include winter coats and shoes. More details are pending.
Barnes also announced that due to Thanksgiving, the next general meeting will be held one week early on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at Wissinoming Park, at Cheltenham Avenue and Charles Street. For information about the Wissinoming Civic Association, visit the organization’s Facebook page or send an email to wissinomingcivicassociation@hotmail.com ••
