National Night
Out
The first Tuesday of each August is when local neighborhoods
along with over 10,000 cities across the nation take part in the
Annual
National Night Out. Families are asked to turn
on their porch light, light up the night and to say “Good Bye”
to crime. The local celebration involves a caravan of vehicles
filled with government officials, law enforcement officials, civic
groups representatives, social service organization staff members
and public service officials that travel through the city stopping
at various organized neighborhood celebrations. Caravan participants
meet with those gathered in each neighborhood event. Participants
share with the neighbors in their own neighborhoods and meet and
share information with all participants. This is a “going away
party for crime” to let the criminals know the residents are taking
back their streets. The goal as “McGruff” the Crime Dogs says,
is to “Take a Bite out of Crime.”
Razzle-Dazzle Good Times/
Christmas Parade
A fun activity each summer for
the neighborhoods is to participate in the
Decatur Celebration
Parade. A float could have children disguised as flowers
popping out of giant flower pots to say “Decatur Grows Happy
Kids!” or children construction workers standing alongside giant
building blocks saying “Great Neighborhoods Are The Building
Blocks Of Great Cities!” This is a chance for the neighborhoods
to shine and be proud of where they live and raise their
families. This is just one more example of neighborhood groups
being involved
in decision
making in their area which is making the city the best it can
be.
Christmas Parade
The Christmas Parade is also a fun activity to promote the
neighborhoods and their contribution to “healthy family life” in
their neighborhood. This is a chance for the neighborhood residents
to show their pride in the way their neighborhood promotes family
life along with improving the way families come together to share
their challenges and successes with other families in their area.
The floats in this parade could possible show an example of “An Old
Fashioned Christmas” or a special way a family celebrates Christmas
according to their own developed tradition. This is also another way
neighborhoods are coming together to show how important healthy
unity in the family is important to a healthy city.
Regional Neighborhood Network Conference
The Regional
Neighborhood Network Conference was spawned as a regional network
after the Neighborhoods U.S.A. conference in 1986. The network
consists of 20 member cities in five states; Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. Each member city appoints one
representative to the RNNC steering committee, responsible for
assisting with the planning of the conference each fall. Regional
Neighborhood Network Conferences draw between 400 and 500
neighborhood representatives, elected officials, city officials,
business persons, and persons from a wide variety of backgrounds
each year. Costs to the attendees are kept to a minimum in order to
allow as many neighborhood representatives as possible to attend.
Neighborhood representatives participate in: an opening welcome
reception on Thursday evening; a day-long series of workshop
sessions presented by professionals from all five states on Friday;
Neighborhood bus tours of the host city on Friday evening; an early
Saturday morning session; experience the motivation of three keynote
speakers; and have ample time to network with each other to learn
about a variety of innovative programs and topics from other cities.
With the purpose of taking these ideas back to their home city to
utilize the innovations in a way that best suite their own
neighborhoods. |
