Des Moines City Councilman Matt Pina visited with us at our community open house June 13th. Gwen Koch asked him a great question, “What can we do?” Too often I think we expect our elected leaders can solve our wide ranging list of problems all by themselves. Leaders like Matt commonly are asked what they are doing for us, and he could not remember ever being asked how someone could help. This reminds me of the immortal words from JFK’s inaugural speech, “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”. These words inspired millions, many years before I was born. I believe they still ring true to what strong communities require, active citizens.
Matt did have an idea, to answer this question. The city has already had to make painful cuts in many areas of city services. 
There are areas like the Des Moines Memorial Park (flag pole triangle) and Big Catch Plaza which could possibly be adopted by organizations to keep them cleaned up. Think Eagle Scout project. Think win-win public relations / advertising for your special cause group. Think about keeping our city looking its best as several efforts work to draw more visitors and their tax dollars to our businesses.
This is the kind of mindset we need to be in. The North Hill Community Club organizes, we know how to get the word out, and we are a networking engine of a stronger community. This is your call to action. Volunteering is fast and easy, organizing does not cost anything, and we can all take pride in knowing that we are a part of getting our city through this economic crisis. The hardest part is that first phone call or email, so I will make it easy for you. Send me an email and tell me that you are ready to help. vthyng@gmail.com
Loading ...