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August 16, 2005
Is There Any Community in Community Associations?
Recently I gained first-hand knowledge of what the word "Community" really means. We talk about "Community" a lot these days as we try to fend off the monotonous news stories about nasty boards and unhappy owners. I think we feel we've attained "Community" if a well-planned social event has a few people show up or if we're able to make quorum at the Annual Meeting. I've learned that this isn't even close.
My parents live in a small town in northern Michigan. My father passed away in late July, and as the eldest son, I set out to make the necessary arrangements. The first stop I made was to the local Amvets post where Dad liked to have a cup of coffee in the morning. When they heard the news, they told me to go home and take care of the family, they would handle it, and handle it they did. They planned the memorial service and luncheon, started a phone tree that notified the entire town, had the local paper hold up its printing in order to get the obituary in, made sure the family had enough prepared food for the next week, and handled a myriad of details that helped us cope.
At the memorial service over 500 neighbors and friends attended with military honors being rendered. Veterans from neighboring towns came to pay their respects. The Amvets post hosted a luncheon for everyone, with more food than the entire town could have eaten in a week, all of it donated by individuals. So many people came up to me and told me not to worry about my Mom, that they would see to it that she was looked after, that I lost count and I was sure she was never going to have a free minute in the future. If you can imagine being in a group hug with an entire town.....well you get the picture.
I left that small town to come back to the big city a few days later, wishing that I didn't have to. I grew up in a big city, but neighborhoods back then were tight, close-knit groups. Today, I live in a homeowner association in a suburb and don't even know the names of half my nearby neighbors. I don't think we can ever return to the closeness of those earlier years or clone small-town values, but I know that not having it has left a hole in my life.
The word "Community" may be a part of community associations, but the small "town" of Elk Rapids, Michigan, knows its real meaning and puts the community association "industry" to shame.
Posted by joewest at August 16, 2005 11:35 AM