Being part of a community means knowing you’re safe. It means you know there is a place to go… when you are hurt or lost. It means being able to have pride in where you live.” -Kimberly Grace McGuire, age 11
Written by a wise, eleven year old young lady who would grow up continually making a larger impact on those within her own community and beyond than she ever realized. She wrote that being part of a family did not necessarily require being related through blood but mean knowing you are “loved and cared for.” She believed community was family.
Community is referred to as a group of interacting, living organisms sharing a populated environment. It is more commonly known as a social unit that shares common location or values. It comes from the Latin “cum” which means together and “mumus” which means gift so interpreted means “give among each other.” Condominium owners and tenants of residential rental homes and apartments and even commercial tenants are part of a community.
What does it mean to be a good community member? Is it just following and helping to enforce the rules or do we have a larger obligation to make an impact that can be felt among our fellow members? Are you giving among each other? To encourage the sense of belonging to something bigger that what is behind your front door and make you feel more a part of that network of people you share your every day with, get involved. Share with each other and ask yourself how we can work together to make each other feel safe, loved and cared for – a part of a community, part of a family.
