Now that the summer is officially underway, I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your work. In the past three years since I’ve been in Old Town, I’ve seen major changes. I went from working for a stable corporate entity, to working for a non-profit with an extremely dedicated and excited group of people, but with questionable funding. Though I gave up the comforts of corporate America, I don’t regret it for a moment. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I am meant to be. As I look around at the businesses, employees and residents, it is evident that you feel exactly the same way.
I am continually amazed by your endless energy and commitment to our neighborhood. There were so many examples of this in the last month alone, it would be impossible to list them all, but here are a few. We had about 65 people who came to the rescue when we had only ten volunteers for the last shift of Festival of the Sun; the entire Classic Wines staff jumped behind the bar to help pour beer at Festival of the Moon when we experienced larger-than-expected crowds; a resident stopped by with homemade treats for the volunteers setting up the festival; residents stopped by to sweep and help set-up, though they weren’t asked; locals made sure that the Farmers Market was staffed and that the farmers were happy; volunteers pitched in to plant the open beds and tree wells to “ready Old Town for company;” donors gave us plants and compost to keep away weeds and keep the beds moist; all kinds of people worked hard to move that compost to the appropriate places in 90 degree weather; business owners picked up trash, weed whacked and cleaned up open spaces; locals are helping to water the hanging baskets and keep the area looking beautiful; volunteers spent their entire weekend at the festivals helping to make sure the events were a success. The list goes on and on. Thank you so much to each of you who work so hard to continue to make Old Town so wonderful.
In addition to the donation of time and energy, a number of people have made significant financial donations to ensure that we’re able to continue the work of revitalizing the neighborhood. Please be sure to support these people as much as possible. It is not just the large donors that mean so much, it is also the individuals who have made donations to Old Town - sponsored the banners and baskets, hung a banner at an event, paid for the printing of a brochure, etc.
Thank you to the OTCA board of directors, who contribute significant amounts of time and energy, and who make sure that we’re able to successfully complete projects. These unsung heros are truly wonderful people who work in the background without much thanks, no reimbursement and are taking time away from their businesses and families for the greater good of Old Town.
I cannot say thank you enough to all of you for your help and support. I truly love Old Town. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful place to work.
Have a wonderful summer,
Jamie Schriner-Hooper, Executive Director