HOW TO BE AN ACTIVIST IN YOUR COMMUNITY - DANI CRONCE

How to be an activist in your community.

Written By: Dani Cronce, Binghamton Councilwoman – 05/16/2016 – 10:48AM ET

 

I was first introduced to community service as a teenager. My mother dragged my brother, sister and myself to help preserve a hundred-year-old historical church. It was falling apart, crumbling and over ridden with wild animals. We spent all summer, fall and winter restoring and fixing the old church. We came home grimy, dust covered, tired and achy on a daily basis. We see old walls come down but we helped make new walls go up. In the end I learned that setting goals and working hard to achieve them made success. I learned that it takes action to create action. Our hard work created a beautiful church that was able to meet the community’s needs.

 

This instilled a constant thought process that keeps me positively connected to my actions and my community.

 

Now twenty years later I am still excited to help rebuild and restore my community. I see that my community is formed by different social classes, races and ethnic backgrounds. Yet each individual is trying desperately to define their individuality.

 

At the same time, we all need to feel like we belong to something more than who we are. Neighborhoods seem to lack the togetherness that it used to hold.

 

We need to heal our community one person at a time. Much like buildings, People can get run down without love and care. In the end we have families that are broken and crumbing from the inside out. This makes rips in our community. Families make neighborhoods. Broken families make broken neighborhoods.

 

I believe it is time to mend our neighborhoods and heal our communities.

 

Every time we walk out the door is a chance to touch another life. Churches, Schools, local organizations and community leaders have opportunities to help serve the neighbors that we live next to.

What can we personally do to help those who live close to us?

 

We can be informed, be educated, be involved.

 

What needs are in your community? Are there school children who need after school programs? Are there families in need of healthy meals? Are your neighbors struggling with addiction?

 

When we seek to become involved, our small world grows and we connect with those around us. When we connect with others we start to care about their needs. When we care about others we become active.

Wood News Agency, LLC                      Binghamton, NY

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