[Durham INC] Nominate Neighborhood Heroes

[Pat Carstensen]

A couple updates:1) At the delegate meeting last night, we voted to move the deadline for nominations until August 31.2) "Contact information" includes your name and phone number (or other contact info) and the nominee's name and contact info (so we can call them and invite them to the awards event).3) There aren't "categories" because it is often hard to figure what category applies -- if Mr. Jones mows lawns for several older residents, is it human kindness, appearance or crime prevention?  Some "betters" include neighborhood safety, neighborhood activities (website, list-serve, fish-fry, parade, etc.), appearance, and general kindness (food, help, etc).4) Below is a write-up from Watts-Hillandale.  Obviously, you don't need to be so elaborate, but doing a nice write-up shows your appreciation, captures a bit of your neighborhood history and could be used in your newsletter / website.
Regards, pat















On July 4, 1950, kids were lolling in Tom and Alice
Walker’s backyard at 2223 Club Boulevard. It was only 10 am, but the heat and
humidity had already sapped their energy. “They were just sitting around
fanning themselves, trying to stay cool,” Mrs. Walker remembers. Inspired, she
brought out some crepe paper and a handful of tiny American flags and urged her
husband to see if he could get them to march down Club Boulevard.

 

Margaret, their daughter, dressed her scooter with
the paper, while others got their bikes to do the same. After grabbing the
flags, off they went! That first parade was only down the block and back. Upon
their return, the kids decided that wasn’t enough and set off to do the route
again. Back in the Walkers’ yard, they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and
sang “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” By then, parents, siblings and friends
gathered, and afterwards, Mrs. Walker treated them all to lemonade.

 

Over the years, the parade has grown and changed.
The second year, Mr. Walker organized 8 families with about 15 kids to carry a
full-size American flag, and somebody brought a carton of Coke and Pepsi to
supplement Mrs. Walker’s lemonade. In 1952, folks started gathering in Oval
Park because the group had outgrown any single front yard. A few years after
that, Bill Holmes, who owned a store nearby, started making his slushy lemonade
to quench the thirst of all marchers, and the city agreed to close Club
Boulevard and gave the kids a police and fire-engine escort.

 

This year, we celebrated the 55th parade, including
those wonderful changes, while the spirit, camaraderie and fun were the same as
those inspired by Mrs. Walker’s introduction of this festive tradition in 1950!
Even some of the original marchers . . . and their children, grandchildren and
even great-grandchildren, participated in this year’s celebration. Not only is
this the longest continually-running independence day celebration in Durham, it
is probably the most multi-generational! Mrs. Walker did not march in this
year’s parade, but instead watched it from the comfort of an air-conditioned
car. She is delighted the parade is still one of the most endearing and
enduring aspects of life in Watts Hospital-Hillandale.

 

WHHNA nominates Mrs. Alice Walker as our hero for introducing this
wonderful opportunity for families, friends and neighbors to celebrate and to
reflect.


Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 06:57:33 -0700
From: bulldurhamnc at yahoo.com
To: inc-list at durhaminc.org
Subject: [Durham INC] Nominate Neighborhood Heroes

Hi Folks,
The InterNeighborhood Council of Durham is now soliciting nominations for our 2012 Neighborhood Heroes Awards.
Please nominate someone who has made your neighborhood, or another neighborhood, better. "Better" can be construed as broadly as possible.  The only restriction is that awards are not given for work done as part of one's regular job.
Simply send us a brief statement of why an individual is deserving of an award, and give us contact information.
Nominations can be submitted by U.S. mail to:  
InterNeighborhood Council of Durham762 NInth St., #700Durham, NC 27705
or by email
 to:
interneighborhoodcouncil at gmail.com 
Winners will be invited to a recognition ceremony at Motorco on Tuesday, October 23.
Please bring this up at your neighborhood meetings, and put it on your neighborhood list serve.   We would like to solicit as many nominations as possible.  Hurry, the deadline is August 1.
Thanks.
John Martin, PresidentInterNeighborhood Council of Durham
_______________________________________________
Durham INC Mailing List
list at durham-inc.org
http://www.durham-inc.org/list.html 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20120725/d8b18703/attachment.html>