Community: A unified body of individuals with common interests living in a particular area
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see community in action. The intersection of public space—in this case Thrasher Park; a neighborhood group—in this case the nearly 90-year-old Wildwood Civic League; friends and families—in this case those celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month; and a number of community partners, all coming together to celebrate, share information, get a COVID vaccine, eat food, and have fellowship.
A Public Space
It was great to see a park serve its intended purposes—to be a place where the community can come together to celebrate and recreate. There were grills cooking up the day’s food, the playground was in demand, and the community room was serving as a COVID vaccine clinic through our partnerships with the Virginia Department of Health and Bradley Free Health Clinic. The basketball court had temporarily been turned into an information center, where community partners from throughout the City shared information about their services and helped connect residents to various opportunities.
Old and New Neighbors
It was great to see the combination of one of the oldest neighborhood organizations in the State of Virginia, the Wildwood Civic League, hosting an event alongside some of the newest residents of our community—immigrants from Mexico, and throughout Central and South America. The sounds of Spanish were everywhere in the air, along with the smell of some wonderful food!
Celebrating Heritage
Council Member Vivian Sanchez-Jones, herself born in the Dominican Republic, proudly presided over the entire event which offered an opportunity to celebrate Hispanic heritage and the role Hispanics and LatinX members play in our community and throughout the nation.
All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a part of a Sunday afternoon—good weather, nice park, great food and wonderful community!
-- Bob Cowell
