Editorials
May 22, 2008 07:53 AM
How do we get the new residents of Stouffville involved?
It’s a question everyone from service clubs and churches, to arts group and sports organizations have asked since large-scale growth was approved for Stouffville at the beginning of this century.
And many attempts have been made, with varying levels of return.
Large-scale community information fairs were hosted last year. The first one drew only a handful of new residents. The second was more successful.
Some groups have gone door-to-door with their recruitment. Others have done mass delivery of invitations of posted signs.
Some organizations have gone through home builders to get their message across.
Many will tell you it’s a struggle.
While some new residents have joined in, many haven’t.
Some of the newcomers have gone above and beyond, making recommendations to the municipality and service providers about new or altered services.
Maybe that’s the key.
What worked in Stouffville 10 or 20 years ago may not work here in 2008, without the influx of new residents.
Times have changed. Priorities are different.
Demographics have changed, too. This is not your grandparents’ Whitchurch-Stouffville. Like 2008 Canada, it is not almost exclusively white and Christian.
That change should be recognized and celebrated by organization wanting to recruit newcomers.
For their part, new residents should get involved.
Stouffville is more than home to new housing developments. It is not just a subdivision.
It is a community of neighbourhoods, clubs, congregations, schools, youth groups, stores, industries and sports leagues.
Community is the operative word. It’s what has separated Stouffville from so many former small towns to the south and west of us.
If it’s to continue, it will be because of the successful integration of newcomers into the fabric of everyday life here.
Whitchurch-Stouffville isn’t a private club. It’s a living and breathing being that’s only as healthy as the people who make it up, including you.