Post 1 Giving A Little More Than We Take
Posted By: Cheryl Koopman,
3/18/2008
I've gone back and forth about whether to actually give in and call Cincinnati my home. I came here when I was 17, and just sort of got "stuck." Now that the rest of my family (and I mean my biological as well as my chosen families) is here, I have resolved myself to sticking around for awhile...at least until my niece grows up.
I started working at Richards Industries almost 12 years ago, and one of my "job duties" was to handle community relations or community affairs. This wasn't something I was used to nor was it something I really wanted to do. At the time I guess I had a very selfish attitude about the community. But over the next year or so, my attitude changed.
As things changed slowly, from me being forced to me actually wanting to do some community service, my attitude changed as well. The more involved I became in Hyde Park, the more I wanted to do. Yes, there were those days when my employer wanted us to sign up for some Clean Up America day or something when I would've much rather have been under the covers on a Saturday morning. But, getting out there and getting my hands dirty really changed the way I saw the community.
I've been reading the posts by other people on Soapbox, and we've all heard the opinions of everyone around us about the kind of city we live in. I have to say that I agree with Eric Avner's second blog entry that Cincinnati isn't done yet. We have a long way to go and a lot of growing and repairing of things that have gone wrong over the years. We do have the chance to make Cincinnati really stand out and be the type of city people want to move in to.
Over the years I've seen a lot of selfish people come and go, through my part of town, Hyde Park, and through Cincinnati in general. I see people use Cincinnati as a type of stepping stone onward and upward to whatever goals their trying to achieve somewhere else in the long run. I see people take and use all they can while they're here, but I don't see enough giving back.
In order for Cincinnati to continue to grow and thrive the way it has so far and beyond that they way it potentially can, we need a community of givers, not takers. I have been working over the last 10 year to associate myself with people who are proud of their city and their community and who want to put as much effort in to the maintenance of the community as they do in their work and family lives. I encourage all of you to really take a look at what you get from living in Cincinnati, and then take a look at what Cincinnati actually gets from having you live here. If there isn't some kind of balance there, there should be!