Celebrating together as friends and neighbors

It’s a new year – And your Board of Directors is excited about what we can do in 2003! And, we want you to be a part of it.

We have established some tentative goals and a list of projects for 2003 as well as a tentative budget. Look for these items elsewhere in the newsletter. We’ll review these materials at the January meeting.

Jan Quinley, Ford Birthsite’s President, will be joining us in January to share the process FBNA uses regarding code violations. Additionally, we’ve invited Jackson Academy’s Principal Kyle Tonnies to come meet you. And, we’ll be having pizza and snacks so bring your ideas and appetite.

Please think about what you’d like to do to assist your LNA in 2003. We hope to establish some new committees and get some more members involved. Just a couple of hours a month would greatly enhance the effectiveness of our group and you’d have personal satisfaction as well! Together we can accomplish so much more than as individuals!

Remember – the LNA Board meetings are open to anyone – just call a Board Member for specific times and locations.

On behalf of the LNA Board, we wish you all a successful and healthy 2003 and look forward to seeing you on January 16^th. Carol

Commitment and the LNA
By Jim Thompson

Since I joined this neighborhood association in 1985, there have been a LOT of changes. There have been a lot of accomplishments. Countless hours have been put forth by countless volunteers performing countless projects, all destined towards improving the quality of life in the area we chose to live.

And I can most assuredly state that as a result of this overall commitment, the quality of living in this neighborhood has improved. And as we all know, the job is not done.

The November meeting of the LNA was an important one. We elected a new Board of Directors whose mission will be to lead this group into making further improvements and to continue those projects that are beneficial to the quality of life in the neighborhood. Your input as a member or even as a neighbor/potential member, is important at all levels in this group. Success cannot be dependent on a board of five individuals. Your commitment is needed. The beneficiary of your commitment is not only yourself and your family, but the neighborhood as a whole. One person can do a good job, but it takes everyone to do a great job.

As most of you know, I have served as a Board member and as past President of this dynamic group. That honor carried with it an important volunteer effort, and I found it most rewarding. I really believe there are a significant number of you who can come forward to make your own commitment to serve in some capacity, donating a certain amount of time for the association. I feel there is a lot of talent within the four corners of this association in those who live, own a business or own property and thus are well qualified to perform some work as a good neighbor.

In my years of experience in watching the neighborhood unfold, there has always been a cautious raising of the hand of those who wanted to help out. I think the biggest hesitation to step forward is thinking that it takes too much time. Well, it does take a couple of hours each month. This includes the regular monthly meeting. And there might even be some phone or computer time. Beyond that, there will be neighbors, whether on the board or not, who can afford to spend more time on different projects. But as an active neighbor, it does not have to be as time consuming as some might think. I urge you to not use this as a deterrent in stepping forward.

The LNA has a fine tradition to uphold and it takes commitment of every member. But as one who has "been there", a special pride is held for those who take one extra step to raise their hand to say "I’ll do it". You will have the support of a couple of hundred dedicated members to continue to make this a GREAT neighborhood.

I want to take this opportunity to thank those who departed from the board and to welcome those who have stepped forward at this important time.

• Obtain 501(c)3 status
• Increase participation through additional commitees
• Inventory area groups

Received by e-mail from Ann Hobbs

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again. I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them. I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day. I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you
knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the
complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and
loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So . . . here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, ‘cause "Tag – you’re it."

by Carol Haas

I brought this pumpkin stuff to the November meeting and several of you were interested in the recipe. First, let me tell you my cooking isn’t the best so what you got and what it was supposed to be are two different things. But this is the real recipe:

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

To serve, cut in bars, top with Cool Whip or whipped cream. Or, do as I did – bake at 450 about 45 minutes – scrape burned stuff off top. Since the inside isn’t set at this point, scoop into little cups and take to your neighborhood association meeting and let them think it’s some kind of pumpkin pie dessert!

It’s a brand New Year and maybe some of you stayed up until midnight on New Year’s Eve to welcome 2003. New Year’s is celebrated around the world – but not always on the same day and not the same way.

Chinese New Year begins in late January or February and lasts one month. Parades and fireworks are part of the festivities. On New Years Day gifts are exchanged and some homes make a "money tree" which is decorated with old coins and paper flowers. The third day of celebrations, the Lion Dance begins and continues until the fifth day. Men dress in lion costumes and dance in a parade. Dancers climb on top of each other to form a human ladder to reach "lucky money" that is tied in high places. The Dragon Dance is also held on the third day of the New Year. Paper-mache dragon heads are made with long fabric bodies. It takes several men to maneuver the dragon through the streets. Families open their doors to let the dragon bring luck into their homes. The color red is a lucky color and can be found prominently throughout the celebrations. The Chinese also believe that each year was named after one of twelve animals.

Japan celebrates January 1 through the 3^rd. They decorate the entrance to homes with ropes made of straw to keep out evil spirits. Using fern, bitter orange and lobster to decorate, they believe good fortune, prosperity and a long life will be their reward. In South India, Tamil is celebrated on the first day of winter. Pilgrimages and the boiling of new rice are traditions.

In Denmark, it is a good sign to find your door heaped with a pile of broken dishes at New Years. Old dishes are saved year around to throw at the homes where friends live on New Years Eve. Many broken dishes are a symbol that you have many friends!

In Spain when the clock strikes midnight the people eat 12 grapes. One grape for every stroke of the clock to represent each month in the year. Each grape is said to bring good luck in the new year. Switzerland believes good luck comes from letting a drop of cream land on the floor on New Years Day. While in France people eat a stack of pancakes for luck and good health. Belgium farmers wish their animals a Happy New Year for blessings. Armenian women cook a special bread for their family. The bread is kneaded with luck and good wishes pressed into the dough before it is cooked.

The Jewish New Year Festival is called Rosh Hashanah. The date varies each year. People are given 10 days before the New Year to show they are sorry for any wrong they may have done. The New Year’s Eve dinner table has festival candles and decorations of fresh fruit especially grapes.

January 1st is an important date in Greece because it is not only the first day of the New Year but it is also St. Basil's Day. St. Basil was one the forefathers of the Greek Orthodox Church. He is remembered for his kindness and generosity to the poor. There are stories of how St. Basil would come in the night and leave gifts for the children in their shoes. There are many special dishes prepared at New Year but the most important is St. Basil's cake. Inside the cake is placed a silver or gold coin. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be lucky for the next year.

Ask your friends from different countries how they celebrate the New Year – It may be much differently than you do and very interesting.

The annual Cheer project was a huge success and we were able to help 6 neighborhood families. Cece Light, Margaret Pappas, Deb Nuessendorfer, Ethan & Erin Burmeister, and Chris Krin all worked hard to make the project a success. We also had great help from Rosa Ortiz of the Temme House, Mrs. Arriaga from Jackson Academy and members of the Greek Church. And, Northern Natural employees helped to sponsor one family. None of this would be possible, however, without the financial support and donations of toys, gifts, and food by over 60 members, business owners, and friends of the LNA. A report on Christmas Cheer will be given at the January meeting.

• Outreach/Membership
• Kids’ Day
• Turner Boulevard Park Project
• Jackson School involvement
• Newsletter
• Calling
• Garden
• Audit
• Neighborhood history
• Environmental
• Crime & Safety
• Picnic/Concert
• Area group identification
• Government/Community /Relations

You may noticed that several new committees have been identified. Additionally, chairs and committee members have been identified for some of the committees. Look over the list – see where you’d like to help – it’s fun to work together with people and it won’t take all that much time. We’ll assign folks at the January meeting.

• Responsibilities are shared.
• More members become involved.
• Specialized skills of members can be used to best advantage.
• Inexperienced members gain confidence while serving on the committee.
• Matters may be examined in more detail by a committee.
• The parent body is able to complete its business more efficiently by delegating some work to committees.

Committees are effective when the job is too large for one or two people. Committees help define an issue, resolve a complex problem and involve group members. Successful committees plan ahead usually as a result of the key role the Committee chair plays.

If you compare a good book to a healthy organization, the contents of the book can be likened to the activities of an organization. But without the binding (executive, board), the table of contents (purpose, mandate) and the chapter headings and pages (committee chair and members), the activities would have no direction, no meaning. Just as chapter headings and pages are essential in the writing (and reading) of a good book, so too are committees, their chairs and members vital to the health of an effective organization!

The Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha houses, supports and sponsors Neighborhood Builders which is a leadership development program. The goal of Neighborhood Builders is to help build stronger, healthier neighborhoods in the tri-county metropolitan area working under the vision "Better futures are built on better neighborhoods." The training sessions for Neighborhood Builders are facilitated by community leaders, local educators, businesses and neighborhood representatives. The goal is to make these topics useful to your everyday life. These newly acquired skills will help at work, home and in your neighborhood community.

Sessions will be held in Saturday morning during February at Creighton Medical Center near the dining room. Please contact an LNA board member or the Neighborhood Center (561-7581) if you are interested in attending. You will learn valuable information and interact with various individuals who can provide ongoing assistance and information.

Barbara & Bradley Johnson, long-time LNA members, have moved out of the neighborhood. The LNA recently received a note from the Johnson’s, a donation to the LNA, and payment of the 2003 dues for the purchasers of their home in our neighborhood. Thanks a bunch!

Please complete the membership form when forwarding your dues. If you have an e-mail address, please include it. Or you can e-mail it to maximom1@cox.net.

Your support goes a long way to defray the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter each month. Bills will be issued for the last quarter of 2002 and first quarter of 2003 as soon as possible.

Alderman’s Bar 3216 Leavenworth 341-5190

Backlund Plumbing 3152 Leavenworth 341-0450

Fashion Cleaners 3031 Leavenworth 342-3491

Fred’s Friendly 66 29^th & Leavenworth 342-9519

Jorgensen Awning 3305 Leavenworth 345-7224

Key Masters 3422 Leavenworth 346-7108

Kohll’s Pharmacy 2923 Leavenworth 342-5886

Meinke 3222 Leavenworth 342-6220

Olson’s Bar 3207 Leavenworth 342-9116

VFW Post #247 33^rd & Leavenworth 344-0714

Wholesale Food Outlet 29^th & Leavenworth

Yesterday’s Best 36^th & Leavenworth 342-3113

Z’s Corner 36^th & Leavenworth 344-3302

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Last modified: 05/07/03