Hayes Valley Community Partners Celebrates its Fourth Season of Goodwill

By Richard Johnson

Wow, how time flies. It seems like yesterday when Judy Edmond, of Safety Network, and I where in the midst of planning a pedestrian safety fair for Hayes Valley. The year was 2002 and from there we went on to form the Hayes Valley Community Partners (HVCP). Since then the HVCP has added new partners and expanded to put on community events throughout the year.

The HVCP celebrated its 4th holiday season in December of 2005. The HVCP, of which HVNA is a partner, is a collaboration of community members, city departments, and non-profits. Our mission is to provide community events that bring neighbors together to foster a more safe and caring community. HVNA committee members from Beautification, Public Safety and Families & Children are an integral part of these efforts. All through 2005 we held events ranging from a Black History event, several park cleanups, safety march, safe Halloween, a Thanksgiving dinner and talent event. We concluded in December with a month full of seasonal events.

To achieve our mission we strive to both add new partners and to our yearly calendar of community events that lead to a better quality of live for all. Last year we added the Neighborhood Parks Council and the Western Addition Beacon Center as new partners and expanded our event calendar to include a Safe Halloween in Hayes Valley. For me the highlight of the year was our Giving Voice to the Season Thanksgiving Dinner and Talent show. We partnered with neighborhood faith-based groups to provide food and entertainment to over 200 people that caused quite a positive buzz in the community.

Mother Nature in the past year taught us a valuable lesson that survival depends on the combination of food, water, shelter and knowing your neighbor. So check the Voice calendar throughout the year for upcoming HVCP events that provide venues for meeting new neighbors. Attend one, and who knows, the neighbor you meet at one of the events may be your hero in an emergency.

Neighbors of all ages participated in wreath making at Hayes Valley South in early December. The wreaths were then delivered to each of the housing complexes in the area as neighbors shared the spirit of the season. Photo by Barbara Wenger