Neighbors Helping Neighbors

I tried to help a couple of times but soon found out that was a useless gesture. I�d pick up a gardening tool and start to work, but someone always came along, gently took the tool I was working with, and did the job themselves. So, I kept taking photographs and basking in the luxury of �neighbors helping neighbors� and how wonderful these people were who came to my rescue.

There were smiles and laughter throughout the process, too. When it came time to mow the lawn, several volunteers didn�t know how to start my rider-mower but one man did. It was just like his mower he left behind in Tennessee! He rode it and mowed, laughing and having a great time remembering his Tennessee home with his daughter sitting on his lap. The two teenage girls got the giggles when trying to maneuver a wheel-barrow full of branches and I was lucky enough to be there to snap a picture of them.

Within three hours the back yard had been completed � huge shrubs had been cut back or cut down, trees trimmed, weeds had been pulled, the entire lawn (I have � of a acre) mowed and a huge pile of brush stacked at the roadside. It was an amazing amount of work done in such

It�s March 10th, the sun is rising over Lake Helen Lake and I�m sitting in my Florida Room/Office working on the April edition of The City Observer. Once again I�m able to enjoy looking out at the lake and wildlife which had become difficult the last year or two. Since my husband passed away the yard work had become overwhelming.

When I heard Seth Miller make his presentation to the City Commission requesting the City�s support with his Eagle Scout project, I was quite interested.

Seth�s mother, Janet Miller, explained after the event that he has been working to complete several merit badges, including environmental science and citizenship in the world. Once he finishes the rest of his requirements, Seth will submit his Eagle Rank application to the District Council for approval of his efforts � the highest honor in scouting.

I signed up for help and followed Seth�s progress with my camera in hopes you would find Lake Helen Clean Up Day 2002 as interesting as I did.

9:00 AM was the meeting time at the parking lot of City Hall for volunteers to gather before fanning out around Lake Helen on their mission. I arrived with my camera to see Comm. Cherry and Comm. Long greeting the volunteers. A large poster board with addresses and what needed to be done at each location hung from the oak tree as Seth greeted friends, families, neighbors and the entire Lake Helen City Commission �who had come to help Seth and the people of this community.

Houses needed painting, yards needed clean up (my yard needed extensive yard work), homes needed pressure washing, refuse needed to be picked up and the shoreline of Lake Helen Lake needed some clean up.

The most touching assignment was for volunteers to plant two flowering shrubs at Royal Park in memory of Charlie Short�s son who disappeared on a military flight home 24 years ago and Mrs. Deen�s son who recently passed away at a young age.

Before long 12-18 people arrived at my home to tackle my yard problem. I couldn�t begin to tell you who they all were (though I did recognize Comm. Finn, Kim Linthicum and new neighbor Pat Todd who brought her husband, Bob Schleicher, along) � there were just too many of them � but I can say they were truly �neighbors helping neighbors.� There were entire families from small tots picking up little twigs to grown men with chainsaws and elderly ladies raking or sweeping to teenagers hauling brush. It was amazing to watch and capture with my camera.

a short time.

I was told Mayor Shuttleworth would arrive with a trailer to haul away the brush at 2:00 PM. Then off the volunteers went.

Where did they go? Over to another home that needed work, of course! I would find my neighbor Pat Todd, who had left my house, traded in her lawn tools for a paint brush and was now painting a house!

At 2:00 PM the mayor arrived and I fretted as to who was going to load all the brush on the trailer but within minutes 6 to 8 people arrived and started the removal process. Seth Miller was there as were the two teenage girls I mentioned earlier. They had left my home to paint someone�s house and returned to finish the debris removal. This time they were sunburned, had paint all over themselves, tired but still smiling and enjoying themselves.

When the brush removal had been completed, this little senior citizen began sweeping up the mess on the road and didn�t stop until everyone was long gone and every speck of debris was in her dustpan. She then cheerfully waved good-bye and off she went.

I would like to PROFUSELY thank Seth Miller for organizing such a wonderful event as �Neighbors Helping Neighbors� and I certainly hope this project will continue to be a yearly event. I wanted to sign up to be a volunteer this year but I was asked to direct the volunteers at my own home. So next year I might be at your home, doing yard work, painting or maybe even cleaning your house!