We want to say how much that the work of volunteers, led by Joe Jennison, have led this community in the past decade.
Joe touched on that briefly in ways in the news story last year of some of his favorite memories and accomplishments in 15 or more years leading the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group.
In just a little over a month’s time from now, we’re going to be hosting the Chalk the Walk festival in uptown Mount Vernon once more. Volunteers, city groups and Jennison work on organizing the event, and community members work the week before in beautifying the streets. It’s one of the first events that officially kicks off festival season in uptown Mount Vernon. A festival season that includes roughly nine different events from now through December.
Jennison also mentioned the number of grants the city and businesses have won over the years. Again, that comes though in a process that makes the most competitive grants advance forwards for the project. That’s working alongside business owners to find their dreams and start making them a reality, in helping them receive funding and start work on the projects at their core. With more than 11 grants received in Open4Business and other grant opportunities, that’s spanned some great and creative businesses and storefronts in Mount Vernon.
Jennison said he did a lot of that by empowering volunteers. And if you’ve ever worked at an event CDG has held as a volunteer, you know that’s the case. The ask is little, and many times it is just as simple as being ready to speak about your knowledge of the community to those visiting for a weekend. Many hands make light work.
And through it all, CDG with Jennison’s help and guidance has done things that people remark “wasn’t that cool?” decades later, like Zip Code Day or hosting a traveling Smithsonian exhibit about sports and tailoring designs that helped people in this community reflect on our own sports.
Then, there’s something like the Hilltop Pocket Park, where people curbed their smoking and helped an outdoor space in uptown become a realty that is utilized almost every fine weather day to enjoy our uptown. All because someone helped guide volunteers to dream big and accomplish something that seems small when you look at it into a bigger picture win.
We know that many of these festivals and things CDG are doing will continue moving on because like Jennison said, they have empowered leaders and volunteers looking to continue that mission and will be looking for the next person to carry the torch and be a community cheerleader and guiding voice once more.
We also know how committed, dedicated and one of a kind Jennison was in his mission, that even when overwhelmed in this community, he found solace with the volunteers he worked with to get the energy to carry on. These communities have been better for the impact of the leadership and volunteers that keep on asking “why not?”
Sun Editorial – The impact of CDG director, volunteers have shaped this community
March 28, 2024