Editor's note: Adrienne Maurer is a board member of the Southwest Area Partnership of neighborhoods in Fort Wayne. The Your Neighbor column typically is written by a member of a local nonprofit group and appears frequently in Neighbors.
We live in a strong community.
Strength in our community comes from the people who live here — people who are ready to jump in and help when needed, as we experienced recently during the storms earlier this summer.
In our strong community, people know their neighbors, value the neighborhoods and take pride in making each neighborhood a great place to live. We value public safety and those who serve the community to keep us safe.
You can celebrate this community spirit by attending this year's National Night Out event. This event is held each year and provides an opportunity to learn about public safety and a chance to get to know our neighbors.
We will be celebrating the 29th annual National Night Out with an event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Packard Park, at Fairfield and Packard avenues. This event is co-sponsored by the Southwest Area Partnership (SWAP) and the Packard Area Planning Alliance (PAPA), and is sponsored nationally by Target.
At this event, you can climb aboard a number of public safety vehicles, ask questions of policy and fire representatives, and learn about how these people keep us safe.
Learn about bike safety from Parkview Hospital and pick up a bike helmet at cost while you're there. Take the bike safety obstacle course.
Come and see one of the new Citilink hybrid buses! Enjoy games and goodies for the kids, and a raffle for a Peg Perego car. Musical entertainment provided by Rhapsody in Wax.
And, of course — lots of free food, drinks and giveaways.
If you can't make the event, you can still make a difference in your neighborhood. Turn on your porch light; get out and meet your neighbors. Stronger neighborhoods are less attractive to crime.
The Southwest Area Partnership is a group of 160 neighborhood associations in the southwest quadrant of Fort Wayne. The purpose of the partnership is to strengthen and support the neighborhood associations and to provide information about city services.
The Packard Area Planning Alliance is a CDAP (Community Development Area Plan), focused on seven neighborhoods in and around the Packard Park area. This group is dedicated to improving the quality of life for these neighborhoods.
