So should this be a letter of thanks or an account of an outstanding volunteer event? I say both. Let’s call it, “Leadership Prince William partners with Comcast Cares at Georgetown South”. From a perspective of gratitude, we could call it, “ The Georgetown South Community Council says thank you for caring for us as we care for our own”. No, let’s call it, “This community has a new story to tell” or “Amor equals love in the largely immigrant community of Georgetown South”. So many possibilities for a day of possibilities realized.
My name is Meg Carroll, I am the community manager for the Georgetown South Community Council, a 54-year-old homeowners’ association in the City of Manassas. We are a community of 860 houses, 22 acres, 13 streets, and 4,000 residents, most of whom are Latino. We have returned over the past several years to that which the community espoused in 1964 as a founding principle, “A community that cares for its own.” In December of 2017, a member of Leadership Prince William Class of 2018 came to me and asked if Georgetown South would like to be part of Comcast Cares Day. All I knew about Comcast Cares at the time was that it would bring a huge volunteer presence to our community so my answer was a resounding yes.
Leadership Prince William then worked directly with the Georgetown South staff to develop the projects for the day. This is a recount of the amazing quantity of work done by over 200 volunteers on April 21stin just four hours.
- Spread over 300 yards of mulch on 45 play areas
- Prepped the community garden to cultivate vegetables for the community’s Food Pantry
- Painted 30 fences on the frontage of the community which is also the southern gateway to the City
- Painted 43 picnic tables in attractive jewel tones for use in the community engagement areas
- Planted 24 window boxes at the front entrances to the community
- Created an AMOR sign to represent this community in the tradition of the “LOVE” signs throughout the Commonwealth, but recognizing our predominantly Latino population
- Installed unique address plaques on the rear fences of all 860 homes to assist public safety personnel
- Gave to Georgetown South a sense of belonging to the City of Manassas and the belief that it has much to contribute as “A Community that cares for its own.”
Comcast Cares has been doing these events for 18 years, but this is the first time that Georgetown South was a beneficiary. Far beyond their physical labors, the volunteers also experienced a sense of welcome from a loving community and returned that feeling. The older participants, aware of a much different reality surrounding Georgetown South than they encountered on Saturday, celebrated the transformation they saw in this community. We, the staff, board members, residents and owners of Georgetown South acknowledge with gratitude the work done by the volunteers, which included a great number of our own residents. Georgetown South truly is “A Community with a New Story to Tell”. Thanks to everyone who participated for contributing to our story.
Meg Carroll