If you check out what the various groups on location19 are doing, you may find that some have common goals with your own.  

Location19 currently has 47 groups.  Only 20 of them show on the column to the right but 27 have scrolled off the bottom of that listing as new groups get added to the top of the list.  To see all the groups go to the Connect tab above.  When the cursor hovers over Connect you will get a drop-down menu of options.  The top All Groups - Icons sub-tab shows all the group icons on one page and is the fastest way to find a group if it is not on the column on the right.  You can also use the Groups sub-tab which gets you to a more descriptive listing of the groups but takes up three pages.

Several of the groups get involved in similar or complementary activities and it is worthwhile keeping track of who is doing what to make your own efforts most effective.  For example some of the things the 19th Ward Housing Committee gets involved in include bringing attention to code violations and dealing with abandoned houses.   The latest minutes posted in the We Care group shows that one of their efforts this month was Vacant Houses.  Their goal is to hold the landlord accountable for their neglected property especially if it becomes a danger to the community or a haven for criminal activity.   The 19th Ward Public Safety Committee tries to address dangers that vacant houses can pose as well as finding ways to shut down drug houses.  All of these efforts dovetail well with the goals of most of the block groups and Community Association groups.  The  Sector 4 CDC and the  SW Common Council (SWCC) interact with the various Community Associations, Business Associations, and the many social organizations in the SW Quadrant to help coordinate and empower their efforts.

Most of us want to get things done rather than sit in meetings talking about it, but knowing who to turn to in order to get things done with the least difficulty and without repeating others mistakes can make our lives a lot easier.  Glancing through the minutes of these various groups can give you the names of people and organizations that have been working on similar goals as yours.   Make use of these contacts and you'll get to meet many interesting people who are working to improve our community.   You can leverage off their know-how and enthusiasm to make your own effort easier and more successful.

Give it a try, meet some neat people and have fun.