It’s a question people ask, especially when they first move to the neighborhood. Or, just as likely, a non-resident friend of yours has asked the question after you tell them the first or third Monday of the month won’t work to have dinner. Or watch football. Or quilt. It is, after all, your free time.
SNIA, or the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association was started in 1958, as a response to the growing problem of urban blight. How we got there is a long and complicated story, meant for another post. How SNIA came to be is best explained on Page Six of this document, culled from our website’s newsletter archives. Incorporated in 1975, its ultimate goal is neighborhood stabilization and community building. Our website says it, this way:
SNIA serves the residents of the Shaw neighborhood by providing information, facilitating discussion, and acting on solutions. General meetings provide opportunities to personally interact with the Alderman, the 3rd District Police, the Neighborhood Stabilization Officer, SNIA Officers, as well as to meet and greet other residents of the community.
“Okay, so what?” you ask. Good question. The short answer is this: if you see an issue in our neighborhood that needs to be addressed, SNIA is the vehicle through which you’d do that. Long-time board member and Shaw resident Sue Raney came up with some excellent talking points that summarize SNIA’s work into three different categories:
- Communication (both internal and external)
- Improvement (safety, beautification, quality of life)
- Marketing (bringing new residents into the neighborhood, through house tours, events, etc.)
Over the next few days, we’ll dig into each category, and show how SNIA works in that area. Hopefully, you’ll turn off the TV, put down your quilt, and join us.
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