July 4th in Bloomington has changed during the past couple of years thanks to the efforts of hundreds who have pulled together to make a difference in our community. This year was no exception! The events I outlined in my last post were all well executed and a great success! This celebration was begun as a desire to bring a sense of community to our area despite religious participation. B and I felt strongly that this area needed something not religious based to pull the community together. Interesting to note that major pieces of the Search Institute 40 Developmental Assets outlined and focused on in public school include this positive sense of community.
Interesting as I have done a little research this morning on the psychological definition of "Sense of Community" that experts list four attributes of a positive "Sense of Community:"
Membership, Influence, Integration and fulfillment of needs, and Shared emotional connection.
As we gathered even in the opening Patriotic Program on Sunday night, and joined there with a common desire to celebrate freedom through word and music, the emotional connections with those who put forth the effort to attend and participate was tangible. The evening was beautiful, the speaker fabulous and touching and the music was fantastic. It was orchestrated without a flaw, and many hands linked together to make it possible! Thank you to all those individuals! There were many, many!
This fabulous event was the beginning of the celebration, and set the tone for the events of the next day! Rising well before dawn, desiring to honor the Sabbath day, we put off set up work until the morning of the event. Again, Many, Many hands made possible the culminating events! Miracles were abundant! People showed up to help shoulder the work. Time seemed to be extended so that necessary tasks could be completed in time for the event, and even the weather was tempered! Laus Deo! Last year, we believe we served some 600 people. This year we planned on 1200 for breakfast, and believe some 800 were served. A.&K.L. did a masterful job in carrying out every detail with regard to breakfast, including a coffee pot to be sure that all were catered to! It is believed that 100 cups of coffee were served that morning which indicates that all denominations felt welcome and participated! We believe there were well over 1000 people gathered in the park to participate in the festivities which lingered through the entire morning! We arranged to have a fire truck come at 11:30 to cool the kids off, but at 10:30 the temperatures were only in the mid 80's and the heavens sprinkled a little love over us, cooling everyone, and the cloud cover kept the temperatures in that range until noon! It was a heavenly blessing for our community celebration! For us our goals for this celebration can be summarized by the following:
Bloomington 4th of July Celebration Goals:
To provide a patriotic celebration for our Bloomington community where all members of our neighborhood are invited to participate in patriotic celebrations of freedom regardless of age, religion, or ethnic background.
To engage members of our community in a positive tradition on the 4th of July which will link generations, families, and our community through the memory of participation in and service to others inherent in this celebration. Providing a service to community opportunity which will bring a sense of community to our Bloomington area through sacrifice, service, and shared experiences while developing relationships with all who choose to participate.
We didn't bring in the finances of years past, but we feel strongly that these goals were met. We don't choose to measure the success of this event by the dollars brought in. It has never been the desire of the committee to simply "raise money!"
Thank you committees for providing a tradition for my family which will resurface through the halls of memory for me and my family as a community we love! Thank you!
Interesting as I have done a little research this morning on the psychological definition of "Sense of Community" that experts list four attributes of a positive "Sense of Community:"
Membership, Influence, Integration and fulfillment of needs, and Shared emotional connection.
As we gathered even in the opening Patriotic Program on Sunday night, and joined there with a common desire to celebrate freedom through word and music, the emotional connections with those who put forth the effort to attend and participate was tangible. The evening was beautiful, the speaker fabulous and touching and the music was fantastic. It was orchestrated without a flaw, and many hands linked together to make it possible! Thank you to all those individuals! There were many, many!
This fabulous event was the beginning of the celebration, and set the tone for the events of the next day! Rising well before dawn, desiring to honor the Sabbath day, we put off set up work until the morning of the event. Again, Many, Many hands made possible the culminating events! Miracles were abundant! People showed up to help shoulder the work. Time seemed to be extended so that necessary tasks could be completed in time for the event, and even the weather was tempered! Laus Deo! Last year, we believe we served some 600 people. This year we planned on 1200 for breakfast, and believe some 800 were served. A.&K.L. did a masterful job in carrying out every detail with regard to breakfast, including a coffee pot to be sure that all were catered to! It is believed that 100 cups of coffee were served that morning which indicates that all denominations felt welcome and participated! We believe there were well over 1000 people gathered in the park to participate in the festivities which lingered through the entire morning! We arranged to have a fire truck come at 11:30 to cool the kids off, but at 10:30 the temperatures were only in the mid 80's and the heavens sprinkled a little love over us, cooling everyone, and the cloud cover kept the temperatures in that range until noon! It was a heavenly blessing for our community celebration! For us our goals for this celebration can be summarized by the following:
Bloomington 4th of July Celebration Goals:
To provide a patriotic celebration for our Bloomington community where all members of our neighborhood are invited to participate in patriotic celebrations of freedom regardless of age, religion, or ethnic background.
To engage members of our community in a positive tradition on the 4th of July which will link generations, families, and our community through the memory of participation in and service to others inherent in this celebration. Providing a service to community opportunity which will bring a sense of community to our Bloomington area through sacrifice, service, and shared experiences while developing relationships with all who choose to participate.
We didn't bring in the finances of years past, but we feel strongly that these goals were met. We don't choose to measure the success of this event by the dollars brought in. It has never been the desire of the committee to simply "raise money!"
Thank you committees for providing a tradition for my family which will resurface through the halls of memory for me and my family as a community we love! Thank you!