November 2018

Frankly, I’m still a bit startled to find myself in this role. When I first moved to Beacon Hill 10 years ago, I didn’t give much thought to the neighborhood as a community. It started gradually through reading the newsletter each month. Four years in, my wife and I started to help deliver them. When she began editing the newsletter three years ago, things kicked into high gear. Meeting so many more neighbors. Going to the general meetings every month. The next thing I knew, I was the board treasurer. And rather to my surprise, I found both the work and the board meetings interesting. (Okay, yes, sometimes they run a bit long.) Every time I turned around, there was another way to contribute to the neighborhood. Following the lead of others who have been at it for years, I started pitching in on work days, helping with fundraising, and organizing social events.

You might read this as a cautionary tale: beware of volunteering. But I hope you take the opposite message from it. The more I’ve become involved, the more I wish I could do. Working to bring neighbors together and build a stronger community is very gratifying. There are so many other neighborhood projects I’d like to do if there were more hours in the day; or, more realistically, more hands to pitch in. I hope you’ll consider playing a part. It can be small. Just an hour of your time. But just think how much we could do if all of us gave an hour. And the more people who get involved, the lower the odds that I’ll be twisting your arm to be president in a few years.

– Daniel Hubbeling