It can be difficult today in our cities and suburbs to find the fellowship of community, the satisfaction of joining with others for purpose or pleasure. One way to fill that need in ourselves is to reach out to others and start a good idea rolling.

Be Neighborly

Organize a "Freebie Day" when people put out usable items they no longer need, for anyone to take. Great sidewalk shopping—and what a relief to get that basement or attic cleaned out!

Are there elderly or impaired people living nearby? Form a group of the able-bodied willing to check on them during snowstorms and emergencies, even if the phone lines are down.




Unite the tree-huggers! Work with the city or block association to determine public spaces where new trees can be planted, then seek or raise funds. Who will water them? You and your gang.




Gas prices are breaking all of us. So get communal—organize a commuters’ ride pool or shopping trips for a carful of neighbors, and share the cost of gas.




Got a star map and a telescope? That’s all it takes to navigate the wonders of the night sky. When a clear night is forecast, invite those neighbors you barely know to come over for coffee and dessert, and share a tour of the planets and constellations in your backyard observatory.


A True Tale
Medical equipment—a hospital bed, even crutches—can be expensive. Yet many people only need them temporarily. In Connecticut, Jerry and Pat Blakey began collecting donations of unused equipment and loaning it free to others, for as long as needed. They keep their ever-growing stash in the basement of a nearby church, and ailing people in several towns now benefit from the Blakeys’ “loaners.”





Share Your Passion—and Find Soulmates




Are too many pages of your creative writing stuffed in a drawer? You’re not the only one. Form a writers’ group to meet monthly at a different member’s house, perhaps focusing on children’s books, poems, memoirs or fiction. Advertise the start-up in a local paper or by word of mouth, but consider confining the initial group to no more than 10.




Onward, walkers! If walking is your favorite form of exercise, think what intriguing neighborhoods, parks and avenues you haven’t yet explored by foot. Speak to every dedicated walker you meet, and soon you’ll have a group ready to hike together for companionship and fun.

 

Do you speak French, Russian or Chinese? Gather a group of children and their moms for a playgroup that teaches some basic words with games and songs. Mothers will love it (and you), too, even though the kids may be faster learners!




For some parents, Saturday is dad’s day with the kids. Link up with other dads for some laid-back softball, soccer or Frisbee in a local field or park.





A True Tale

Many of us feel starved for stimulating conversation. Consider what happened when Christopher Phillips, a teacher, started a “philosophy cafe,” called Socrates, to bring discussion of the great questions of existence out of the lecture hall and into ordinary people’s lives. Today, Socrates Cafes, Philosophers’ Clubs and others like them are all over the country and abroad, engaging people of every age and education level. See www.philosopher.org or read Socrates Cafe by Christopher Phillips (W.W. Norton).





What This Town Needs Is…




On one hand, you know people who want part-time jobs. On the other hand, there are others needing help with housework, yard work and painting. Start a nonprofit chore service to link them up, charging a minimal hourly rate to those unable to afford more, but accepting a higher rate from those who are willing. You just hired yourself!




Speak up to preserve the quality of life in the community you cherish. If development is pushing out affordable housing, if a beloved landmark or school arts program is threatened, help organize support with letters to the papers, town meetings, a web site, fundraisers. You’ll be surprised by how many like-minded folks come out to join you. You just became a civic activist!

• Got a green thumb? Start a beautification project for planting flowers on drab downtown streets. Get local nurseries and the Chamber of Commerce involved, and everyone will enjoy the lift.

  
  

  Who doesn’t love a beach or a meandering stream? If refuse is mucking up one near you, organize a cleanup team for a weekend or two. Then thank them all with before-and-after photos.

   

  A True Tale

  Inner-city teenagers who hope to go to college often don’t know where to start. Since educator Jacqueline Rushing of San Francisco started a college-prep and application program on a shoestring budget in 1998, Young Scholars has added mentors and other supports. The reward? Eighty-five percent of her kids have graduated from college.

[Main Image: David Sacks | Lifesize | © Getty Images]