Mayor Rob Marlowe
Part of making our city a better place is the willingness of residents to get involved.
There are a number of ways that you can get involved. One obvious way is to join one of the many non-profits and service clubs that grace our community.
Quite a few of these organizations. such as Rotary and Sertoma,will be present at next month’s Chasco Fiesta. The fiesta is an excellent opportunity to walk around and chat with members of each of the groups there.
An additional group that always needs volunteers and might not be quite so obvious is the Chasco Fiesta itself. If you have time you can offer during the fiesta, call Kelly Maki-Hackman at 842-7651 and ask her to let you know when the volunteer organizing meeting will be held.
Another way to volunteer is to sign up for one of the city’s volunteer boards. From the Library Advisory Board to the Historic Preservation Board and more esoteric boards like our Civil Service Board, there are plenty of opportunities to plug into the city.
Another volunteer opportunity is the Coteeman Triathlon, which is scheduled to be held on August 15th. The organizing committee is just getting started. Give Chris Bornfleth a call at the Rec. Center (727-841-4560) if you’d like to help.
The Boy Scouts are working to improve support provided to individual units. There is a need for a number of new Unit Commissioners. This is one of the things I do as a volunteer. If you were an adult leader back before your kids grew up, I’d love to talk to you about what is involved. I’ve held a number of adult positions with the Scouts over the years and I can assure you that Unit Commissioner is absolutely the best gig in the organization.
There are a number of organizations in New Port Richey serving the needs of residents among them are the West Pasco Pregnancy Center and The Volunteer Way. They are always in need of volunteers. If it’s not possible to volunteer, donations are always welcomed.
Even if you don’t have time you can regularly donate to volunteering, consider participating in some of the special events like the river and community cleanup days that are scheduled throughout the year. It is amazing what a few hundred volunteers can do in just a few hours on a Saturday morning to spruce up our city. The Rec Center staff should be able to let you know when these events are scheduled. 727-841-4560.
Last, but certainly not least, is Greater New Port Richey Main Street. We are celebrating 25 years as a Main Street city and Greater New Port Richey Main Street is the volunteer organization tasked with managing the program. I’ve previously written about some of the challenges facing Greater New Port Richey Main Street. There is so much more that they should be doing beyond throwing a bunch of special events. Doing more will only be possible with a larger volunteer base and a larger paid membership base. A couple of part time employees and a small group of volunteers simply can’t do the job by themselves. You can call the Main Street office at 842-8066 if you would like to get involved.
Regardless of where you would like to plug in, PLEASE get involved. All of the groups I’ve listed above are important parts of what makes New Port Richey special.
Do you know a worthy non-profit that folks should consider volunteering for? Leave a comment and let us know.
Rob Marlowe, Mayor