A few months ago, in this space, I wrote an article that I called BAPA 101. It detailed the basics of what BAPA does to keep Beverly/Morgan Park such a great community. The article mentioned our strategic initiatives of housing, education, safety and economic development. It went on to describe some of the programs that these initiatives use to make our neighborhood a better place to live and do business. This month I would like to explain two of the many standing committees that develop our strategies and generate some of our best ideas.
Fundraising is the life’s blood of a not-for-profit organization like the Beverly Area Planning Association. Funds are needed to pay personnel who run the daily operations, programs and events. These funds also go toward supplies and the usual business expenses. Of course, we are conscientious of keeping our expenses down. The committee that helps us with our fundraising and attracting new BAPA members is the Development Committee. Made up of public relations and fund raising professionals, as well as longtime BAPA volunteers and staff, this committee is both creative and hard working. They meet monthly to review our fundraising progress, execute current plans, host neighborhood events and develop new ideas. The fundraising letters you receive in the mail are crafted by this committee and they do a great job helping us bring in the money we need to keep our neighborhood strong.
An ongoing concern for everyone in the area is the strength of our commercial strips. BAPA created the Business Development and Support (BDAS) Committee to work on attracting new businesses and helping existing businesses grow. This committee is made up of bankers, retail developers, real estate professionals, attorneys, entrepreneurs and BAPA staff. Currently this committee is analyzing how to take advantage of the present economic conditions to better position our neighborhood for more business activity once the economy turns around.
Committee members meet with existing businesses to find ways that BAPA can help them grow. These meetings have lead to many initiatives. It was the BDAS committee that first put forward the idea of ending the liquor prohibition along one block of 103rd Street to help businesses there. The strength of our businesses is an important aspect of our neighborhood.
In the coming months I will explain our other committees that are equally important: Housing Committee, Safety Committee, Education Committee, Young Persons Board and the committees that run our special events such as the Ridge Run and the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic.
A new team that is just forming is our Marketing Committee. It will help us spread the word about the good things that are going on at BAPA and in our neighborhood. We are always looking for people interested in these committees. If you would like to be part of one of Chicago’s oldest civic associations, if you want to get more involved in your community or if you have skills that you can offer call me at 773-233-3100. |
