Letter from the Prez — Life in Canton

April marks one year since the CCA began producing our e-newsletter, “Life in Canton.” I am happy to report that the feedback we’ve received has been phenomenal. It takes a lot of hard work to put the monthly newsletter together and it is so rewarding when we receive emails from all over the neighborhood telling us how pleased people are to have a central source for Canton-related news. And, we love when you give us ideas for future newsletters, too. The most important thing for us is to make sure we are providing you with the latest and greatest information that YOU want to receive, whether it’s about Canton or all of Baltimore City. This is true for the newsletter and the work we do on a daily basis as your Canton Community Association. We are so grateful to each of you for reaching out to us and to your neighbors to continue improving life in Canton… or as we like to say… getting neighborly!

The CCA and our partners are working each and every day to make Canton the most caring, clean, vibrant and inclusive place to live, work, play and learn that we can. And our newsletter is the best way for us to keep you all informed of our shared progress.

Each month we strive to include information that not only aids but informs. We tackle the serious and the silly. For example, our feature story for April is a Q&A with Church on the Square (“COTS”) Pastor and CCA Board Member, Jim Hamilton. Not only is he an Episcopal Priest, but did you know he has been an actor, a singer, a non-profit director and a few other embarrassing things that involved tight-fitting costumes? He’s helpful and he’s a hoot. If you haven’t already, you have to meet him! This month, we’ve also got some info on the Stewards of O’Donnell Square and how you can lend a hand to help us maintain the park; and every month there’s a section on neighborhood news with all kinds of snippets about what is happening in our ‘hood, as well as a segment on legislative updates from our City Council.

As much useful info as we throw your way, we’re going to bet you have some to share with us too! So on that note, we want to hear more from you. If you have an idea for a story — or maybe you want to write one yourself — we welcome guest writers and photographers. Give us a shout at newsletter@cantoncommunity.org.

If you’d like to participate in other ways, maybe joining one of our many committees is the way for you to go – they include volunteerism, economic development, transportation, public safety, the arts, education, and marketing. Every month we provide an update from each committee chair in Life in Canton. Here’s the link for details: www.cantoncommunity.org/committees.

Another way you can help us help our community is to let your friends and neighbors know how easy it is to join the CCA and receive the monthly newsletter in their inboxes. We believe everyone plays a part in the community in which they live. We need you to help us make a difference. Good things don’t just happen. People make them happen. So, please encourage your neighbors to participate. Individual memberships start at only $10/year and we have packages for business owners, too. Just visit www.cantoncommunity.org/join-us/ to find out more.

Finally, I just want to take a moment to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of the dedicated volunteers who work on the production of our monthly newsletter, without even the expectation of a thank-you. Your work means so much to me and to the rest of the community. I also want to thank all of our talented CCA board members, committee members, partners, community members, and volunteers for the work you do behind the scenes to make our neighborhood so wonderful.

I look forward to seeing each and every one of you out in the community and in next month’s Life in Canton… for now… let’s get neighborly!

Mark Edelson, CCA President