Dear Good Neighbors,

I’m so excited after our Annual Business Meeting and Community Expo which was held on Saturday, April 11. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, came to fellowship, vote and pay your dues and made the day a success. Thank you to our Social Planning Chair, Krystal Thurmond for another amazing event. It was great to see our committees show up and engage potential new volunteers! We have big things planned in Grandmont, and I loved seeing so many neighbors get activated and connected. We elected 5 members to the board for the 2026-2028 class: Yolanda Burnett, Kavivi Muli, Alex Han-Voth, Emily Gagnon and Stephan Franklin. As I write this, the board has yet to convene to determine officer positions, so I will share that as soon as we have news.

We also decided to adopt the proposed by-laws changes that enumerated more clearly Board Member and Officer responsibilities and the community decided that we should move forward with becoming a 501(c)3 organization. Please note that becoming a 501(c)3 organization takes time and will require Good Neighbors to step up to assist us in making sure we are in compliance. If you have experience in this area of nonprofit management, grant writing, development/fundraising, accounting, etc., we would love to have your help! In my opinion, becoming a non-profit organization has the potential to strengthen our association and open up more opportunities for us.

I know that the online voting is only in its second year, but I want to thank Sandi Miller, our Election and By-Laws Chair for taking the lead on that endeavor. It helps neighbors vote early and opens up participation. If you were frustrated at all by waiting in line, I have two pieces of advice for you for next year: pay your dues ahead of the Annual Meeting and register to vote on our website by filling out a simple form. This allows you to get the information sent right to your email address and vote anytime from when voting is open until close of the polls. We are all capable and if you need help, your neighbors are here to help with technology!

My ask as we head into the month of May is please consider how you might be able to help out with beautification and clean ups in our neighborhood. We will be participating in Motor City Makeover the first weekend in May but it will take lots of people power to keep our neighborhood free of litter, all our planters beautiful and watered throughout the summer season. Please consider lending a hand and stay tuned for ways to help. Reach out if you’re interested.

Don’t forget to pay your dues! I don’t have exact numbers yet, but I am sure after the Annual meeting we are around 100 memberships! 300 is our goal and we can do it!. Think of what that could power!

In service,
Samantha