by Laura Lucas, Vice President of Operations

On behalf of the board of the Community Association, we wish the best for you and your families this holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2015! What a year it’s been.

Events

In 2014, there was no shortage of events to foster that feeling of community and connectedness that we all treasure. CHCA classics like HOOPS Madness, Pastorius Park Concert Series, Annual Community Dinner featuring speaker Pennsylvania Horticultural Society president Drew Becher, Black & White Gala guest hosted by FOX 29’s Dawn Timmeney and featuring a bevy of local notables, Holiday House Tour, Circle of Trees tree lighting, and Holiday Parade continued to delight neighbors near and far while reminding us how lucky we are to live in this area where cool things happen on a regular basis.

Other efforts included our annual blood drive, recognizing the 2014 class of top community volunteers, and creating a keepsake calendar for the community. We also dove into the Potter madness this year with a Harry Potter Read-a-thon. We are presently in the midst of our Annual Fund Drive, which supports even more special events on the Avenue by fostering partnerships with area nonprofits who share our vision for enhancing Chestnut Hill’s cultural, physical beautification, human services and education efforts.

Thanks to all who plan, execute, attend and sponsor our events and efforts. We have even more exciting plans for 2015.

Zoning and Related Matters

Compared to past years, it was a quieter year in our role on community zoning matters.  When the Chestnut Hill Historical Society tried unsuccessfully to save a historic house from demolition, CHCA members showed their support via an online letter campaign. As we move into the new year, we do have a big revitalization project set to happen in 2015 – the improvement to East Bells Mills Road. There’s a community meeting January at the Chestnut Hill Hospital to share details of the plan and answer your questions.

Bringing News to the Community

CHCA brings the Chestnut Hill Local to the community each week. We are not owned by Montgomery Newspapers or Knight Ridder or the like. We are a true community paper and we are your paper.

Memberships

All of this is possible due to your membership in the Community Association as well as your continued support of our efforts and of our paper, the Chestnut Hill Local. We don’t take your membership for granted. If you like what we do, keep supporting us. And if you haven’t become a member yet, we hope that you'll discover the amazing things we do in the community and join us in 2015. Memberships also make great gifts – so think about giving one to a family, friend or that kind neighbor who does favors for you.

Happy Holidays!