When you hand good people possibility, they do great things.” - Biz Stone
Back in January of this year we had the realization that one of the greatest ways to improve our community was to bring together the many volunteer and community groups that serve Darien, with the goal of answering the question, “how can we further enrich the lives of our Darien Community?” We invited representatives of over twenty-five social, civic, service, and educational organizations to join with us in this endeavor. Groups such as the Lions Club, Woman’s Club, Rotary, Darien Park District, Darien Fine Arts Council, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society, Garden Club, VFW, along with staff from the Indian Prairie Library, Hinsdale South Booster Club, District #61 Educational Foundation, the Darien Youth Club, Scout Pack #36, Cancer Smashers and the Gift of Carl Foundation, were among the group that first gathered at the Indian Prairie Library in January, 2022.
We titled this group the “Darien Community Action Team,” and we committed ourselves to meeting monthly to join together to assess our community’s strengths, to find ways to create new programs, and bring forth new ideas to better serve our Darien community. As the facilitator of the group, I come away energized by our discussions, and I appreciate the civic engagement that takes place each time we meet. We developed a list of issues that we felt needed to be addressed, and we sought input from each group and we tackled each of these issues.
Our first task was to bring uniformity to the activities each group planned throughout the year. In order to avoid conflicts between organizations, we planned and implemented a dynamic community calendar that is now available to the city and all community groups, and can be accessed at the city’s website. We heard from two Hinsdale South students regarding a plan to initiate a Farmer’s Market in Darien, which is a concept we are still planning to implement in the near future. More recently we have been engaged in discussions involving expanding the city’s concert series next summer, scheduling an Octoberfest in late September, and possibly holding a Darien Community Fine Arts Festival in late summer or early Fall. Our most immediate planning is resulting in an expansion of our traditional Darien Historical Society Tree Lighting Ceremony. This Sunday, December 4 our plans will provide residents the opportunity to attend an extended Darien Tree Lighting Ceremony that will include a Craft market, carols sung by members of our Darien Fine Arts Council, and a visit from Santa. Over the next several months we will be working and supporting the Darien Fine Arts Council as they prepare for their spring play, and we are discussing the possibility of holding a “Taste of Darien” this coming spring.
These are but a few of the wonderful things that can be offered to Darien residents, when groups come together in an effort to meet the needs of all of our Darien residents. If you are interested in becoming a member of our group, please contact me here at City Hall and watch for our future schedule of meetings on our city website. My experience with this group can be summarized as follows: “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” -Amy Poehler