By Chris Spruell
The smallest contribution can resonate tremendously in a community of our size.
It’s been a busy few weeks for the CPNO Board, as we go through our first quarter finances, business license renewals, meetings with surrounding neighborhood leaders, and all the other fun things we volunteer to do for the community we live in. We also had the kickoff meeting for our 2026 Candler Park Fall Fest Committee. I was lucky enough to join in and meet that great group of volunteers, many of whom are participants from last year’s incredibly successful team who are bringing their collective zeal to make this year’s festival the best ever.
One of the things I appreciate the most about the residents of Candler Park (and in the case of Fall Fest, also our neighbors in Lake Claire) is their willingness to give back to this community. I’ve spent the past month talking to former CPNO Board Officers and Fall Fest committee members to learn about the challenges they experienced during their respective tenures in what can sometimes be very demanding volunteer roles. In each case, a common theme emerged, namely that they always had other neighbors stepping in to help when they were needed. Sometimes those neighbors were close friends. Sometimes they were those they only spoke to with a passing nod, but they still stepped in to help when they were needed. In the latter case, those who were not that close sometimes became friends after working together to improve a situation for themselves and their neighbors.
While I won’t have an ask every month, I definitely do this time. Those of you who read the Messenger are likely more involved with the community and with CPNO than those who don’t, and you may already be working on initiatives supported by our organization. You might already be donating your time to other groups that we work with, like the Candler Park Conservancy, the Freedom Park Conservancy, the Little 5 Points Alliance, Mulberry Fields, and many other worthy institutions in and around Candler Park. If you aren’t currently giving of your time, I would like to ask that you do so.
Let me be clear: I am not asking for an enormous commitment, nor am I even asking for a consistent commitment (although reach out to president@candlerpark.org if you are interested in enormous and/or consistent commitments, as I will delightedly help you find them). The universal feedback I’ve gotten from most of our neighbors that I’ve talked to is that they are very busy. And they are. You are.
Luckily CPNO doesn’t need you to become a full-time community organizer (again, president@candlerpark.org if I’m wrong about that!). My request is that more readers of the Messenger contribute just a little. A smidge. This could be an hour here, an afternoon there. Do you have kids who might enjoy an Egg Hunt? We’ve got volunteer opportunities for that. Did the mention of the Fall Fest catch your eye earlier? I assure you, committing now to donate a few hours of your time the first weekend in October will ease the minds of all those folks who do so much to make that event a success (start with an e-mail to fallfest@candlerpark.org). Even showing up in person to one of the CPNO general meetings (or showing up online rather than watching the meeting recordings) helps the Board know you’re interested, involved, and informed.
And don’t forget, if you have a 5-minute conversation with a new neighbor, you can ask if they’re a member of CPNO and encourage them to join—that counts. We’ve seen an encouraging uptick in new members, especially those who are new to the neighborhood and have joined since the start of the year. I would love to see that continue, just as I would love to see neighbors who’ve focused on other things return their attentions to CPNO. A few comments from you could make that happen.
The smallest contribution can resonate tremendously in a community of our size. Remember: engaged, organized residents are what ensure Candler Park’s voice is heard when decisions are made about the future of our neighborhood here in Atlanta.
Thanks again for all that you do, thanks again for any time you can give, and thanks again for reading the Messenger.