BlueBird Park Estates Neighborhood Association

BLUEBIRD PARK ESTATES NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Feb 03, 2009

Newsletter #2





From Your President

Hello BPENA members:
It?’s amazing how fast this year is passing by.
As you recall in the last newsletter, there were several initiatives mentioned, with the hope of creating unity within our association. I am happy to report that we have accomplished most of them. We have started to recycle as a community. Our ?“Neighborhood Cleanup?”, coordinated by Pastor Sammie Hamilton was a success. We held our ?“Pull Out Your Grill?” activity, coordinated by Mrs. Evelyn Gibbs. Mrs. Gibbs did an outstanding job. The food was wonderful & the company was delightful. Some of the pictures from this event are in this newsletter. There were many pictures taken. This issue will highlight the pictures taken by one of our neighbors, Kevin Franklin. Kevin is the son of Dorsey and Jo Ann Franklin on Shady Hollow. When you see Kevin, let him know what a wonderful job he did. A special thanks to Mrs. Gibbs, for coordinating this event & for all of the Tranquil Lane neighbors who prepared food for the entire neighborhood.
As we celebrate the 4th of July, let?’s keep in mind those people who are still fighting to maintain freedom. Regardless of your feelings about the war, ?…for it, against it, or indifferent. Please keep our soldiers in your prayers. Some have given the ultimate sacrifice & others have their lives placed on the line daily. Our neighborhood item this year will be placed by your mail boxes before the 4th & picked up after the 4th. They may be small but they send a powerfully large message. Unity.
A special thanks to Police Inspector Lawrence Jamison for speaking at our May meeting & giving us safety tips.
Our next association meeting will be held on September 8th. We are out for the summer. Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July.
Hazel
FLOWER POWER FUNDRAISER

In order to have more time for the planting of our flowers, we decided to move our ?“Fundraising with Flowers?” campaign to the fall. The deadline for ordering is the end of August. Call Hazel at 346-2875 for a brochure. We will receive beautiful flowers in November to plant for the spring of 2008. Our association will receive 50% of the profit.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
You will notice small ads throughout this newsletter. These ads have helped to defray the cost of printing our newsletters. Be sure to contact our sponsors first, if you have a need for a service that is advertised. If you would like to place an ad please contact, Glenda Sims at 398-4104. A special thanks to our sponsors.
BPENA SPONSOR




Congratulations to the newly Weds.

Candace and Michael Williams (Summershade)
Candace is the daughter of Pastor Sammie and Josephine Hamilton-Tranquil

Ebonye and Kevin Reed. Ebonye is the daughter of Deborah and Robert Bowie, Shady Hollow.

This article was submitted by one of our neighbors Howard L. Robertson Jr.
We are proud of his accomplishments.
Last August, I was privileged to become the Chairman of the Board for the 2007 Memphis In May International Festival celebrating the country of Spain. Exhausting? Pretty much. Gratifying? Absolutely!

Memphis In May is the biggest month long international festival in North America. It brings tens of thousands of people into our city all month long from everywhere. For this year?’s Beale Street Music Fest during the first weekend in May, for example, tickets were sold to people in all 50 American states and 12 foreign countries. The World Championship Barbecue Contest had a record 263 teams including teams from Norway & New Zealand. This year?’s festival was very successful. It was the highest grossing festival ever & the second highest ever in overall attendance.

But there are some things about MIM that most people don?’t know, but should. MIM receives no taxpayer money whatsoever from either city or county governments. The Festival is self-sufficient, existing from event generated revenues, sponsorships and contributions. Memphis In May has an award-winning volunteer program and could not enjoy success without the energy and involvement of nearly 2000 volunteers. Many MIM volunteers have been participating with the festival for over 20 years.

Most important to me, however, is our mission to bring the world to Memphis & bring Memphis to the world. Memphis In May develops a curriculum guide that is used in elementary, middle & high schools all over Memphis. This curriculum guide helps teachers immerse well over 100,000 local students into the culture, customs, language & history of the honored country.
There is also an annual essay contest for high school juniors & seniors. Fifteen (15) winning students are selected & they become exchange students, traveling to the honored country, staying in the homes of host families, going to school there and seeing the sights. All this is at no cost to the students or parents. This is an invaluable experience & exposure particularly for the kids from urban high schools many of whom have never been outside of Memphis.

The process of selecting a MIM honored country is very involved. It includes a continental rotation, Embassy visits in Washington & numerous meetings with Ambassadors & their staffs. Initially, although they are impressed to be selected as the honored country, most foreign Embassy officials know very little about Memphis, except for the fame of a couple of our neighbors...Elvis & FedEx. But after visits & exposure to Memphis they get ?“hooked?” & most become Memphis advocates for life.

With as many issues as Memphians may have with our city, the fact remains that the city has a culture, a history, a character & a feel unlike anywhere else on earth. The Memphis In May International Festival celebrates all of that, all month long on the banks of the Mississippi River & all over town. Serving as chairman was one of the most unique & enlightening experiences of my life. It is one that I will forever appreciate & never forget.
BPENA SPONSOR





Congratulations to all of our
Graduates. We wish you well in your future endeavors.

RECYCLE NOW:
If you have not started, you will have the opportunity each week to start.
Our neighborhood Recycling initiative started in April of this year. If you would like to have a pamphlet please contact our secretary Ms. Glenda Sims @398-4104.
We saved almost $1,000,000.00 last year by recycling. It is not complicated, just look at the bottom of the container? If it has the number 1 or 2 enclosed in a triangle on the bottom, place it in the yellow container.
BPENA SPONSOR



REMINDERS!!!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
*We will not have a monthly meeting for July, and August. Our meetings will resume September 8th, at 10am at the Graves Road Church of Christ.
*If you have not paid your yearly dues, ($60) an envelope is enclosed for your convenience.
*Know Vendors who would like to give members a discount, Call Mr. Steve Shipp on Masonwood @ 398-1285
*Do you have the name of a business you would like to recommend for our Vendor Book, (Blue Bird Estates Blue pages) i.e., painters, plumbers, electricians, yard people, etc. Call Mrs. Evelyn Gibbs at 396-1863.
*There are dos and don?’ts in every neighborhood, (i.e., code violations, parking cars & 18 wheelers, operating commercial businesses, maintaining your property) If you would like to see yours, look inside your Blue Bird Directory. They are listed.

A Special Thanks to our neighbors who patrol our neighborhood free of charge.
Mr. Mike Phillips (Tranquil Lane) has purchased a sign for his truck, which states Bluebird Estates Security.So now when you see his truck with the yellow light, it will also have the sign on the side. A special thanks to Mr. Phillips for going above and beyond with his actions to look out for his neighbors and his neighborhood.

BPENA SPONSOR










CONGRATULATIONS
TO OUR YARD OF THE MONTH WINNERS
Angela & Alfred Jackson-3726 Shady Hollow-Yard of the Month.
Beverly & Howard Robertson-
970 Tranquil Lane-1st Runner Up.
Evelyn & Richard Gibbs-
886 Tranquil Lane
2nd Runner Up.

BPENA SPONSOR