North Four Corners News ♦ February 2024

President’s Message

By Sharon Canavan

Happy New Year!

We tried something new in December; instead of a business meeting, NFCCA hosted a Winter Wonderland Holiday Social.  In addition to fun and games for the kids to enjoy, there was a collection box for food donations to Manna Food Center — wow, you all came through!

While I’m on the topic of holidays, the February General meeting will shift to the first Wednesday, 7 February, instead of Valentine’s Day.  Marlene Smith, from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, will present material both on monarch butterflies and on supporting pollinators and biodiversity in general.  Educational materials from her organization — as well as Wild Ones, a group that promotes native plantings, etc. — will also be made available.

So far for the 2023–2024 cycle, NFCCA has collected dues from 172 households, which is only 10% of the neighborhood.  Last year we hit an all-time membership high of 276 households.  To hit that goal again, please do your part.  Use the QR code on home page (one year’s dues only), or choose “Pay Dues” on this nfcca.org website to pay your dues via Paypal (you can pay for multiple years at once this way), or bring a check to an NFCCA meeting or event, or mail/drop off a check to NFCCA Treasurer Sondra Katz at 10905 Lombardy Road.

Membership dues mainly pay for the newsletter you are reading.  Other expenses include the cost of events NFCCA hosts for the neighborhood and subscriptions for the Montgomery County Civic Federation, our listserv, and Zoom.

There are two upcoming neighborhood events.  A fundraiser, the Second Annual Chili Cook Off, will start at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, 3 March, at Forest Knolls Elementary School.  Last year this event collected over $550 for NFCCA.  A team is also planning another vine-cutting cleanup on Saturday, 9 March, at 1:00 p.m. along the creek on Lockridge Drive.  Last year, 48 volunteers worked together to cut windows in nonnative, invasive vines from approximately 60 trees, and picked up a lot of trash as well.  We hope a group of neighbors can participate again this year; it takes persistence to keep the weedy overgrowth in check.  For further details on these events, check nfcca.org or upcoming posts on the NFCCA listserv (see how to sign up at right above).

Who knows how likely another snow storm might be, but I’d like to remind everyone that unshoveled sidewalks are much more than a simple inconvenience.  Children need to get to school safely and cleared sidewalks allow us to enjoy our walkable community.  Anyone interested in shoveling snow for extra money or just out of the goodness of your heart for elderly or physically challenged neighbors can post a message on the NFCCA listserv.   ■