November 17, 2008

Something's Coming... - Westhaven Register, by Katherine Johnston

Remember the award winning Broadway play, West Side Story? Sing along with me…
Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something's coming, something good,
If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is
Gonna be great!

Too young to know about West Side Story? Well, the idea here is that something is coming. Something good. Something enduring. An enduring legacy by the residents of Westhaven for the residents of Westhaven.

The “something” was born at Charlie Grimes’ kitchen table in the early summer two years ago. Charlie fathered the idea and named it, “Let’s Have a Charity Ball!”
This infant idea was appealing enough that Mark McCutcheon and Matt Magallanes gathered at Charlie’s kitchen table to admire and examine this fledgling thought. They tweaked it a bit, pinched its cheeks, and pronounced it wonderful. Dina Krause, John Fraser, John Griffith, Amy Waters, and John Chiaramonte came to help mould the future of the babe, and together they nurtured and cared for it diligently.

The group decided that, like all babies, this one needed a pediatrician. So they called one. They called The Seaside Institute’s New Institute Program to insure that the infant’s needs were assessed, purpose defined, and that the young idea’s mentors had the necessary tools and information to guide its growth. It had already grown a lot. Tom Tomlinson and John Graham of the New Institutes Project Team at Seaside arrived on April 14, 2007 to take a look at what Charlie, Matt and Mark had created and make recommendations.

Please bear with me while I tiptoe around this baby and attempt to describe its features for you. It is a vision, I can tell you that! It is a vision where residents of Westhaven are stewards of the environment and share responsibility for the civic life and betterment of the Franklin community, where Westhaven folks are personally involved and invested in its civic and social life, where excellence is encouraged through education and life-long learning, and where creativity is celebrated as important in daily life, and the principals of New Urbanism are exemplified now and in the future.

No, you can’t see the baby yet. But you will see this little miracle soon. And, in fact, you saw that its eyes were open and it was actually helping with the Life is good Festival & 5k at Westhaven, coordinating volunteers through its website and offering support. And it shall be called…

It is no longer called “Let’s Have a Charity Ball!” Its new name, a very dignified one, is “The Westhaven Foundation.” You want to know what’s neat about it: its big heart! It does not want anything for itself at all. If it gets anything, it won’t keep it! Can you imagine? It only wants to help others. It wants to give to others, it wants to help us keep learning when we are long out of school or still in school, it wants to be seen and heard around our Town Center. And, it will live forever. It will be here for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. That’s pretty special.

Don’t worry. You won’t have to buy its clothing and food, or anything. It is going to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining. Oh, of course folks are welcome to help it if they want to. Did I tell you that Southern Land Company is its God-Father? Yep. And they take their responsibility seriously. They will be helping the Westhaven Foundation in many ways.

Taken from the Westhaven Foundation website: www.westhavenfoundation.org
“The Westhaven Foundation is an independent nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization established in 2007 by the residents of Westhaven with key support from Southern Land Company. Designed to nurture a strong sense of community through programs in areas such as education, volunteerism, heritage, wellness, the environment and the arts, the Westhaven Foundation will grow with the community. All programs and events are positioned to enhance the quality of life for Westhaven residents and the surrounding community.”

Very soon, the Westhaven Foundation will appear for all of us to ooh and ahh over. Mark McCutcheon, President of the Westhaven Foundation, and the Board of Directors-- Dina Krause, John Fraser, Anne Waters, John Griffith, and John Chiaramonte-- will parade this bundle of joy out for all to see. So please be attentive: something’s coming! Something good!