Reprint Update Up until 2018 my wife and I lived in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx in a charming 64 unit prewar co-op called, appropriately, Riverdale House. We lived there for 12 years and I served on the co-op board for 6 of those years. I started as secretary and moved on to various roles, ultimately landing at tresurer. We all bring strenghts and weakness but co-op boarding is a team sport, the product of everyone’s efforts usually much greater than the sum of the parts.

Recently reviewing and eliminating some old files I came across the article below that I had written in our building newsletter. It makes some good points and I’d hate to send it down the memory hole completely. So, in case you missed it the first time around I present it here for the world’s consideration.

Health, Wealth and the Riverdale House Community

“Early to bed and early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” – Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

Benjamin Franklin had some well-known thoughts about the path to health, wealth and wisdom. Today many would add not smoking, getting some exercise and using sun-block. I’m struck that too few ancient or modern philosophers of the life worth living add civic engagement to the list. Let’s correct that oversight and missed opportunity. In his best-selling 2000 book, Bowling Alone – The Decline and Revival of Community in America, Harvard sociologist, Robert Putnam describes the tight correlation between health, longevity, incomes and civic engagement broadly defined. The good news is that getting involved in one’s community is often fun and not too hard to start. Folks living in Riverdale House are lucky to have a lot of inexpensive and painless ways to start getting involved in their communities right now.

What is Civic Engagement?

Putnam’s research described civic engagement broadly and included a broad range of activities including: knowing one’s neighbor’s names, subscribing to a local paper, hanging out with friends and neighbors, attending religious services, belonging to clubs, voting, volunteering, etc.

Easy Steps to Increase Civic Engagement

  1. Stay Informed
    • Read your building newsletter. Great news! You’ve already doing it!
    • Subscribe to local journalism such as The Riverdale Press
  2. Introduce yourself to your neighbors. Know your neighbors. Start with everyone on your floor on your side of the building. Don’t know what to say? Try this: “Hi, I’m [your name], and I’ve noticed we’re neighbors. What’s your name?” Feel free to mention this article as a conversation starter!
  3. Attend community events and parties
    • Keep an eye on building bulletin boards or community websites for announcements.
  4. Enjoy and get to know your surroundings
    • Regularly walk through your neighborhood and visit local parks.
    • Spend some time on the patio when the weather’s nice. There’s a lot of chairs out there already. (A special thanks to the generous and very civically minded folks who made those chairs possible!)
  5. Report issues promptly. Call 311 with problems in our neighborhood.
  6. Volunteer on a building committees Gardening, beautification and/or communication. Find something that interests you and dive in.
  7. Run for local positions
  8. Vote
    Vote for President every 4 years but also in off year elections.

Further Reading and Resources:

[Other historic links no longer working]

Civic engagement not only enhances community life—it enriches your personal life, health, and happiness. Let’s get involved!

#community #civicengagement #socialcapital #volunteer #Bronx #RiverdaleHouse