I Love Quitman: Volunteers for Community Development

Welcome to I Love Quitman, Volunteers for Community Development. This is a private, not-for-profit, grassroots project and effort of concerned citizens. Anyone who is interested in promoting and developing Quitman, Mississippi, may participate.

The purpose of I Love Quitman is to help organize concerned citizens to network and work together to promote and develop Quitman, Mississippi, through good and worthy projects that will benefit the community of Quitman at large.

I Love Quitman

I Love Quitman is a project to promote Quitman, Mississippi. Everyone who wants to promote Quitman is asked to participate by purchase of I Love Quitman gifts and appare. A number of I Love Quitman gifts and apparel have been produced from original designs and photograph prapared by Terry. These may be securely purchased on-line via clicking upon any of the I Love Quitman products featured on this site. Thank you for your patronage!


I Love Quitman


I Love Quitman Confederate Memorial

Beautify Quitman

I am asking everyone to please take a look around their neighborhoods and make a list of things you see that need to be done to improve the community. Or if you have any ideas of good and worthy projects you would like to see, please make a list of those. Send your list to Terry. Please be specific. You may also include photographs.

Also I would like to urge everyone to fix up the homes, to plant trees and to make flower gardens. Trees and flowers are a great way to add beauty to the community.

I am also interested in networking with people who can help provide labor for worth projects. If you have any special skills or abilities in this regard, or might even be able to provide building material or other items, please let me know. This would be a very Christian thing to do if we could get a group going to help those who need help in this respect.

Establish an organization

Also please let me know if you would like to help establish a not-for-profit corporation to help promote Quitman. I've drawn up an Articles of Incorporation and would like everyone who is interested in this to please let me know. The idea is to establish a corporation and get a tax exempt status that everyone who wishes to contribute volunteer service or in other ways may do so with confidence and receive IRS tax credits for any contributions.

Anyone who want to be listed as a Founding Member on the Board of Directors of the I Love Quitman: Volunteers for Community Development should contact Terry. The plan is to submit Articles of Incorporation for a not-for-profit corporation and then to apply for 501(c)(3) tax exemption that anyone who wants to contribute to the project may do so and get a tax exemption credit.

In the mean time I would like to hear from members of the community about the type of improvements they would like to see in the community and how they may be able to help promote Quitman.

Fix Up & Maintain City Parks

One of the first projects of I Love Quitman will be to urge the City of Quitmand restore and maintain Edd Harris Park on the northeast corner of W. Napp Street and Bailey Ave., as well as other city parks. See the maps below:


Edd Harris Park at NE corner of Bailey Ave. and W. Napp Street.


Click on pic for enlarged view

A proposal was submitted to the City of Quitman on Sept. 17, 2007 with respect to restoration of Edd Harris Park. In letter of Oct. 16, 2007, received from Mayor Bill G. Clark, the proposal was accepted. Initial plans are to have a public meeting and organize an effort that everyone who wants to help, share their ideas and opinions and contribute to the project may have the opportunity. Anyone who is interested in participating in I Love Quitman: Volunteers for Community Development should contact Terry.

How you can help

The following is a list of suggestions for ways you can help:

  1. I'm asking everyone to help improve Quitman by keeping your yards clean. Also plant trees and flowers to help beautify the community.

  2. It may be of benefit to plan small neighborhood events in the city parks. This would be a good way for everyone to come together. Also erecting a bulletin board in each city park may be of benefit as then people can have a place to post notices, such as yard sales, so they don't have to litter neighborhood utility poles with yard sale announcements.

  3. Materials and supplies are needed to help with various projects. This includes paint, lumber and hardware.

  4. In the city parks, old paint needs to be removed from park benches and equipment. Anyone who has a pressure cleaner and can provide sand blasting services is needed. This needs to be done in a safe manner because old paint can contain lead and be hazardous, so proper care needs to be taken to avoid exposure to lead from dust or debris. Also materials used in cleaning should not be allowed to contaminate the soil so should be collected, removed and properly disposed of to avoid any harm to volunteers who help with this aspect of restoration. (After request was made to the Mayor and presented to the City Council, this is currently being done)

  5. Labor is needed. Anyone who can help do work on projects is urged to volunteer.

  6. Donations will be needed to help buy supplies and/or equipment for projects.

  7. Any business that would like to donate large items such as a chain link fence or new playground equipment is encouraged to make a contribution of equipment and/or services to the City of Quitman.

  8. Any organization or group which wants to hold a fund raising event is invited to do so such that monies can be raised to be used to restore and maintain the park or make other area improvements.

  9. The media can donate their service. This may include writing feature articles if you are a newspaper or providing PSA type announcements if you are a radio station. Also it is hope that the local media may help run advertising to help raise funds. Especially needed is for the media to get behind the I Love Quitman promotion and to tell everyone about the beautiful gifts and apparel they can buy.

  10. If anyone would like to donate office space, office equipment and supplies this would be appreciated. By having an actual office everyone could then have a place to meet and work, such that community wide efforts could be organized and conducted over time in a more effective and efficient manner.

  11. If a bank would like to help by collecting funds, this would be appreciated. A trust account could be establishe such that everyone who wants to donate can do so via the sponsoring bank.

  12. You may be able to think of other ways you can help. Please contact Terry and let him know how you would like to help.

There may be other ways people can think to help. If there is a way you would like to help, please contact Terry.

Park Rehabilitation

Dear Citizens of Quitman,

I spoke with Bryan Dace on Oct. 18, 2007. Mr. Dace said that a city crew would be working in the Edd Harris Park within a few weeks; that crews were also going to be doing work in other parks and recreational areas. He expressed the opinion that organizing a citizens group was a good idea and that the city was very eager and appreciative of community involvement in such projects.

I asked Mr. Dace about putting a chain link fence around the park and he said this had been a problem in the past, as the park must have access. Also their is a matter of funds and any such improvements would need to be run by the board. I asked if all equipment, park benches and tables would be repaired and painted and he indicated this was part of the planned maintenance. He also said no lead paint had been used in the past in the park implying that this should not be of concern. He also mentioned that new sand would be put around playground equipment.

When asked about putting an electrical outlet in the park, it was mentioned that vandalism was a prohibitive concern -- at least in the past, and that this might present a usage problem. Also I asked about erecting a community bulletin board, so people could use this to post notices, as for yard sales. Currently people post such notices on utility poles which is a form of liter and vandalism. So a community bulletin board may be of benefit to the park.

Over all, Mr. Dace said that the city would cooperate with rehabilitative efforts and welcomed the interest and concerns of citizens.

It would seem from what Mr. Dace said, that my proposal to fix up Edd Harris Park and the letter from Mayor Clark, which was also sent to Mr. Dace, has already served to quick starting the process. But much more needs to be done, including a way for citizens to actually review parks and other facilities and recommend specific work and actions, such that the parks and recreational facilities are actually maintained to a high standard and those things are done which community members and families actually would like to see happen.

Hence this emphasizes the need for a citizen group, for without such a group which is active in expressing its concerns as through regular letters, reports or discussions, there is no guarantee that what people want for their neighborhoods will be provided. Certainly everyone wants what is best and there are economic considerations. But with involvement of everyone who in interested, so much more can be achieved. Therefore I hope everyone who learns about this issue and who wants to become active in community development will participate in the I Love Quitman Volunteers for Community Development.

Certainly the City and its crew of employed workers can provide much of the labor and/or materials. But there will always remain a need for community involvement and action. Hence everyone who wants to get involved and help is cordially invited to lend a hand, as this relates to that most vital issue of doing what is best for our children who are our future. All that can be done to provide a safe environment and neighborhoods for our children should be done. I hope fixing up the Edd Harris Park and other recreational facilities around Quitman will be a good start and invite all who want to help to let me know.

Sincerely,
Terry Lynch Oct. 18, 2007

Updates and Community Involvement

Everyone who is concerned about community development, maintenance and improvement has been asked to reply. A letter to the editor was published in the The Clarke County Tribune November 8, 2007, asking for everyone to please respond. The idea is to get feedback from concerned citizens that everyone may network to do good work for the community.

The goal is to get feedback from concerned citizens, that everyone may network to do good work for the community. Ultimately this may lead to the establishment of a not-for-profit corporation or organizing other actions for the general benefit of the community. Everyone is cordially invited to help. Your opinions and thoughts in this regard are important. Please contact Terry and let me know that you want to help. Thank you!

Incorporating and getting a non-profit tax exempt status will require application, may involve preparing legal documents and paying appropriate fees. If anyone wants to make a contribution in this regard, they should contact Terry.

I Love Quitman Gifts & Apparel

To help promote I Love Quitman a number of original designs have been created which are available upon gifts and apparel. You can help by purchase of these items from our on-line store. These are provided via CafePress which is the largest supplier of print-on-demand merchandise in the United States. Items are very high quality, may be ordered on-line securely, and will be shipped directly to your home or office.

It is hoped that everyone loves these great new I Love Quitman gifts and apparel which to help promote pride, joy and love in our community. The I Love Quitman gifts and apparel are created so that everyone in the community will have a way to promote our wonderful community. Over time this will help create a positive focus image and stimulate business and industry in the area. Please help! Buy I Love Quitman and I Love Mississippi gifts and apparel items to let everyone know that we are a great place to live!

Click on pic to visit store

I Love Quitman features the confederate war memorial and an original vibrant red rose heart to express your love and pride in Quitman to all your family, friends and associates.

Click on pic to visit store

I Love Quitman features a mosaic of original vibrant red hearts superimposed upon a soft background of the Clarke Co. Courthouse to express your love and pride in Quitman to all your family, friends and associates.

Click on pic to visit store

I Love Quitman features the Clarke Co. Courthouse and an original vibrant red heart to express your love and pride in Quitman to all your family, friends and associates.

Click on pic to visit store

I (Heart) Quitman features an original vibrant red rose heart to express your love and pride in Quitman to all your family, friends and associates.

More I Love Quitman gifts and apparel will be feature in the future and are available through our sponsor The Quitman Villager

Register To Vote

Now everyone may registar to vote on-line. Just click on the link below, fill out the form and print it out. Then mail the form to register to vote today. It's simple and easy.

Register to Vote: Rock the Vote, powered by Credo Mobile

The Quitman Villager

An on-line publication, The Quitman Villager, has been started to help educate and inform the general public and will also be sponsoring and promoting I Love Quitman projects.

Links

Please visit and support our associated sites and sponsors. If you are a business and want to advertise on this page please contact Terry. Thank you.

Quitman Villager | I Love Quitman | Webmaster

Copyright 2007 by Quitman Villager. All Rights Reserved.