There have been many changes recently in the Ravenswood area along the White River (Ravenswood is around BB27 on the page 17 map). A new Neighborhood Association has been formed and would like to let their community know what is planned for the future. The Riverwood Neighborhood Association is here to serve our community.

The former coordinator of the Ravenswood/White River Neighborhood Association, Suze Stamm, resigned after serving her community for over fifteen years. During her tenure, many important improvements happened. The old White River School was finally torn down and in its place is Riverwood Park with two ball fields, an all-weather basketball court, a covered picnic area, a large playground for the kids and a water spray park. Many trees, safety rails, Ravenswood Overlook Park and other improvements came about during those years and because of negotiations with Citizen's Energy Group, new sewers for sewage and drainage will come this spring at a cost far less than was originally proposed.

In the weeks following Stamm's announcement, it was proposed that elections be held to replace her and to bring new members to the board. The original by-laws did not have a method for elections, so a committee was formed to provide direction on how an election should proceed.

Fifteen citizens were approved by a vote of the community to create an updated set of by-laws. The committee met three times over the course of four weeks to write by-laws that would follow the mandate that every decision would be approved by the association having final say in all matters. The by-laws were presented at the next meeting and were adopted by a unanimous vote. That was the birth of the new association. To mark a new beginning, the name chosen came from the gem of the neighborhood, which is Riverwood Park.

"It was determined that is was best to start everything fresh," Hal Ames, the newly elected president explained. "We know we need to be one community, working together for the benefits of all neighbors. When we began the process of writing updated by-laws we established the foundation of what we wanted our association to be by creating our motto, Neighbors Helping Neighbors."

The boundary lines of the association are from the south side 71st Street north to the White River and Keystone Avenue west to White River, which encompasses what used to be the town of Ravenswood.

"Anyone who lives here, works here or owns property here are welcome to join us in improving the lifestyle of our friends and neighbors," Ames stated.

The meetings are scheduled quarterly on the second Monday of the month or as often as they are needed to inform the community of projects and events that are coming.

"We're looking for committee chairs for some of the projects that we have proposed, as well as a grant writer to apply for any government grants that might be available. We're also looking to form connections with other neighborhood associations," he said.

Rev. Ames has lived in the Ravenswood neighborhood for just over four years.

"When I first moved here, I didn't know anything about the community. My son lives five minutes from our house and we wanted to be close to our grandchildren. It wasn't long before I found that the people here are vibrant and full of passion for their neighborhood and for their families. I love it," Ames shared.

Scott Long is a long-time resident, vice president of the Association and coordinator of the new food pantry.

"I was involved in rewriting all of the bylaws. We passed out a copy of the by-laws to every home in our association boundaries, then let the community vote on them before we put them in action. We're all about giving the community a voice. I've lived in Riverwood for over 34 years. I provide a free community breakfast at my house on the third Saturday of each month from April until sometime in November, depending on the weather. I am a member of the Northside Baptist Church that sponsors the free breakfast. Northside Baptist Church, in cooperation with Glendale Christian Church, is starting a food pantry at 1788 Haynes Avenue on March 14. People can drop off food at the church or we can pick it up. Contact us at riverwoodna@gmail.com or call (317) 714-4863," Long added.

"Once we have this established, we can start the food pantry here that will be held on Wednesdays. I currently volunteer at the Northside Baptist Church food pantry on Tuesdays. Sometimes, we have food left over that I can take to Glendale Christian Church. Occasionally, we get eggs and a lot of bread from Kroger, Entenmann's and Fresh Thyme Market," Long explained.

The other members of the board of directors come from many different walks of life and bring differing ideas and skills with them, some are new and some served on the old board. It is an exciting time for all of them.

Monday, March 14th, 2016, is their next Association meeting because of the Citizen's Energy Groups Septic Tank Elimination Program is beginning at that time.

Their next neighborhood meeting will be Monday, April 11, 2016, at 7 p.m. at the Glendale Christian Church, located at 1788 Haynes Avenue, which is across the street from Riverwood Park. Their special guest will be Indiana State Representative Christina Hale, whose legislative region, House District 87, covers the Riverwood area.

Those interested in more information can contact their website (www.riverwoodna.com) or their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RiverwoodNA) for further information. They also have a group at: www.nextdoor.com, which is an open social network for neighborhoods.

The Riverwood Neighborhood Association has many goals they hope to accomplish as soon as possible. The 11 members of the Board of Directors are all committed to making the Ravenswood/Ralston Heights/Terrace Beach/Phinney Landing/Island Park/Riverview areas all that they can be to improve residents' lives and most of all, their property values. They have all agreed that 'Neighbors Helping Neighbors' is the right way to improve their way of life.